The temperance problem and social reform

II AUTHOR OF "temperance LEGISLATION," "a NEGLECTED

ASPECT OF THE TEMPERANCE

QUESTION," ETC

AND ARTHUR SHERWELL

AUTHOR OF "life IN WEST LONDON," ETC

SEVENTH EDITION

REVISED AND ENLARGED

NEW YORK TRUSLOVE HANSON AND COMBA

67 F I F T H A \' E N U E 1900

\A i

1a *cv«lv*fct* ou<.e

5^

Butler 6-- Tanner The Seh'j?od Printhiz Works Frome and London

AUTHORS' NOTE

The writers gratefully acknowledge the assistance they have received from numerous friends and correspondents in this country, the United States, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, who have helped them with information, opinions and criticisms. They also wish to acknowledge the unfailing courtesy which they received from public officials and others in the course of personal investigations made in Sweden and Norway in 1898, and in the United States and Canada in 1899.

They are further indebted for much valuable information to the Annual Return of Alcoholic Beverages, published by the Commercial Department of the Board of Trade.

Preface to the Seventh Edition

IN this edition the statistical and other information has, so far as possible, been brought down to the present time, and, in response to suggestions that have been made, a new chapter has been added which deals with the working of Local Option in the various States of the American Union, and in some other countries.

One of the present writers visited the United States and Canada last year (1899) for the purpose of examining, upon the spot, the operation of the more important legislative experiments there in force for the regulation or suppression of the drink trade. He observed the working of Local Option in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Canada ; High Licence in the State of New York, and the Dispensary System in South Carolina. He also made a careful study of Prohibition in the States of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The present edition embodies much of the information thus obtained.

Personal examination confirmed the statements made in former editions of this book as to the working of these different systems. But inasmuch as the literature upon the operation of the Prohibition laws viii PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION

ceases at or about the year 1893, the opportunity has been taken to bring the information down to date.

The new evidence, it will be seen, includes maps of six Prohibition towns, including the three largest towns in Maine and the two largest towns in New Hampshire, showing in each case the number, position, and character of the places where drink is regularly on sale, while typical photographs of the exteriors and interiors of the saloons are also supplied. If, as the present writers believe, the evidence now given is decisive as to the non-existence of Prohibition, apart from the Statute book, in the urban centres of the Prohibition States investigated, a question of great interest arises as to the real significance of the fact.

It is sometimes said that as the policy of State Prohibition finds small support in this country, where the proposal is chiefly one for Local Veto, the experience of the Prohibition States can be of little value to us. The practical and all-important lessons which may be gathered from the experience of the Prohibition States are, however, as we proceed to show, unaffected by this difference. A study of temperance legislation in the United States brings out two striking facts. On the one hand is seen the gradual abandonment of State Prohibition and the non-enforcement of its provisions in the cities in which it nominally remains in force. On the other hand we see the rapid extension of some form of Local Option — its adoption being attended with a large measure of success.

Why is State Prohibition being abandoned while Local Option is so widely accepted ?

PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION ix

The full answer to this question has probably as much significance for us as for the people in the United States. One reason why State Prohibition has broken down is because under it a prohibitory policy may be imposed upon a reluctant community, — a contingency less likely to occur under Local Option.

But this explanation only throws the question one step further back. The crucial and, ultimate question is this : What are the communities that are unwilling to accept Prohibition ? There can be no doubt as to the reply. It is the populous urban centres.

The facts presented in the new chapter on Local Option bring out this point with remarkable clearness. Local Option is relatively successful because its application, in the form of prohibition, has been, with few exceptions, confined to rural districts or to small urban populations. The apparent exceptions to this rule — a rule which appears to be of almost universal application not only in America, but throughout other lands — are, when examined, found to confirm it. The public-house can be successfully suppressed in a ward or suburb of a town when there is in the near neighbourhood of the prohibition area what in this volume is called a '' safety-valve." The officials of the Massachusetts Total Abstinence Society, for example, clearly recognise that it is the close proximity of Boston which makes Prohibition possible in its suburban towns, such as Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, etc.

