SPIRITS MONOPOLY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1972, 31 January 1914, Page 5

SPIRITS MONOPOLY.

'AND THE CRUSADE AGAINST DRUNKENNESS. By I'cleEtapli-'cPreso Association—Copyright St. Petersburg, January 29. Count Witte, one timo l"'inniice Minister, dramatically appealed to tlio Council of Empire to correct his mistakes regarding tho liquor laws. Ho new recommended tho linutati&n of tlio spirits monopoly and devoting the surplus revenue thercform to aid the crusado against drunkenness.

Const Witte instituted the spirit monapoly in Russia ia January, 1895, in four eastern provinces, aE<J in ISM it became tho common law of tho ftapire. Count Witte's objects ivtro, as Minister of Finnnee. "to obtain Set tlic benefit of the State the lamest possible nmount of revenue from this trade; o,n<l sccemdl.t- to tiiniinisli drurtiveailes,':." 'i'ho revenue was quadrupled in tlvo , first, four ywlvs niid provincial organisatens spent eonstdernWe siims in c.st&blLshing; toa shops, tot thfl ednsumption of. beer was unaffected. f=pirit consumption was. however, jyreatly diminished bewuse in Covernincnt spirit slwps there -was no dri.ikinK on. the pvemipp". The State wpftopoly in Russia line eradicated many ovUs that had crept info iho private piirvpymico of spirits, but it i=; a moot question whether the hard dirinkiUK of the dowu-ttoddeu peasantry has beon diminishotl. Russian finance h.iß bcxrn rcmavkebly ens? ditriDg the twenty .tears that the State liars enjoyed tho enormoM revenues which the spirit iho'eiopolv now yrcUle. us mucJs as forty-four, millions -sterliii.e boiiifr estimnfml- as tho net nunual revenue from tins setwee alofte.