Evening star., 1933-11-30
SWEDISH LIQUOR
CONTROL ! SUCCESS
Bratt System Reduces Drunk
enneSs Half and Cuts
Alcohol Use.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
STOCKHOLM, November 80 N.A.
! NA.).-The drink problem once was
very acute in Sweden. 1t is SO no
longer. Alcoholic consumption has
. been brought down to 60 per cent OF
drunk" cases have been reduced to
half, and the cases of chronic alcohol
ism to one-third.
In Swedish towns there are no
saloons, no bars, except perhaps an
occasional milk bar You can still have
a drink but you have got to have a
meal with it. For home consumption
you can buy limited amount of spiri-
tuous fluids, enough to keep you going,
and enough to keep you from buying
Illicit spirits, but not enough to set you
crazy. All your alcoholic problems are
solved for you by the Bratt system,
Sweden from hazardous prohibltlon
experiment, and brought its people
back to the ways OF temperance ana
moderation.
who is Bratt? A medical practitioner
with his own ideas of temperance re-
form, who through uneXampied energy
and persuasiveness got his plan accept
ed by the law-giving authorities, hlm-
self at the same time climbing TO the
top of the new bureaucracy which was
thereby created, post which he left a
couple of years ago in order to manage
the French branch Of commercial
enterprise.
Personal Control Principle.
Personal control is the leading prtn-
ciple of the Bratt system; a subsidiary
aim is the cutting of all private trade"
interests. The state has monopoly OF
all import and wholesale trade IN
spirits and wine. The separate munich
palities decide for themselves whether
they want to allow alcoholic liquors to
be sold or served in their areas; If yes,
the necessary rights are conferred on
municipality controlled company which
sets up retail shops and exercises con-
troll over the restaurant licenses. NO
other licences are granted, except 1or
beer and wines, which may be allowed
to be served in cafes and similar places
of refreshment, but by no means always
are
Then every citizen who wants TO Duy
spirits and wine must register with one
of the retail shops. and thenceforth 10
make all his purchases through tnat
shop. He also must declare his income
and explain his social circumstances.
Very many SWedes object violently 10
this "prying" into the private lives OF
people, but it still holds. The company
makes sure that citizen has PAID a rea.
sonable amount OF his taxes, ana siia1
he is in other respects fit person to pe
entrusted with the dangerous stuff. He
then receives purchase rights for
olIantitv varying locally, and also vary
ing with personal circumstances, from
about l to liters of spirits and an un-
defined amount of wine. II he snoulo
misuse his privileges, either by getting
drunk and getting in trouble with the
police, or by neglecting his family, or Dy ;y
letting others use his pass booK, ne VIII
receive a warning, and II he persists IN
Weak Spot Shows.
This is where the system begins IT'S
functions in earnest, and Just mere ot,e the
is inclined to see the weak spot OF tne
whole arrangement. Some contend tnaG
nponle who know how to use alcohol
with sense and moderation should not
be interfered with in their habits, ana
it does not in every case help Just to
cancel a pass book. If an individual
inclines to the abuse of strong liquors,
he may simply go to a restaurant m
stead paying so much more for ms
drinks, and doing still more harm to ms
family. Or he will buy lllclt SplllS.
For If cannot be concealed that even in
the we1l-ordered country that SWeoe9
is there goss. on a &c, Teream snaneeied % spirits
and. in some country districts. nome
brew. In the latter case really very
often. because people find 1t too much
trouble to 60 to toWn---sometlmes
great distance-to get lquor hurai
Communities are not allowed to set up
system companies. s. .h;s
nature can be worked only IN country
verv strict, as it is in Sweden. In a
country with a considerable floating
nonulation the difficulties would be very
large And the whole thing Is really
11nWorkable if it does not meet a Ger.
tain degree of loyal acceptance on tiie
mart of the population, which it mas IN
Sweden whether this is due 70 the
merits of the Bratt system or 10 tne
natural tolerance of the Swedish people
IS an open question. ,,,-
Sweden is not w1ne-or rmkns at Cou
try. and so restrictions In tnaC lespeot
Nod not be so severe. Beer does not
come under the regulations mentioned,
though a few municipalities fornlo tne
serving of beer, which in Sweden never
exceeds 80 per cent OF weight.
"Braennvin" the Drink.
THE national drink of Sweden is not,
O. most would guess, Swedish puncn,
hit "braennvir." that is rye or pota!o
sr;rit in yariously favored, but uni
Sar,,,Iv strong forms. AS this is native
,,rndI;ct il is cheaper than any other
find of strong drink-at present ABOUT
e1 a Iitre-and many Swede WILL take
his daily snaps" with his dinner ano
hardly any other kind of alcohohc
% But naturally some care must be exo
.rcised with drink of this strengthL4o
to AZ ner cent of alcohol-and therefore
the restaurant allowance with fuli
meal is limited to Is centilitres, ana
this must not all be consumed IN
the form of snaps" but pust parity
he taken in the shape OF cognac,
iuuers, punch or whisky. II mas
been part of the policy OF tne orase
system to accustom tne Peopte
drinking light wines nsteao OF tlie
traditional strong spirits. ms can
hardly be said to have succeeoeo' now
ever, and of late the Increasingly neavy
taxation on all alcoholic drinks ano
favored the return to the cheaper ana
stronger brands of liquor.
In any case the Swedish state taxes
ITS tribute. For the current year some
$50 million kronor are expected to
accrue from the various spirits taxes,
considerable sum on revenue OF some
800 900 900 and a budget total OF
1conyrieht, 1898, bv North American News
paper Alliance. lncl