Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-01-03
SCANDINAVIAN NEWS
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT HAP.
PENINes IN FAR OFF
NoRTHLAND.
ITEMS FROM THE OLD HOME
Resume Of the Most Important Events
in Sweden, Norway and Denmark
OF Interest to the seandinaSians
In America.
SWEDEN.

BY renewing the franchise of the
Stockholm System company for three
years the city authorities have put
their stamp of approval on the novel
plan of the municipality to control the
sale of liquor. The plan is develop
ment of the Gothenburg system which
dates back TO 1855, whereby a monop-
oily In the sale of liquor was granted
to quasi-private companies. Under
the new plan regulation of the retail
trade is accomplished by means of
passboOk, in Swedish "motbok." DIR.
Ivan Bratt, former physician. a So
biologist and student of the drink ques-
ton. Is the father of the idea. The
company has authority to conduct all
retail establishments for the sale of
liquor to be DRINK off the premises, but
may also delegate this authority to pri-
vate persons or companies. Some 40
of these so-called off, licenses are
thus held by persons other than the
system company. Control of sales at
the "of" places is effected by means
of the passbook. A passbook is issued
to an adult resident of the city upon
application, provided his or her record
justifies 1t. Books are not issued to
habitual drunkards, to persons who
have been arrested for drunkenness
within year, to paupers, or persons
who have figured unpleasantly In po-
lice court records. Conviction of seri-
Gus crimes or of drunkenness results in
the withdrawal of the passbook. Care
also has to be taken to note all deaths
in the city. Otherwise, said Doctor
Bratt, 1t has been the cOmpanys expe-
rience that about fifteen per cent of
all holders of books keep on drinking
liquor until the close of the year fol-
lowing their DEATH" Until recently the
passbooks authorized the purchase of
80 liters of spirits yearly. This amount
has just been reduced to As liters year
ly, and further reduction is posi-
bic. The state authorities were so i'm
pressed with the workings of the Bratt
system in the first two years of its ex-
lstence that 1t was put into effect all
over the kingdom January last. Now,
when 1t becomes necessary to restrict
consumption, 1t can be done precisely
as Germany, for instance, can regulate
its bread consumption by increasing or
reducing the amount called for by its
bread cards. To control the sale of
liquors at the places holding ION" Ii
censes, that is. licenses to sell liquor
to be drunk on the premises, is not so
simple. 1t IS Doctor Bratt's plan event
uaIly to eliminate entirely all private
profits on sales of distilled liquors.
The maxima established three years
ago will, instead of being increased as
the city's population increases. dimin-
lsh gradually. and it is hoped that it
will some day be possible to provide
that no gain shall be made on liquors
by the holders of ION" licenses. Sta
tistics appear to establish Doctor
Bratt's claim that his idea has justl-
fed itself. In 1913, under the old
system, 5,602, 1897 liters of distilled
liquors-mainly what the Swedes call
"aquavit," a fiery brandy-were sold
In Stockholm. In 1915, despite the in
creased population and the great num-
Der of foreigners In the city, total sales
sank to 3,422,09S liters. Cases of
chronic alcoholism reported by district
physicians sank from 4o2 in 1909, $40
In 1912, and 492 Ia 1913, to 31S In
1914, and 173 in 1915. There were 537
CT ses x delirium tremens reported In
1912. and 62j in 1913; in 1914 the num-
Der fe,. 20 459 and went down to 363
the following year.
A man at Hedemora had to go to
the Falu hospital Oh account of bad
swelling on the left side of his face.
An operation had to be performed, and
the cause of the trouble was found to
be the polnt of a knife-blade an inch
and hall long and half an inch wide.
Now the patient remembers that he
was badly cut In that part of the face
in a fight which he had about eight
years ago. At that time he did not
know that the knife was broken and
part of it left in his head.
French physicians to the number
Of 80 passed through Stockholm on
their way TO Roumania to join the am
bulance corps of that country. They
had been equipped at the expense of
a private man in France.
Mrs. Rosa Nachmanson of Stock
holm willed $4,000 TO different char
liable institutions in her city.
According TO a dispatch from NAL
moe decision to increase the freigls
rates to America by 20 per cent has
been reached ut q conference in Co
thenburg of representatives of the
Scandinavian-America line. the Dam
lsh United Steamships company. the
Norwegian Mexico line and the Swe-
dish American Mexico line. the largest
Scandinavian exporters.
Gottfrid Leonard Nygren. a Stock
holm druggist. left an estate valued at
$4,000. His will provides for dona-
ton, amounting to S20.OGa
A deputation from the temperance
organizations of Sweden waited on the
king and the cabinet in order 20 pre-
sent petition for the introduction of
national prohibition.