What then is the bearing of these facts upon the policy of Local Veto as advocated in this country ?

X PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION

If the sphere of its successful operation is likely to be substantially the same as that of Local Option in the States,^ the answer is clear, that in the United Kingdom Local Veto will probably be adopted with success in many rural districts, in some small towns, and in the wards and suburbs of certain cities, but that there is no probability of its being generally apphed to the great urban centres within any period which practical reformers will care to contemplate. Experience alone can determine the exact sphere of its operation in this country, and no legislative limit should be placed upon its application. Definite results will be most quickly reached by giving full liberty to localities to test the question for themselves. But while there may be a border region between the rural districts and the larger towns in which it may be impossible beforehand to draw the line marking the limits beyond which Local Veto will not succeed, the evidence from the United States, and from other countries, appears to be decisive that Local Veto will not solve the problem of intemperance in the great urban centres.

If, then, at the present stage of social evolution. Prohibition is impossible in the large towns, nothing

* Some writers _ have urged tliat prohibitory legislation in cities would be more likely to answer in tbe United Kingdom tban in America. There seems, however, to be little ground for this view. It is to be noted that temperance sentiment is much more advanced in the United States than in this country, that the per capita consumption of alcohol in the States is little more than one-half of ours, and that the Americans have shown themselves more willing than ourselves to adopt stringent temperance legislation.

PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION xi

but disappointment and arrest of progress can result from any policy which, ignoring the fact, fails to adapt remedial agencies to actual existing conditions. The present writers are convinced that, in the interests of temperance reform, an important step will have been taken when the true sphere of Local Option has been clearly established. It is for this reason that so much space has been given in the present edition to the chapters which seek to throw light upon this important inquiry.

Preface to the First Edition

THE primary object of this volume is to consider the question of Temperance legislation in its relation to the general social problem. It will be the purpose of the early pages to answer some of the questions which at the outset confront any inquirer who seeks to obtain a true insight into the Temperance problem, e.g. : What is the actual condition of this country with regard to intemperance, as compared with past years and with other countries ? How does the consumption of alcohol in this country compare with that of the United States and other English-speaking lands ? What is the effect of climate upon drinking usages ? Is the per capita consumption of alcohol in nations living within certain climatic zones and in certain stages of economic progress a constant quantity, or is it directly amenable to Temperance teaching and to wise and strong public law ? These questions, or most of them, admit of explicit answers. But there are others of equal importance which open out lines of inquiry of great interest, but of greater difficulty. What proportion, for instance, of the national drink

bill of 150 millions belongs to the working classes ?

What is their average weekly family expenditure xiv PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

upon drink? And what relation does this drink expenditure bear to the average family earnings ? If these inquiries cannot be answered with scientific accuracy, it is believed that estimates may be given in which the margin of possible error is so limited as not to affect the practical deductions which the figures suggest. Whether the larger or the smaller of any careful estimates be accepted, the proportion of the family earnings expended upon drink is so great as necessarily to affect the whole conditions of life, and the possibilities of achieving a higher civilization.

The present writers are fully conscious that Temperance is no universal panacea. There are pressing economic questions which it cannot solve. But they hold that apart from Temperance the social problem will remain insoluble. For surely intelligence, forethought, and self-restraint on the part of the people themselves are essential factors in all social reform. The greatest of all needs in the struggle for progress is the need of strong men in the people's ranks.

No attempt is made in this volume to discuss physiological questions relating to the place and effect of alcohol. The writers base their proposals upon the broad and indisputable positions, that the present consumption of alcohol in this country is excessive, and ought to be reduced ; and that the force of law and of local arrangement should favour sobriety rather than intemperance.

The experience to be gained from other countries forms the subject of one section of this work, in which important legislative experiments made on the Conti-

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION xv

nent of Europe and in the United States are reviewed. Happily, in some cases the experiments have been conducted for a sufHcient length of time to enable the results to be accurately measured, and the experience so gained is of great value. The failures are perhaps as instructive as the successes. We know far better than we did fifty years ago what is and what is not possible.

