Evening Star Newspaper, July 29, 1926, Page 7

CANADIANS GIVE UP t LQUORS FRYINE Decrease in Gross Revenues Under Quebec Plan Re- veals Situation. (Continued from Fifst Page) ticular, and for that matter, “to all ranks and classes in_the communtty, whether high or low! That's ahout all there seems to he known about this edict—that the King issued it. The King may have forgotten about it_mext day. Rut, like m other edicts which have been is 268 years since that fi failed to stop drinking or toxicating spirits. In 1821 the provincial government of Quebec resolved to try another so- fution. It is based, hriefly, on the Assumption that the human race is cursed with an appetite for alcohol and that a large proportion will sa isfy that appetite regardless of how many edicts are issued. Granting at the outset that the appetite is a curse, is was decided to restrain it rather than to seek to cut it off. The best way to accomplish this, it was felt, was to make all intoxicants available legally, but to make those most harmful the most difficult to procure, to make those least harm- ful the easiest to procure and to es- tablish certain regulations for their consumption which would _be so, practical that the public immediately | would enlist its support, in their en- | forcement. 4 ! Made a Radical Sweep. That is the theory upon which th much-discussed liquor law in Que- bec is established. The law was written, enacted and within two months the Quebec Liquor Commis <lon had been established and was carrving it out. The law was a radi- cal one. It took the retail liquor husiness out of private hands at one sweep. It put the government in the business as a huyer who guaran- | tees and stands behind the purity of his products. At the same time it made of the government a bartender who sells the liquor with one hand and with the other holds a club of punishment over those who' abuse the privilege of buying. It grants absolute power to the commission 1o sell only to those who meet its requirements, and to take away this right without appeal. Before going into a description of | the law it is necessary to retrace briefly the events which led up to its enactment. In 1917 ‘the city of Quebec went dry. The war, it is acknowledged, had a great deal to do with creating the prohibition mentiment, and when Quebec went dry the prohibitionists immediately set about consolidating this advance to put through a provincial dry law. They wanted a bone-dry law that would cut out wine and beer in ad- dition to hard liquor. But the gov- ernment sald “walt a minute,” and decided to hold a referendum of the question of allowing light wines and beer. The prohibitionists claim that the question was so worded that the result could be forecast before the vote. At any \rate, the question | voted on was: “Is it vour opinion that the sale of light heer, cider and wines as defined by law should be allowed?” The result was a vote which sald “Yes.” Quebec Law of 1919. Tn 1919 a prohibition law came into effect in the province of Quebec. It} allowed the sale of hard liquor only | through authorized “venders” who held government licenses and, who could sell it on doctors’ prescriptions | for medicinal use; who could sell | sacramental wines and who could sell other alcohol for industrial pur- poses. Beer and wine licenses were granted to restaurants, hotels and saloons. To make a long story short, this prohibition law wasn't a success. It | wasn't what the drys wanted and it | certainly wasn't what the wets wanted. There were many scandals concerning the prescription liquor, hootlegging sprang up everywhere, the licensed “Venders” made millions of dollars and in February, 1921, the present liquor law was approved and went into effect the same yvear. In its first annual report, the liquor commission outlined at the outset what it believed to be the theory of the new law. “Your government,” it s=aid. addressing the provincial treas- urer, “was cognizant of the fact—as had bheen noted many times by the many organizations of all kinds which | have studled the problem, in almost all countries of the.world—that the beat means of effectively controlling the consumption of alcoholic liquors fs not to entirely deprive citizens of such liGuors, but by means of dis- ciplinary. measures exercised in a reasonable manner, to gradually lead them toward the use of less ardent liquors_at _les: S selling in. O’Donnell’s Pharmacy 14th & Colorado Ave. Is a Star Branch The easiest and most satisfactory way of placing a Classified Ad in The Star, saving yourself a trip to the main office, is to take i bottle of spirits at a in the habits of a people is necessarily slow and requires the use of means which are not oppressive, so as not to encourage a reaction, which would vstematically battle for a more ¥ ceptable system in protest arbitrary means.” Main Poiuts of the Plan. The commission then set about ad ministering the “Quebec plan " the main points of which follow: . such as whisk y . etc., can be sold from liquor stores, estabiished and main- tained by the liquor commission. | There are also on sale at these stores wines of ail qualities and classifica- tions. A customer can buy only one time, but as much wine as he chooses. There is nothing in the law to prevent his other bottle of spirits, and in cities such as Montreal, where there are many stores, he may go from one to the othrr and buy a bottle at each place. ever, are supposed to b out for these repater: ell, if he believes the violated cven in its spi ture of the law, In thi that the commission cannot open a store in any community where pro- hibition has been adopted by a vote of the clector About three-fourths of the, communities in the province are dry. They comprise about half the population. Second—Wine and beer may be sold by the glass in restaurants and hotels—with meals—to the patrons of such