The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-21
Schuylkill Has Doubtful Dis
tinction Of Possessing Most
Liquor Joints.
NUMBER OF PLACES
STEADILY DECREASING
Mahanoy City Wears Medal for
Being Dampest Single Spot
Among Those Of 10000 Pop
ulation or More.


coal in Pennsylvania and consuming
alcoholic beverages appear to have
something In common. Saloons are
more thickly scattered among the pop
ulation in the anthracite belt than
anywhere else In the State.
6chuyikill County, long enjoying
whatever honor attaches to having
moro saloons per population than any
other district, continues to hold this
1910, It has one saloon for every 1875
persons In the county. Pike County,
second smallest county In the State, is
second in the list, having one saloon
for every 236 persons
Third and forth places are occu-
pied by Luzerne and LAckawanna,
which, with Schuylkill, form the prin-
cipal part Of the hard coal belt. Luz
xerne can put 37s persons into each
left outside. while LackawannA would
have to jam in 2s2. Luzerne forged
ahead of its neighbor by allowing AL
most n hundred new licenses In re-
cent years.
F1vc-Year Comparison.
Figures compiled by the Pennsyi-
vania Anti-Saloon League AFFORD in
teresting comparisons of the liquor
situation now with what 1t was five
years ago.
Fifty-six of the sixty-seven coun-
ties in the state continue to license
retail liquor places and OF these Law
renee County. which was dry Ave years
ago, but recently went back to the
wet column. has the fewest saloons.
finding that ono to each 5000 popula-
ton 10 sufficient.
The five-year period shows q net
decrease OF SIS saloons and q net de-
crease of 101 Wholesale places. Greene
and Mifilin were dry Ave years ago
counties wiped out the following
number of saloons each during the
Ave years:
Bedford, / Crawford, So; Hunting
don, 6: Jefferson. 80; Juniata. 10;
Mercer. a.: Union. IA: Venango, %;
wyoming. 81.
While these eleven dry counties
have no places where glasses of alco-
holic beverages are dispensed across
the bar or where the ancient duck"
may be rushed, not all of them are
absolutely dry, Crawford, Jefferson,
Merser and venango have two brew
cries apiece, but the Wholesale IL
quor stores went out with the sa-
looms.
Dry for Periods.
Butler. Perry and Tioga all were dry
for periods during the f1ve-year sur
vey. but have swung back to the wet
column. Butler went back emphati-
cally and now has thirty saloons, ten
more than in 1911. Perry has fifteen,
decrease OF four. and Tioga has
twelve. a decrease Of twenty-one since
1911 Columbia holds the banner for
cutting down retail licenses: 1t had
1o7 in 1911 and now has "a. Nine
counties besides Butler and Lawrence
show an increase in retailers since
1911. as follows:
Armstrong. 2; Clearneld. 10: Gin
ton. S: Erie. ,; Indiana. 9; LAckawan-
ma. II: Lehigh. ,; LuEerne. -; North
ampton, l.
Fffty-three counties showed de-
creases in retail licenses Even the
two biggest counties cut down the
number. Allegheny found that 1t
could get along with fifty-nine less
saloons. though Il has 1856 left. or
one for each $40 population. Phila-
delphia 10 Just = shade better than AL
leEheny. It got rid Of twenty-five sa-
looms. but retains 1877. or ono for
each sos Of population. .
Present Showing Better.
These two big counties are above
the average. for tho State an whole
has 10, 6I1 saloons. or one for each 730
persons Of its 1910 population Of
7.e66,l11; in 1911 there was = saloon
for eacK Of eS1 persons. It II admit
ted that II later census figures are
available. the present showing would
he better. The State has 1856 whole
salers and bottlers. 1o7 brewers and
rs distillers.
Mahanoy City wears the gold medal
for being the damrest single spot In
the entire state. among those with
populations Of $4,000 or more. MAha-
noy puts forward . saloon for every
ninety-live persons who live there.
Shenandoah runs second with 137.
West Chester ~ at the opposite end
Of the scale, among municipalities
which harhor saloons. having only one
for every 1851 persona