The inquiry here attempted resolves itself, finally, into two main questions : What in this age and in this country are the causes which create intemperance? and what are the influences which can be brought to bear in counteracting it ? In the consideration of the first of these questions, the present writers have not been unmindful of the effect of climate, of race, of heredity, of drinking usages, of the character of the liquor consumed, of the absence of facilities for healthful recreation, and of the combined and powerful influence of past and of existing laws. They have sought also, as a matter of the first moment, to present a true picture of the conditions under which vast numbers of our countrymen live. Without a vivid realization of these conditions it is easy to ignore many of the elements of fascination in the public-house, and to overlook agencies which must be brought into play to counteract its influence.

The agencies which make for Temperance fall into two main divisions — those which are of a restrictive or controlling character, and those which seek to dry up the springs from which intemperance flows. For the sake of convenience they may be spoken of as the xvi PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

"restrictive" and the "constructive" agencies. To tlie former class belong such measures as a reduction by statute in the number of licensed houses, and a shortening of the hours of sale. The importance of proposals of this kind has received general acceptance. But far less thought has hitherto been given to the provision of constructive agencies. It is true that the Temperance value of all elevating influences, such as education, has been recognised, and there have been both personal and associated efforts to provide better recreation than that which the public-house offers. But the question in its wider aspects has not yet been taken up as a matter of high national concern, too vast and too important to be left to private enterprise.

In making proposals for Temperance legislation, it would be foolish to ignore the enormous strength of the liquor trade, the magnitude of its vested interests, and the degree in which these interests permeate British society. "Were it not that moral forces are ultimately stronger than selfish interests, one might despair of success. But the time when the moral forces shall assert their supremacy will depend upon the practical wisdom, as well as upon the zeal, of the friends of Temperance. Union is essential to success, and the help of all possible allies must be secured. This proposition may seem elementary and self-evident, but it is one that has hitherto had little place in the councils of the Temperance party. To give only one illustration. It has been shown that the agencies which make for Temperance must be both restrictive

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION xvii

and constructive. These agencies often appeal to different orders of mind. Broadly, the restrictive agencies appeal most strongly to those who are occupied with direct Temperance work ; while the constructive agencies hold the first place with those who are concerned with the wider aspects of society as a whole, the general conditions of city life, the wretchedness of the highly-rented room, and the dreariness of existence to multitudes of workers. Both classes of agencies are essential to success, but hitherto the representatives of the two schools have failed to unite. Now it requires no special gift of reasonableness for those who value the restrictive agencies to agree among themselves, nor for those who value the constructive agencies to agree among themselves. But what is now wanted is the wider outlook, the statesmanship quick to discern the full strength of the forces which may be marshalled on the side of Temperance, and the practical sagacity to bring about a working union. A just appeal may be made to both bodies of reformers to unite for a common end. To those who place their confidence in restrictive agencies it may be pointed out that even if these were enacted to an extent beyond anything that appears probable in the near future, there must still remain a great volume of trade outside the reach of these restrictions. This will be especially the case in the large towns, where the trade, if carried on as at present, will continue to be disastrous to the public weal. A scheme of policy which makes no allowance for this covers only a portion of the ground, and obviously needs to be

b xviii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

supplemented. Those, on the other hand, who attach little value to restrictive agencies may be reminded that public opinion has rejected the theory of free licensing, that some restriction is universally held to be necessary, that the sphere of wise restriction cannot be determined by a priori considerations, but must be arrived at by experience, and that definite results will be reached the most quickly by giving large liberty to the localities to carry out experiments.

It is now twenty-eight years since Mr. Bruce, on behalf of the Government of which he was a member, brought forward a comprehensive measure of licensing reform. It may be assumed that the Ministry of that day recognised the need for such legislation, and deemed that the country was prepared to accept it. But the Bill failed to become law, and, in the period that has since elapsed, the growing Temperance sentiment of the country has been unable to do more than secure the adoption of minor reforms. Are these years in the wilderness to be indefinitely prolonged, or may not the hope be entertained that the different sections of the Temperance party, and all who are anxious to stay the plague of drunkenness, will henceforth seek for grounds of united action, and by honourable co-operation and wise compromise obtain a general advance upon the lines of progress ?