establishments. Such places must be licensed by permits, and per- mits are granted only after inspec- tion to determine their fitness. Some establishments, for instance, may not lay claim to being hotels unless an inspector for the commission has found they fill the other requirements to_ warrant the name. The licenses vary in cost. There is a charge of $300 for a license to sl during meals in_a hotel or resta $£150 in a town and $100 elsewhere. in v. is being One fea { the dining room of a boat, permission to sell costs $300 and in a dining car, $100; in the dining room of a club, $400 i the club is in a city, and $200 elsewher . Third—Beer may be sold by the bottle in stores which sell groceries. The license to sell beer in a store— for home consumption only—varies with the rent pald for such an estab- lishment, the fees running from a maximum of $500 to $300 in a city, and to $250 in a town. Fourth—Beer may be sold by the glass in “taverrs” holding license from the comm. sion. These tavern licenses also ate fixed on a sliding scale, according to the rent, from $500 up to $1,500. There are now about 302 taverns in Montreal, to re- place the 600 saloons which flourished and SIX for . ... BOSTON FERNS, 807 14th St. Phone Franklin 5442 advantage of the fa- cilities of the Branch Offices, which are lo- cated dt logical points throughout - Washing- ton the nearby suburbs. They serve without fee; only reg- ular rates are charged. The Star prints MORE Classified Ads every day than all the other papers here combined—which is % sure sign of results obtained. “Around the Corner” js A Star Branch Office against , gin, | retugning to the store and buying an-; The clerks in the stores, how- | X k. | there were G4 has the absolute power of refusing to | t, if in A city: |, _— C Sale of Gladioli. Again Tomorrow I,i\'et}ing up week-end business by offering choice, fresh-cut Gladioli —that usually bring $2 dozen—at DOZEN for ..............81.01 Cash& Carry Flower Stores) Funeral Flowers Delivered Free—Nominal Chavge on Other Orders 804 17th St. Phone Franklin 10391 + __THE EVENING when Montreal was half the size it nses as a tavern, hotel nt combined are granted v the commission to establishments in small towns or villages. Closed on Suundays. The stores of the commission are open from 9 o'clock in the morning to 6 o'elock in the evening, except on |t Saturday, when they close at 1 o'clock fn_the ‘afternooh. They are also closed on Sunday. No beer or wine can be sold In a hotel, restau- rant or tavern hefore 9 a.m. or after 10 pm. A special license is neces- sary to serve wine or. beer at a banquet. At the end of the first vear of optration a total of 1,001 licenses had heen granted to restaurants, hotels and taverns. This number increased | i jto 2,169 the second year; 2,399 the third vear, and 2,546 at the end of the last fiscal ycar,- which closed in | April. During the vear of the law operated by the | zovernment for sale of wines and | They increased to 73 the year the third year and | there were 90 ope ing at the close of the last fiscal Seyenty-one of 1 | these stores are located in the distriet |of Montreal, and 19 of them in the | district of Quebec The following short table gives the gross receipts from the sale of all liguors by the commission during the fAirst four years of its operation. These figures tell an interesting story which | will be explained immediatel. 1 t 19 1§ i 1 The increase in the sale | second vear over the first vear was | due to greater business. The people Were beginning to patronize the store more and more and consequent larger volume of liquor was being | bought. But in 19 \ slight decrease which became much | a {larger when the -balance sheet | drawn at the end of the last | vear. during the | i was | 1 fiscal | o The decrease was due to a grad- | « ual diminution in the sale of strong | i | liquors—whisky, gin. rum, etc.—and |1 A growing preference for wines. commission explained that while the | gross revenue from sales dropped, the | | volume of business increased. |, The sales of wines and spirits in | ¢ | 1923-24 amounted to 1,407,830 gallons, | |and this was increased by 32,245 gal- | | lons during the last fiscal year, Ana- |lyzing these figures the commission de. | clared that “This increase is attributed | solely to the growing consumption of the lighter grades of liquor. At the same time, as the tendency towards a greater consumption of wine is accen- tuated, we also have to record a de- | crease in the consumption of spirits.” | In 1924-25 the decrease in the sale of | Saturday l” extra special, $1.50 2467 18th St. Tel. Columbin 9997 spirits reached 71 per cent, or 57,042 gallons. rose to 722,022 gallons, an increase of 90,187 gallons, or 14% per cent. fact by declaring, serted in some quarters that our con- trol of liquor had encouraged a greater consumption of spirits. always maintained the contrary and shares our opinion that the Quebec system of control would be advan- tageous to public health, during the transition period, by gradually edu- cating the consumer to forsake the strong spirits in favor of wine, of which the alcoholic content is seven |1y, or eight times less than that of spirits. We think the figures * * ¢ confirm beyond question of those who favor the present system reasonable and corroborated by well established facts and not on mere supposition.” . figures on the consumption of beer. They, remain about the same. an exhaustive description of the po- law. palities, however, co-operate with the provincial police’ and the special po- |7 enforcing the act. are provided for those who violate problem of law violations has been | it by no means solved. |1 SRl ..$15 of bootlegging, for instance, is still a sidered on a par with the problem fn so-called dry territories. 