SOBRIETY IN THE OLD COUNTRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8548, 4 October 1907, Page 3

SOBRIETY IN THE OLD COUNTRY.

(From Our London Correspondent.) LONDON, August 21. Further testimony to the increasing sobriety of the nation, which more than one perplexed Chancellor of the Exchequer has noted with 1,, doubtful satisfaction, is to be found in the annual report issued yesterday by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. With something over gallons of beer brewed in. United Kingdom last financial/1 yeLv, and 33,000,000 odd retained fotf j the home market, the consumption per head was yet slightly less thgli the previous year Moreover tie downward movement has gr-ie stesdily on for seven years .iow, without a single lapse. Ten years ago, in 1896-1897, the avenge consumption calculated on th* , ' w^o^e population of .the Unifc*"' Kingdom was 30.49 gallons head per annum. wr' exceeded the followvear ar * continued to move upward u^ 1 ' 1599-1900, when it reache /a ma " imum 32.29. From point the average began to fall; 1905-1906 the consumption had /been reduced £our and a-half gallors , to 27.9 gailons per head, and last year it was down to 27.81. What has L been gained for temperance for beer f' has not been lost in spirits. Not only has the consumption per hesd in the case of spirits, butlhe total quantity retained for sale at home has actually declined by comparison with ten years ago. In 18961897, 40,300,00 proof gallons of spirit paid duty in this country—--32,100,000 distilled at home and 8,200,000 imported. Last year the quantity was only 39,800,000 — 32,500,000 distilled at home and 7,300,000 imported. In the earlier year the consumption per head was 1.01 gallon; in 1899-1900 it had , gone up to 1.18 gallon; and ever since the latter year it has been falling till last year the proportion was 0.91. It may be noted as indicating the disappearance of the small manufacturers of beer, that the number of brewers' licenses issued last year was against 8,305 in 1896-1897. Some other items of interest appear in the same report. The following particulars of the issue of trader*' licenses are given:— 1896-1897. 190G-1907. Vendors of intox-*° icating liquors ...233,702 222,394 Auctioneers ... 7,606 8,308 Appraisers ... 4,89tJ 5.444 Hawkers ... 11,672 14,219 Pawnbrokers ... 4,986 5,128 Motors ... 7,942 29,584 Dogs ... 1,379,482 1,727,864