In the suggestions they have made, the writers have not included many minor reforms which rightly receive support, believing that, whilst the Temperance party should continue to press for these, the urgent

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION xix

need of tlie present time is to secure legislation which will give full opportunity for the progressive application of Temperance sentiment to the varied needs of localities in accordance with local public opinion. If communities possessed this power, reforms which are now long delayed and difficult of realization would be accomplished with comparative ease. Progress is almost indefinitely retarded when the most forward places have to wait for the most backward. ''Birmingham and Dorset should not be made to walk abreast."

There can be little doubt that if Temperance reform is to advance upon the ordinary lines of social progress in this country, it must do so by giving the localities a large measure of self-government in relation to the drink traffic, and, subject to the observance of a few conditions to be laid down by Parliament, everything is to be gained by the grant of such liberty. The public opinion of the large towns, with their intelligence and municipal spirit quickened by the possession of power to deal effectively with intemperance, will shape itself in definite forms. But there must be a real liberation of the local forces.

The unreasonable limitations which now curtail the power of communities in dealing with the drink question must be removed. Public-spirited citizens will then find a new field for the fruitful exercise of their activities, and the practical sagacity of a practical race will be brought freely to bear upon a difficult but not insoluble problem.

Contents

PEEFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION . . pages vii-xi PREFACE TO THE FIEST EDITION . . pages xiii-xix

Chapter I The Statement Of The Problem

Growth of Temperance Sentiment and Change in Social Customs. Despite this, Consumption of Alcohol in the United Kingdom greater than in 1840. Statistics of Consumption, 1840-1899. Present per capita Consumption of Alcohol in the United Kingdom. Expenditure upon Alcoholic Drinks in the United Kingdom. Proportion Spent by "Working Classes. Estimated Weekly Drink Expenditure of Working-Class Families. Economic Aspect of the Problem. Intemperance and Poverty. Poverty and " Under-Consumption." Relation of Drink Expenditure to " Efficiency." The Standard of Life necessary for Efficiency. Minimum Amount of Food required for Efficiency. Non-nutrition as a Result of Drink Expenditure. Pood only one part of the Standard of Life : Cost of Rent, Clothing, etc. Inevitable Effect of Drink Expenditure to lower the Standard of Life. Industrial Importance of this : Relation of Standard of Life to Industrial Efficiency. Importance of Question in View of Changes in Industrial Competition. Relative Efficiency of British and American Workmen. Temperance and the Standard of Life : Effect upon Wages. The Competition of the " Unfit." Intemperate Consumption of Alcohol. Importance of distinguishing between "Productive " and " Non-Productive " Expenditure. The alleged Loss to the Revenue. The Loss which the Community now suffers in respect of Pauperism, Sickness and Crime. Declarations of Mr. Gladstone, Sir xsi xxii CONTENTS

StaiFord Northcote, etc. Consumption of Alcohol in the United States : Comparison with United Kingdom. Influence of Climate in determining Consumption of Alcohol. Consumption of Absolute Alcohol in (a) the Principal European Countries and (6) the British Colonies, Compared with the United Kingdom. Number of Licensed Premises in the United Kingdom: (a) England and Wales; (&) Scotland; (c) Ireland. Increased Size of Public-houses. Prevalence of Drunkenness. Geographical Distribution of Drunkenness. Intemperance among Women pages 1-87

