Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-03
BE GOOD OR YOU
WON'T GET LIQUOR"
Sweden Hits Upon Novel and
Practical Plan to Control
Alcohors Sale.
IN INTEREST OF MORALITY

Gil has lust renewed for term oil
three wears to the Stockholm Sys'
fem company" the monopoly in the
sale of liquors which that company
has held for, the last three years. An
other organization contested tor the
franchise, but the council could see
no reason for making a change :,
By renewing the franchise the city
authorities have set the stamp OF their
approval on novel plan of controlling
consumption, which was first intro.
duced by the Stockholm company, and
in the beginning gave the company a
unique position among the many
'.disinterested management COM
panies that have been in existence
under the so-called "Gothenburg sys-
fem" This plan, briefly stated, in
wolves a system by, which those con,
trolling the sale OF liquor are enabled
TO say to the consumers; ;,
"Be good, or you'll get no liquor.
DR.. Ivan Bratt, former physician,
sociologist and student OF the drink
question, is the father OF the idea,
whose outstanding feature is the reg,
ulation Of the retail trade by means OF
! pass book, called in Swedish mot
box"
Moral Purpose.
The old method OF controlling the
sale OF liquor, already referred to as
the Gothenburg system, dates from
1855. It had as its specifically Swed-
ISL feature the monopoly in the trade
which it entrusted to quasi-private
companies. The whole business IN
definite area was placed in the hands
Of such company whose prohtss
were limited to small amount, and
which was, in the words OF the old
law. to sell liquor Gin the interests
OF morality Apart from their power
to restrict the total sales, however,
these companies had no way OF get
ting at the individual who used liquor
to excess. 49,,
DR.. Bratt, after long study OF the
matter, conceived the idea OF the pass
book as the best method OF selling
liquor "in the interest OF morality,
a thing which, he felt, was not being
achieved under the old system 80
he organized the Stockholm system
company--thc Stockholm System
Joint Stock company, to give It IT'S
full name-and secured the monopoly
for the capital city three years ago.
The company has authority to con-
duct all retail establishments tor the
sale Of liquor to be drunk off the
premises, but may also delegate this
authority to'private persons or com,
panies. Some forty OF these. socaiied
'.off" licenses are thus held by per-
sons other than the system company,
but these will not be extended alter
the deaths 81 the present holders,
Adults Passbooks.
Control OF sales at the 4'of" places
Is effected by means of the passbook
referred TO. A passbook is issued to
an adult resident of the city upon APP
plication, provided his or her record
iustifies It. The company maintains
an elaborate card index. in which are
listed not only all persons to whom
books have been issued or from whom
they have been Withdrawn, but all
persons to whom, il they apply, books
will not be issued. Books are not
issued to habtual drunkards, to per-
sons who have been arrested tor
drunkenness within year last past,
TO paupers or to persons who have
figured unpleasantly in police court
records. A man who has been apar-
ticipant in public brawl, for exam
pie, is pretty sure to find, upon ap-
plying for passboo.., that his rec
ord is contained in the index and
that he can get no book, for the sys-
tenn company, cooperating with the
police, watches the newspapers rcgu-
larly for criminal news.
Conviction OF serious crimes or OF
drunkenness results in the withdrawal
of the passbook. Care has to be taken
to note all deaths in the city. Other
wise, said DR.. Pratt, in talk with
the Associated Press correspondent, it
has been the company's experience
that about fifteen per cent OF all
4holders of books keep on drinking
lliquor until the close OF the year fol-
flowing their DEATH" Persons feeling
themselves aggrieved' by the with
Idrawal or refusal of passbook may
appeal to the state authorities, but
there have been only four or FIVE APP
peals during the company's existence,
land none has succeeded.
! Until recently the passbooks au-
lthorized the purchase Of sixty liters
yearly, OF which not more than one
third OF liter could be bought every
two days. Owing to an enforcing re-
duction in the distillation Of spirits
due to the necessity for conserving
sSweden's available supply Of bread
stuffs, this amount has just been re-
duced to forty-eight liters yearly, and
a further reduction is probable.
Furthers Sobriety.
In this connection DR.. Bratt point
led out what he considers--apart from
Ahe furtherance OF sobriety through
the passbook system--its economic
value. There was, prior to the pass
book system, no adequate or practi-
cal method Of regulating consumption
throughout the kingdom. The state
authorities, however, were so inn
pressed with the workings of the
iBratt system in the first two years OF
Its existence that it was put into ef-
feet all over the kingdom on January
y, last, when the whole country was
divided into l02 control areas" each
with its own company and its pass
book valid only in the district in
(which it is issued. Now, when it be-
comes necessary to restrict consump-
zion, it can be done precisely as Ger
many, for instance, can regulate its
bread consumption by increasing OF
reducing the amount called for by its
sbrcad-cards.
No liquor can be imported into Swe,
den except through the respective
companies. A peculiar feature OF the
situation is that the Stockholm com.
ipany, for example, is obliged to i'm.