The Swedish, Licensing Law and the Gothenburg System of Working it.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3206, 29 May 1879, Page 2

The Swedish, Licensing Law and the Gothenburg System of Working it.

' " r [CONTINUED.]". ■ The 'following is the clause which the people of Gothenburg hare availed them* selves of:— - . t . _ . , „ _ v '6. The licenses are sold by auction, either separately or together, for a t«rm of three years, to those who undertake to paj annually to the Town Treasury,[sixpence per gallon for sales in retail, and ninepence per gallon for sales in public-houses on the greatest, number of gallons, irreipec* tire of the ' real' quantities they >mif actually,sell; or, if a Company is formed to take the whole number of lieeaos*; ttfe town authorities may! contract with such Company for three years without an auction; but in no case it the payment by the Company to be less than the sum would hare been, bad the privilges been Bold to private persons. .. - ■ -„ ;.. ■ , *? 7.' Of the income from licenses,, in both town and country, two-fifths are divided between the Country Treasury and the Country Agricultural Society. In towns, the remaining three-fifths go to the Town Treasury; but in.the country they aro divided among the parishes of the country in proportion to this population. In Stockholm the whole goes to the town. 8. Finally—and this provision is of some significance—there is no minimum fixed for the number- of licenses. It is, therefore, .within the power of the local authority to prohibit the trade altogether in any town or in any country parish.', The immediate effect of the passing of this' law was to reduce the number of distilleries, from 44,000 in 1850 to 4,500, and by 1869 to 457, producing about 6,900,000 gallons of spirits, instead of 26,000,000 gallons,- the estimated produce previously. , Tb.9 effect on the intemperance of the country was equally- marked. In the towns the consumption still continued on too large a scale, but it was by no meant as great as before the passing of the Act of 1855; but in the country districts the change for the better was most remark* able."' l- - 1 - < ' ' --V

Good as the result! of this legislation undoubtedly were, .they were not sufficiently so to satisfy the people of Gothenburg, who looked for still greater good from th» existence'of the law, and accordingly determined to work it vigorously..,. In the year 1864, a. committee of the Town Council was appointed to examine into the causes of the increasing pauperism of.the,town, and they reported " that the principal source of it lay in th« immoderate drinking of spirits." Whilst in the country districts, -the option to abolish tHe spirit trade had 'been largely used by the people to forbid the sale of spirits altogether, s no town in Sweden had them (nor has any town yet) decided, in faror of prohibition. As a remedy, then, the authorities in Gothenburg did not propose the abolition'of the saledf spirits, but rather aimed at finding some scheme which would place the greatest practicable restrictions on their sale, while encouraging the sale of harmless refreshments, and .thus more,and more tend to diminish their use. '": ' ■•- v

The Committee further reported «that the unavoidable, and indispensable conditions for the proper management of publichouses could never be fulfilled, unless the trade were no longer to be conducted by individuals for the sake of profit, but by an association, which should neither bring individual profit to the persons so . associated, nor to the persons, men or women, who should manage the different establishments.";. :<- r vr.-, -;; This idea having laid'hold of the public mind, a company was soon after formed, consisting of the most trusted men, and the, most esteemed commercial firms, to carry on the sale of spirits in Gotheribuf'e, without pecuniary advantage, to any one. Ihe proposals of the-Committee were warmly debated in the Town Council, where the scheme had,: many passionate opponents, but ultimately it was adopted, and the Company (Utskankning Aktie Bolag) was formed. The following were the leading principles on which it was based, Viz: r:•*-'■* J •■ -*•-. .<•■ ■■. ■* *> -: ' 1. To reduce the number of public* houses.

2.- To improve their condition. 3. To provide warm food for workmen, so as to chango public-houses into eatioghouses. 4. To employ as managers respectable persons, who should derive no profits from" the sale of spirits, but only from the sale of cooked food, tea, coffee, beer, seltzer and soda water. 5. To refuse to sell spirits on credit. 6. To pay to the Town's Treasurer, after payment of interest on capital, all the profits that accrued on sales of spirits. In 1865 the Company commenced operation!, and has steadily pursued its course in accordance with the principles above stated. There were 61 spirit licenses taken over by the Compauy.'2o of which it immediately abolished,, re- i forming the mode of management of the remainder. Those who have-visited the Company's public-houses describe them as being comfortably fitted up. more,,; resembling the eating-houses; than the public-houses of England; they are provided with bars, upon; which are placed several small glasses filled with spirits, and, but for this, visitors would -find it hard to discover that; they were.in.a, public-house at .all; and: there is no such thing as the blazing stars: of gas, the mirrors, the brass, and the /alines of bottles that so ostentatiously distinguish the gin-palace» of England and the Colonies. ; Mr Alexander Balfour, of Liverpool, gives his experience of a visit-made to Gothenburg by himself and Mr Clarke Aspinall, coroner of Liverpool, in a letter! addressed, to the Eight Hon. W. E. Gladstone. The following occurs in it descriptive of the effects of the Company's; efforts at, reform :-r- il The results of the arrangements made," regarding the traffic, • :" are obvious to all - who visit Gothenburg, inasmuch as they find not only that the streets are entirely free from drunkenness, but that the behaviour of the people in any part of the town is marked by the utmost propriety and decorum. We visited the whole town

during our stay at Gothenburg, without; seeing any druaken person ; on one eveniing we went to see some of the lowest^ parts of it, but such places as ' the slums': of some of our large J'nglish towns we; could not discover, and were told thnt| they did not exist. Thn houses of the; working people appeared to us to be well; built and well kept, and no extreme 1 poverty 'was visible. We; observed a striking contrast between these; public-houses and our own in this respect—that at Gothenburg the people were; almostall faking food, showing that the purpose steadily pursued by the Company! of transforming public-houses into eatinghouses is being largely accomplished; the attendants were for the most part females, the managers being men. A bill of fare was hung up in each house, from which we saw that a.well-cooked dinner could bo obtained, for sixpence. , The Company do not; permit the sale of spirits „on 'Sundays, nor after 6 p.m. on Saturdays ; but persons taking meals ip the pubiichouseson Sundays are allowed to take the customary single ' dram' before eating." ■-: ■■;■;:';. ■ .--■•7b be continued* ;:, „