Chapter II

Wealth and Eesources of the Liquor Trade. Effect of the recent wide adoption of the Limited Company System in Increasing the Number of " Vested Interests." Organized Efforts of the Trade to Influence Parliamentary and Municipal Elections: Extent and Methods of Organization. Attitude of Members of Parliament towards the " Trade " as Classified by the Official Trade Journals. Direct Effect of the Trade Organization upon Parliamentary E,epresentation : Estimated Political Influence of the Trade in the General Elections of (a) 1895 and (6) 1892. Influence of Trade in Municipal and other Elections. The Effort of the Trade to Obtain Control of the Sources of Power likely to Increase. Question Awaiting Solution is : How to Dissociate Politics from the Sale of Alcoholic Drinks pages 88-114

Chapter III State Peohibition

The Limits of Individual Freedom according to John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant. Prohibition in the United States : Nature and History of. Success in Sparsely Populated States : Relation of Success to Density of Population. Prohibition in Maine : History of. General Results of the Law. Federal Liquor Licences. Portland: non-enforcement in. Number of Liquor Saloons in Portland. Wholesale Liquor Traffic. Liquor Bottling Factories. Wholesale Drug Stores.

CONTENTS xxiii

Eetail Liquor Traffic in Portland. Saloons. Eetail Drug Stores. " Kitchen Bars." The State Liquor Agency. Portland City Liquor Agency. Importations. Quantity of Liquor consumed in Portland. Prevalence of Drunkenness. Administration of the Law. Seizures of Liquor. Present condition of things not exceptional. Lewiston. Number of Saloons in Lewiston. Bangor. Number of Saloons in Bangor. Biddeford. Number of Saloons in Biddeford. Augusta. Number of Saloons in Augusta. Bath. Rockland. Waterville. Gardiner. Towns of from 3,500 to 8,000 inhabitants. Towns of less than 3,500 inhabitants. Success in Rural Districts. Failure in the Towns. Prohibition in New Hampshire. Manchester. Number of Saloons m Manchester. General Regulations. Financial Results. Nashua : Number of Saloons in. Concord. Dover. Portsmouth. Towns of from 3,500 to 8,000 inhabitants. Towns of from 1,000 to 3,500 inhabitants. Prohibition in Vermont. Burlington. Rutland. Towns of from 3,500 to 8,000 inhabitants. Prohibition in Kansas. Kansas City. Topeka. Wichita. Leavenworth. Success in the Rural Districts of Kansas. Number of Federal Liquor Taxpayers in Kansas. Prohibition in North Dakota. The Causes of Failure. The true significance of the Vote in favour of Prohibition. The Voting in the Towns of Maine. Effect of Prohibition in Degrading the Liquor Traffic. The alleged " Relative " Character of the Failure. City Government in America and in the United Kingdom. Injury to Temperance and morals. Reaction against State Prohibition. The Failure of Prohibition in the Towns important to us in England. Density of Population in Prohibition States and England and Wales compared .... jgages 115-249

CHAPTER IV LOCAL OPTION Growing acceptance of principle

United States.

Local Option in. Extent of. Character of. Sphere of its Success. Classification of States according to Recognition of Principle. Group I. : States in which all Localities, whether Urban or Rural, have the rigM of Direct Popular Veto. Extent to which the right of Veto exercised in each xxiv CONTENTS

state. Arkansas. Connecticut. Tlorida. Georgia. Kentucky. Louisiana. Massachusetts. Michigan. Mississippi. Missouri. Montana. North Carolina. Rhode Island. South Dakota. Texas. Virginia. Wisconsin. Conclusion as to Group I.: the experiment essentially a rural experiment. Success within the limits in which applied. Group II. : States in which local option by direct popular vote applicable to special localities and rural districts only. Extent to which veto exercised in each State in Group. Alabama. Illinois. Maryland. Minnesota. New York. Ohio. Group III. : Indirect popular control. States where control of the traffic is in the hands of municipal councils, etc. Powers not essentially different from those which already exist in Scotland. Extent to which used in each State in Group. California. Colorado. Delaware. Nebraska. New Jersey. Utah. Washington. West Virginia. Wyoming. Group IV.: States in which a right of " Remonstrance," etc., exists against the issue of Licences. Extent to which exercised. District of Columbia. Indiana. Iowa. Oregon. South Carolina. The Territories. Conclusion Suggested by Experience of foregoing States, that Prohibition finds its successful sphere in Rural and Sparsely -Peopled Districts, and not, except under special circumstances, in Towns. Massachusetts an apparent exception to this. Explained by presence of a New Factor. The " Safety- Valve " of adjoining Licence Areas. History and Results of Local Option in Massachusetts. Extent of Local Prohibition in Massachusetts. Case of Cambridge Examined. Somerville. Chelsea. Pullman.

