SWISS LAW ON ALCOHOL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1743, 18 January 1888, Page 3

SWISS LAW ON ALCOHOL

The new law on alcohol, which tbe Swiss people have approved by a dlreot note, is (says the "Leeds Mercury") a oom'cal compromise. But it Is satisfactory that tbe people have been sufficiently ln earnest on the subject to record a very large vote, nearly four out of five of the electors had gone to tbe poll, and the majority m favor of tbe neir law havlug been olose npon two to one. The law seems to affect spirits only. The Stete takes the wholesale distribution of aloohoilo spirits entirely lota its own hands. It makes itself the exclusive purchaser of the spirits produced by tbe distillers ; it assumes tbe sole responsibility of preparing the spirits for consumption and thus of guaranteeing the consumer against the mixture of noxious Ingredients with the already sufficiently noxious and poisonous product; and it •till to the trade. On the basis of present consumption, it calculates on a profit of £48,000. snd of this total one -tenth is to be assigned, m due proportions, to the respective cantons, who are to expend it m promoting the pause of temperanoe. One way of promoting this oause is to be ihe founding of "ooloniea" of industry for the reclamation of drunkards. And thg cantons ere to make an annual return ib the Federal Oounoil of the expenditure thus incurred, and, it may be presumed, of any good results aohieved. The "Latdf Mercury" says that the experiment though comical m some of its aspeota, is worth trytnj, apd will uinredly be T» .obetj witl; Inteieit,