1923-24 reached a total of 3, 24 the table shows | not be concluded that illegal traffic in The | eral complaints against the same indi- | vidual are sources, D. C, THURSDAY demonstrates that a very active cam- paign was STAR, WASHINGTON The sale of wine, however, The commission comments on this “It has been as-|80rts use every effort to continue do- Ing business at the place where the have been already established. Nev ‘We have | ertheless we succeeded in e bulk of ulation e mrenL by o s W made on them. be made of certain whioch up to the present gers under the review during that the opinion n the interest of temperance is both | most entirely disappeared. .o en while we are convinced tha There has been little change of the PO (el e we ar Bootlegging Still Flourishes. Limitations of space do not permit sorts, it does not app completely suppress them. During the last year there 1,104 persons sent to jail ice organization which enforces the | ion of the lquor laws, 472 fined ant The local police of the munici- stills. lost, 1_withdrawn ice force of the liquor commission in Strict penalties he law, and it may be said that the The question roublous one, though it is not con- 7/ THE BALL CLUB'S AWAY YOU CAN SWIM ALL DAY at the D. C. Swimming Club Pool, Opposite the Ball Park 50 CENTS It s interesting to note these facts n the words of the commission: ““The number of complaints laid in where- 15 last year they amounted to 4,806, n giving consideration to the in- reased number of complaints it must alcoholic liguors has developed in like measure. 1t may simply mean that, owing to the awakening of publie opinion, violations of the law are be ng more generally reported to Thus it frequently happens that sev. different received from “An excess of 679 completed Inves igations during the course of 1924-25 You Owe Yourself a Cadillac Few motor cars are purchased these days on a strictly cash basis. We are in a posj- tion to sell those worthy of credit—New Cadillacs—on reasonable terms. The more cash you pay down the lower are monthly payments, and your present car will be ac- cepted as part of the down payment. Our stock is most complete at this time and selections may be made from many models as well as color combinations. May we demonstrate the New Cadillac and tell you more of our G. M. A. C. payment plan? The Washington-Cadillac Co. Rudolph Jose, President Franklin 3900-1-2 1138-40 Connecticut Ave. N.W. waged against fllicit re- sorts (blind pigs) both in the city and country. As in the past it has been proved that the tenants of euch re- having several closed up, but many still re- main open in spite of the many ralds Special mention must | so-called clubs where the owners defy the law and wo have found Impossible to close up definitely. “In this part of the province, name- near - the United States frontier, we have carefully lept the bootles: the past year, and as a result the illegal trafic in liquor by the case has al- With the exception of some goods coming from ocean boats, there is nothing to re- tent the activities of the bootleggers as well as of ‘blind pigs’ or illicit re- r possible to were | for viola- | only 23 investigations or seizures of | Of the latter, § cases were won. 5 pending _in , JULY: 29, 1926. t | | { # | court and 10 where investigations were completed but no cases made. Claimed Crime Is Reduced. Has the Quebec law reduced trime? According to the commission it has, Statistics show . that the Province of Quebec, which contalns more than 26.75 per the entire population ~of Canada, in 1922 contributed 18.35 per it of the criminality of the coun- cited by cent try, 1924 16 per cent. asserted, still continues. A table giving monthly arrests for drunkenness in Montreal, g city of more than 1,000,000 shows the followin, 3 ; 634; 1921, 530; 1922, 363; 1923, 313; 1924, 327 and 1925, 349. In 1921, it will be re. — membered, the present law went into As far as arrests for drunk enness is concerned, really indicate little. drunk, very drunk, but so long reates no disturbance, effect, is not molested. boisterous and bursts 250 New Silk ' DRESSES New Summer Modes, including Sports and is picked up. the commission | dents here, 175 _per cent, and in |about. This decrease, it s in population, Engineer these figures A man may 1 neers and _simplv When he becomes into sonz or burg, Mis: Perhaps proof fs that it is no longer talked ‘Tomorrow—Quebec liquor law fails to curtall amount of drinking. Recent changes in the office of Mal. Gen. Edgar Jadwin, chief of Engi- | War Department, include the | - | confines himself to wobbling along, he | (ransfer of Maj. John C. H. Lee, chief | of the intelligence division, to Vicks- for river and harbor work tries to steal & policeman’s badge, he | the detail of Maj. Charles L. Hall, Even in these cases, he | former 1s often allowed to recuperaie at the | sion, station house, then sent home with | inteligence divison of the Enginder no charge against him or without | Bureau: the transter of Maj. Go appearing in court. | F According to the views of the com-| rivers and harbors board, to {He Gen- mission, the law is a suce {s perfectly true to state that this| worth, Kans., view is held by the majority of resl-| Maj. Daniel I. Sultan, formerly at the War College, Washington Bar. acated by Mal. It is being taken for granted.| Young in Gen. Jadwin's off The people—most of them—arg satis- fled. They've even quit writing letters to the editor about it. stronger evidence? Young, resident m And it | eral Staff College, at the _ greatest | Arm racks, to the office Could there Ye i Relieved J'E.Cunvingham Co Reliable Since 1914 314-316 7th St. NW $ { Afternoon Dresses, at the astonishingly low ' Polka Dots Flat Crepe Georgettes Wash Silks for $15 Combinations CUNNINGHAM'SE ,\¢ Gertrude Ederle Swimmer The English Channel is a grim swim which rhythmic muscles and iron nerves alone can perform. 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