Canada.

Character and Extent of Local Option in. Province of Ontario. Province of Quebec. Nova Scotia. Ncav Brunswick. Manitoba. Prince Edward Island. British Columbia. North-west Territories. Conclusion. Prohibition in Canada, as elsewhere, practically confined to Rural Districts. Result of recent Plebiscite in Canada.

Australasia (including New Zealand).

Extent to which right of Local Option recognized in. New South Wales. Victoria. Queensland. South Australia. Tasmania. Western Australia. New Zealand. Summary of Results of Local Option in Australasia. Not led to any important results in Prohibition.

CONTENTS XXV

United Kingdom.

Local Veto in. Bessbrook. Toxteth Park, Liverpool. Queen's

Park, Kensal Green.

General Conclusion. Successful Operation of a Permissive Policy of Prohibition throughout wide districts in the United States and Canada. Sphere of its Success uniformly found to be the Rural Districts and certain Suburban Areas where " Safety- Yalve " exists. Propects of Success in this Country pages 250-369

CHAPTER V HIGH LICENCE Pennsylvania

High Licence in. General Provisions of the Law. Great Reduction in the Number of Licensed Premises. Arrests for Drunkenness in. Financial Results. Advantages claimed for the System. Increase in the Number of unlicensed saloons.

New York State.

High Licence in. Origin of the " Raines " Law. Provisions of the Law. Classification of Licences under the Law. Licence Fees. Arrests for Drunkenness. Local Option Clause. Evasion of Law through " Raines Law Hotels." Chattel Mortgages in New York City. Financial Results of " Raines " Law. Results of the System.

Minnesota.

High Licence in. "Patrol Limit Law" in Minneapolis. Limitation of Licences in Minneapolis. Arrests for Drunkenness. St. Paul. Evils of High Licence. Prospects of Success if applied to United Kingdom, pages 370-399

Chapter VI The Government Spirit Monopoly In Russia

History and Character of the Monopoly. Effect in reducing Number of Drink Shops. Question of Compensation. Effect of Monopoly upon Sale of Beer. Provision of Counter Attractions. General Results of the Monopoly. Financial Results. Conclusion.

The Swiss Alcohol Monopoly 2>ages 400-411 xxvi CONTENTS \

CHAPTER VII i

THE DISPENSARY SYSTEM IN THE :

General Character of. ■

The South Carolina State Monopoly. I History and Character of the Monopoly. Stringency of the \ Regulations. Financial Results. The "Wholesale Trade. Reduction in the number of Retail Shops. Beer Dis- •' pensaries: History of establishment of. Number of in State. Effect of System upon Drunkenness. Right of '• Local Veto. History of the Act. The Dispensary System and Politics. Results of the Monopoly in South j Carolina. Comparison with Norwegian System. [

North Carolina :

Adoption of Dispensary System in. History of Experiment. ]

The System as Adopted in North Carolina an Advance j

upon that of South Carolina. j

South Dakota : j

Dispensary system adopted as part of the State Consti- j

tution. Power of the Liquor Trade in Preventing Legis- i

lation. 1

Georgia and Alabama : i

Adoption of Dispensary System in.

