comparable with*I.ynn in the same state; the respective figures
are 240-9 and 561-1. The evidence here, so far as it goes, is in
favour of local prohibition. On the other hand there are a number
of licensed cities with lower figures, and two of those on the list-Chelsea
and Salem-are very high up. State prohibition does not
make such a good showing. Portland is one of the most drunken
laces in America—a fact confirmed by many observers-and
liVichita in Kansas is above the mean. Kansas City is better.
This place is peculiarly situated, being continuous with Kansas
City in Missouri; the boundary between the two states passes
through the town. Consequentl the inhabitants have only to 0
into the Missouri half to obtain riifink Cambridge is very s1mila§ y
situated in relation to Boston. Charleston, which is above the
mean for the group, was under the state dispensary system. -In
sum, these police figures furnish some argument for prohibition
and some against; but they clearly demonstrate the limits of
compulsion. Altogether the statistical evidence from the United
States, whether of consumption, ex nditure or drunkenness, offers
no inducement to the United Kliiigdom to adopt any of the
American methods of control in place of its own system.
Norway and Sweden.-Police statistics for some of -the principal
towns in Norway and Sweden, which are the seats of the company
system or disinterested management applied to spirit bars, are
frequently quoted and we will therefore give them here. When all
allowances have been made they show that drunkenness is very
Erevalent in these seaport towns, and that it fluctuates as in England
ut exhibits no general tendency to improvement.
Convictions per IO00 in Gothenburg.
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1865 46 1886 31
1866 30 1887 32
1867 29 1888 3I
1868 26 1889 34
1869 28 1890 40
1870 26 1891 44
1871 28 1892 42
1872 28 1893 38
1873 - 32 1894 - 34
1874 38 1895 31
1875 42 4 1896 35
1876 39 1897 44
1877 40 1898 54
1878 32 1899 54
1879 31 1900 SI
1880 31 1901 42
1881 32 1902 45
1882 29 1903 47
1883 30 1904 45
X884 29 1905 52
1885 . . 29
The principal feature of this table is the much higher -level in the second 20 years than in the first, though the police rocedure has been the same. Several times in recent years the figure has exceeded that of 1865, which was practically the year before the company system was introduced, as it did not begin operations until October. Once more the influence of trade oscillations is well marked, particularly in the prosperous period of ISF7-1900. To convert convictions into arrests for comparison with the ollowing tables about 3 per 1000 should be added; this difference is very evenly maintained in Gothenburg.
Arrest.: per 1000 in Bergen.
1877 26 1892 I2
1878 21 1893 I4
1879 19 1894 16
1880 21 1895 22
188I 17 1896 29
1882 13 1897 27
1883 18 1898 27
1884 15 1899 26
1885 17 1900 31
1886 14 1901 29
1887 13 1902 27
1888 14 1903 24
1889 14 1904 20
1890 21 1905 23
1891 IQ
Arrests per 1000 in Christiania.
1890 70 I 1898 94
1891 77 1899 101
1892 74 1900 90
1893 80 1901 75
1894 75 1902 59
1895 77 1903 58
898 105 1904 52
1897 III 1905 43
Use and Abuse of Alcohol.
The evils caused by theiabuse of alcoholic liquors have always been recognized by mankind; they are too obvious to be ignored. Intoxication produces imbecility, bestiality, violence and crime; continued excess produces incapacity, Eovertfy, misery, disease, delirium, insanity and death. But all t ese e ects are produced b other causes and it is very difficult to estimate the precise share of, this particular agent. In modern times scientific investigation has attempted to do this and to give precision to the conclusions d;'al;1n from ordinary observation. We will briefiy summarize some 0 the resu ts.
Crime.-Drink is associated with crimes against the person, but not with crimes against progerty, which form in England mnetenths of the whole (judicial statistics, 1901). Dr W. Sullivan, medical officer in the prison service, calculates that “alcoholic intoxication is answerable for about 60 per cent. of indictable crimes of violence and for a rather higher proportion of minor offences of the same class "; and further that “ it is probably the cause of nearly half the crimes of lust, ” but it “ makes no appreciable contrgution to crimes of acquisitiveness." He gives the following ta ez- -
Annual Average per 100,000'-189I'IQ00.
- "°“- D'““"°““”- ..f.ii'2l§ T.'ii. A358329
I
Agricultural 226-3 116-33 3-46
Minin 1091-2 237-34 2-43
l/lanu§ acturing 479-8 265-73 6-42 Seaports . 990-6 409-73 10-56
This does not show a. regular connexion. The mining areas, which have the most drunkenness, are only second in violence and lowest of all in suicide. Dr Sullivan explains this discrepancy by the theory that chronic alcoholism is less prevalent among miners, and that this form is chiefly responsible for the crimes in question. It is impossible, however, to establish any constant relation between drink and violent crime; the two do not vary together. It was pointed out in the Judicial Statistics for 1901 that whereas in the drunken year 1899 consumption of drink was 8 per cent. higher and the police records of prosecutions for drunkenness 15 per cent. higher than in the previous quinquennial period, crimes of violence were 1-62 per cent. lower. These statistics apply only to England. When other countries are taken it becomes still clearer that other factors are more important. Mr W. D. Morrison gives the following table of homicides in proportion to population in different countries (Crime and its Causes):-
Persons Tried for Homicide per 100, o00. Italy 15-40 France 2-73
Spain 11-91 Scotland. 2-11
Austria 4-01 Germany. I'5I
Ireland . 3-35 ~ En land I'60
Belgium 3-02. - 1 Hohand 1-10
Except that England, Scotland and Ireland are in the order of relative drunkenness, the table shows no correspondence between drink and homicide. National character and climate are evidently more important determining factors. Some calculations of the proportion of crime associate ii with drink have been made in different countries. In Germany 36-5 per cent. of the prisoners in one gaol were found to be drunkards (Baer); assaults, 51-3 per cent.; resistance to the police, 70-I er cent.; offences against morality, 66 per cent. (Aschaffenburg). in Italy 50, 60, and 75 r cent. of crimes against the person have been attributed to drinl? In Switzerland 40 per cent. of male criminals in 1892 were found to have been under the influence of drink when their offences were committed. In Denmark 43 per cent. of the men convicted in 1903 were drunkards. These estimates, some of which are official, suffice to confirm the connexion between drink and a great deal of crime, but the basis of investigation is too narrow to ermit more than a general conclusion. There is, however, one ficirm of crime for which drink is almost wholly responsible, and this furnishes the blackest of all indictments against: it. The intensity of suffering and injury inflicted on children by the atrocious cruelty and neglect oi drunken parents cannot be overstated. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children finds that 90 per cent. of the cases which come under its notice are due to drink.
Poverty.-Much poverty is undoubtedly caused by drink, but it is even less possible to establish any constant connexion between the two than in the case of crime. Pauperism and drink stand to a great extent in inverse relation; in good times the first diminishes and the second increases, in bad times the reverse takes place. For instance, pauperism in England, which has had a eneral tendency to fall for many years, rose rapidly in the period of iow consumption after 1860, fell still more rapidly in the great drinking years 1870-77, and rose again when they gave place to depression. With falling consumption after 189I (see the table above) it rose till 1894, when
