The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-02
LABEL DRY LAW
ROOT OF CRAFT,
CRIMINAL RULE
May Adopt Liquor Control
System Similar to
SWeden'S.
NATION DRY SINCE 1919
Decade of Conditions Like
Those in u. S. Led to
Repeal.
NATION DRY SINCE 1919
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scripps-HOward Foreign Editor

GIIlppo~hOnaAA
WASHINGTON, Jan. I'm the
hope of reducing drinking and
crime, Finland has repudiated bone
dry prohibition by vote of more
than two to one.
The way now is open to adopt
something like the Swedish system,
under which crime has been re-
duced, drinking cut more than in
two, drunkenness among children
three-quarters abolished and the
treasury replenished.
Like the United States, Finland
went dry in 1919. But, also like
the United States, you could get
all the booze you wanted.
Two years ago 1 flew across the
Baltic from Stockholm to Helsing-
fors. Twelve miles off the Finnish
coast l noticed the sea was dotted
with small ships.
BoOtIegger in Hotel
Rum Rowl" My pilot shouted.
Just like New York"
Ten minutes after I landed l
walked into the dining room Of one
of the countrys leading hotels.
Back in Sweden, they had care
fully measured out for me small
iigger of schnaps--my ration, all
they would allow me to have. To
see what luck l would have in Fin
land, I whispered to the waiter:
How about a little drink?"
"Sure!" he answered out loud.
what will you have-scnaps,
brandy, whisky, aqua Wit, vodka or
what?"
And right there, without making
any bones about it, the waiter served
me with schnaps to commence with
and a liqueur to end with. And in
between 1 could have had a gallon
had / wanted it.
Drunkenness Increased
The difference was striking. In
Sweden, where the government con-
trolled the liquor business, they ra-
toned It out in measure not much
bigger than good-sized thimble.
And that was all you could get.
In Finland, where the bootleggers
and rum runners controlled it, you
could get enough to float a battle
ship if you had the money to pay
for it.
Drunkenness, Finnish officials
told me, was appalling and growing
worse. Whereas in Stockholm, with
about 100000 population, drunken
ness had diminished from 1925
police cases in one year, to 6805; in
Helsingfors, it'll approximately half
the population, the cases reported
for the year numbered $4,000.
The Stockholm figures showed
steady decline in drunk cases while
Helsingfors statistics revealed a IA
per cent increase over the preceding
year and 300 per cent increase
over the year Finland's noble ex-
pertinent" started.
Crime, too flouriShed and grew
just as in America, with graft and
corruption, vice, immortality. and
murder on all sides.
Committee Condemns Law
Tired Of that sort of thing, the
Finnish government last January
began to cast about for some other
and better road to temperance. A
committee on the order of Presi-
dent Hoover's Wickersham commit
tee was named.
It's report, recently released, was
unfavOrable to the present law 1t
indicated conditions very similar to
ours as revealed by the Wicker
sham report.
Unlike the United States, how
ever, the Firms decided to do some
thing about it. Christmas week the
people were asked to vote on three
propositions.
l. Maintenance of the prohibition
law.
2. Modification to permit light
wines and beer.
3. Complete repeal.
The result was a landslide for re-
peal. BY nearly 3 to l the country
uSlAldAluSu dOIOSdO1Ou VI IIle law III
toto. A few voted for modification.
Accordingly new liquor control
law now is being drawn up, it is
said, somewhat along Swedish lines
Under it Finland hopes to promote
temperance, lessen crime and graft,
add to the national revenue and les
sen taxes.