Drinking Habits, of the American People.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1458, 18 September 1885, Page 4

Drinking Habits, of the American People.

That a marked change has come over the drinking habits o? the American people during the past generation, no observant person who has passed middle life is likely to deny, but few people have any just conception of the transformation which has been effected. Some statistics recently published put the thing m a nutshell. In 1860 the United States contained, m round numbers, 31,000,000 people, who cousumod 86,000,000 gallons of spirituous liquore, while m 1884 with a population of 75,000,000, manufacture and excess of imports over exports were only 73.000,000 gallons— that is to say, whil« the number of people m the country his increased more than 75 per cent, since 1860, they use 15 percent/less of spirits. On the other hand, the consumption of malt liquors has risen from 100,000,000 gallons, m 1860, to 590,000,000 gallons last year, and that of uativc wines from 1,800,000 gallons to over 17,000,000 gallons. It should bo explained that tlie atnoaut of spirits manufactured last year fell much below the average, by reason of over'piodnction of whisky and tho consequent depression m the trade. But even if the figures of manufacture during th« years of such over production when 20,000,000 gallons more were distilled than m 1884, with a reasonable allowance for illicit production, be taken at the rate of consumption, they still leave the proportion to each person far below what it was twenty-five years ago. The substitution of the lighter for the heavier drinks which these figures demonstrate to have been made during the papt quarter of a century is a social tact of great significance. — Nation (Now ■York). V