Results of the Dispensary System. Investigation by |

Massachusetts Total Abstinence Society: Summary of \

Results pages 412-433 J

j

CHAPTER VIII j

THE COMPANY SYSTEM IN SWEDEN AND ; NORWAY

Sweden. i

Condition of, During First Half of the Century. Appal- j

ling Results of Free Distillation and Free Sale. The ]

Law of 1855, and its Results in the Rural Communes. ;

The Problem of the Towns. Adoption of the Company "'■

System in Gothenburg. Essential Features of the ]

Company System. Results of the System in Gothen- i

burg. Reduction in the Number of Licences. Character 1 of the Drink Shops. Reduction in the Hours of

Sale. Refusal to Serve Young Persons. Establish- ;

ment of Eating-houses. Establishment of Reading- |

i

I

CONTENTS xxvii

rooms. Effect of System upon the Consumption of Spirits. Consumption of Beer and its Effect upon Drunkenness. Statistics of Drunkenness. Adoption of the System in Stockholm. Weak Points in the Swedish System.

Norway.

Early Temperance History of. Establishment of Company System. Consumption of Spirits and Beer in Norway, 1833-99. Eesults of the System in Bergen. Reduction in the Number of Licences. Beduced Hours of Sale. Character of the Drink Shops. Hotels and Sub-licensing. Special Police Inspection. Provision of Waiting-rooms for Workmen. Other Regulations. Reduction in the Sale of Spirits. Arrests for Drunkenness. Appropriation of Profits. Reality of the Control Exercised by the Companies. Imperfect Adoption of the System in Christiania. The Law of July 24th, 1894. Choice of Localities Restricted to Samlag or Prohibition. Results of Votes taken under the Law. Sudden Decline in the Consumption of Spirits in 1896, and Corresponding Increase in the Consumption of " Laddevin." The Cause and Effects of this. New Method of Appropriating Profits of Samlags. Divorce of the Spirit Traffic from Politics. Attitude of the Temperance Party towards the Company System. Defects of the Swedish and Norwegian Company System. Advantages of the System pages 434-508

CHAPTER IX

Proposals upon which Temperance Workers are Agreed : Reduction in the Number of Licences. Question of Compensation. Local Veto. Problem of the Towns. Alternatives High Licence or Public Control. Advantages and Defects of High Licence. Argument for the Elimination of Private Profit. Defects of Existing System : Private Appropriation of Monopoly Values. Great Increase in Value of Licensed Property. Value Increased by Refusal of Justices to Grant New Licences. Private Interest of Publican Demands Large Sales. Evasion of Licensing Laws. Opposition of Liquor Trade to Reform. Evils of the Tied House System.

xxviii CONTENTS

Satisfactory Temperance Reform Impossible while Trade in Private Hands. Principle of Local Control Supported by Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Chamberlain, John Bright, Sir Wilfrid Lawson, etc. How to Effect Local Control. Need for Constructive as well as Controlling Eeforms. Sordid Conditions of Life for the Poor. The Problem of Poverty. The Housing of the People. Density of Population in the Towns, Overcrowding. Effects of Overcrowding. Conditions of Employment. Mortality Statistics. Relation of Conditions of Employment, etc., to Intemperance. The Need for Eecreation. Recommendations of Parliamentary Committees since 1834. Deficiency in Present Social Arrangements for Recreation of the People. Result of Rapid Growth of Towns. Private Philanthropy Inadequate to Meet the Need. Bishop of Chester's Proposals. Necessity for Dissociating Sale of Intoxicants from Places of Amusement. A Practical Suggestion. Establishment of People's Palaces. Recreative Features : Winter Gardens ; Concert Rooms ; Reading and Games Rooms. Success of People's Palaces in East London and Glasgow. Other Features of People's Palaces : Picture Galleries, Arts and Crafts Exhibitions, etc. Popular Lectures. Social and Recreative Clubs; Accommodation for Sick Benefit Societies, etc. Gymnasia. Temperance Cafes, etc. Financial Aspects of the Question ; Practicability of Scheme. Profits Available from the Liquor Traffic. Method of Appropriating Profits. Appropriation of Surplus Profits. Balance Available for Imperial Purposes. Scheme Allows of Utmost Reduction of Liquor Traffic. Supervision by a Central Authority. Character of the Public - houses that would Remain. The Right of Initiative. The Licensing Authority. Summary .... pages 509-604