Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-04
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
o

ABOUT GOTHENBURG
"Gothenburg's celebration of the
300th anniversary of its founding is
a reminder of a name which is bet
ter known by its application to a
| city," says a bulletin from the Ma
tional Geographic Society's Wash
ington, ID. c. headquarters.
1.-THE system in question is the in
g~enious device first adopted in that
city in 1865 to curtail the excessive
consumption of alcoholic liquors.
Spirits were made a public util-
ity and their sale regulated by the
J formation of "a municipal company
which was granted a monopoly for
their sale and the manner of sucD
sale clearly defined.
Profit Limit 3 Per Cent
"All usllers, employed by the
company, were allowed a profit OF
| only 5 per cent on liquor business,
whereas they had also to sell in the
same establishment soft drinks and
food upon which they might reap
all the earnings they could.
1.-THE city's profit over the 5 per
cen was devoted to counteracting
alcoholic consumption by provision
| of other amusements, such as parks,
lectures, sports and games, and wen
free excursions.
THE plan worked SO we'll in Goth
enburg that it was adopted in Stock
holm, then over the greater part of
Sweden, end it has been widely APP
piled, with modification, in Norway
and Finland. One experiment with
it in South Carolina, where it was
called the ~dispensary system, was
less fortunate.
Founded by Famous General
"Gothenburg has many claims to
fame in its own right beginning with
its founding by Gustavus Adolphus.
According to the legend, memo
rallied in a famous statute in Goth
enburg's central square, that ia
nous general was standing on a hill
which the city now oyerruns when
a bird pursued by an eagle dropped
at his feet. Here the town shall be
built he is reputed to have said.
This statute is the second one
made at Munich from a design by
Fogelberg. The first was lost at sea
and salvaged by H~elgoland sailors
who held the ransom too high. So
the original now is at Bremen.
"Gothenburg bears more tangible
evidence of the facts of its founding
in its many canals. History scorns
the pretty ldle lOI ll6 lIlOTG lldllSI
of fact statement hal Dutch friends
of Gustavus pointed out to him the
commercial possibilities of the site
and he entrusted to them the laying
out of the new port.
Canal Enters Central Square
1.-THE Dutch modelled it after their
own towns, canals and all. Though
many of the waterways have been
filled in, an important one still enters
the great Central Square and gives
an unusual and picturesque touch to
the city center.
Chief Port and Second City
THE chief port and second city
in Sweden, Gothenburg has a fleet
that sails to all parts of the COM
mercial world. Its population vas
only $4,000 in 1910; today it has
nearly 100000 people. Napoleon
caused it's first business boom when
he chose it to be a transfer and
storage point for shipments from
England to the continent. England's
industrial revolution gave 1t a second
impetus by providing a customer for
it's raw material exports, principally
ores and timber.
1.-The Gothenburg or Gotta canal is
not one within the city but a famous
trans-Sweden route between Goth
enburg and Stockholm. The route
is misnamed, for only sc of its 240
miles is canalized, the rest of the
journey lies across Sweden's beauti-
full lakes. 1t has beer said that, as
an engineering achievement, this
waterway through Sweden compares
with the building of the Suez Canal.
In traversing it the passenger steam
ers ascend more than 800 feet above
sea-level, through electrically oper-
ated locks, past ruins of ancient cas-
ties and one of the largest electric
power stations in the world. They
cross Lake Vanern, third largest in
Europe, inc others which are &C
counted among the most idyllic."