The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-06
Law Forbids Selling Of DRINK
in Barracks Canteens and u
Protects Soldiers.
TWO CONVICTIONS LOSE u
DRINKER HIS VOTE
Gases Of Alcoholism Are Shown
to Be Growing Fewer Under
Several Progressive Mcasuz
es Adopted Prior to War.

Rome. Italy, Dec. Writing to-
American papers for which he is core
respondent. Edgar Ansel Mowrer hasss
sent the following news letter:
For two reasons nothing has be M
done in Italy durinS the war % ects~5
bat the abuse of alcoholic liquors. Tie
first OF these is that in Italy aicohn.-
ism is rare plant. Cases of drunk-
enness are rare, The sight 81 eng
intoxicated person in the streets NJ
even rarer. Every ono drinks but rsa
one drinks to excess. not cvSn It's
disheartened and the overstrained.
There has been no particular G or s
scence OF debauch in Italy during fiIN3
war. indeed. the very contrary s~enss8
the case. For in wile drinking
country there is hot little taste fer
spirits or liquors. Thesn come largelys
from abroad and cost great det'sA
wine however. is cheap and good. IsA
takes a great deal IF wine. marsss
glasses. quarts. even to intoxicate ~
habitual drinker. The pathological eff
feet of wine drinking upon a race Of
outdoor livers is ut very great.
The second X why no srect~L@
measures have been needed is thft9
just before the war measure wcs
taken.
Study Started Years AGO
The first notice taken OF the posrs-ss
BILE and actual harm growing cut rsS
the increasing use OF alcoholic drinks
goes back in italy 10 1900. Italy fcs-s5
lowed other countries. After mut1
discussion and study, on Dec ), 1915.
Luigi LnZzati. then president Of is
council and minister of the intoriu ~
presented to the chamber a Gra I err
! titled Provisions for lighting ai.9
coholism." The draft was dvis.r l
into three parts. TIL first intendes
to regulate the retail gale aud the con.
sumption of alcoholic bevcras ~: :sssS
second treating Of The cure 20 IN
given drunkards, and the third for3i "
ding the employment Of harmful sur-s
stances In drinks. demanding a Specs Il
permit for the drinks containing ai.a
cohol above certain percentage ant
| forbiddng the sale OF alcoholic drinEss
to persons under sixteen years or a.
ready intoxicated. In communes whefa34
the number of liquor sellers s greater
than one to every 800 inhabitants ma
new permits were to be granted
The draft was largely approved. BIZ
some changes were made. An order
of the day was voted in the chambe !.
inviting the government TO study the
organization necessary for provtdtnNs
shelters for drunkards. This study
was interrupted by the war The lAWs
! became effective October 22 1914.
: Soldiers Are Protected
I The law forbids the sale OF drink15
the barracks canteens by wander-
ing merchants. in military camps and
In asylums and hospitals. 1t prohibits
the sale of alcoholic beverages on
Sundays, holidays and election days.
and for reasons of morality forbid0s
proprietors to employ women under
eighteen years of age. Furthermore.
any citizen twice condemned for
having been taken In state of quar-
relsome or disgusting Grunkennesls
loses his rights as elector in poiitictls
or administrative elections and HIS
right to serve on juries for Ave years.
BY refusing to permit new salo0nSs
In regions where there are already
more than one for every 500 inhAbtSss
tants the law TENDS gradually to rAsSs
duce the number to that figure. Il
Although the right OF the ItaiiaHf
people to Use and abuse alcoholic
drinks has been limited. it was neces-s
sary to spare the production Of wineys
one OF the greatest national industries
and an important item in the nationAt|
riches. Hence the limit OF slcoholtcity5
permitted was fixed at twenty one psf
cent. corresponding to that OF th4M
strongest Italian wines those of the
south--Siciy, Ca.abria and PuEiia.s
To have made the figure lower woultss
have meant TO strike southern wins
growers at the expense of the wins
growers of the north and CENTER
where the wines are lighter.
The 1916 statistics show that tho
cases OF alcoholism are one per cent
lower than in past years. By th0ttes
progressive law Italians hope that thu
abuse of alcohol much less commoN8
than in almost any other country, WIFI
gradually disapnear altogether.