TEE LIQUOR LAWS OF NORWAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13876, 13 April 1907, Page 12

TEE LIQUOR LAWS OF NORWAY

SCOTTISH COMMISSION'S REPORT. ' ilie full report by the Commission of] t-liG Scottish Temperance Legislation .Boardwhich recently inquired into the liquorV licensing laws of Norway has now been issued. The report is signed by Mcosre i Jolih Cowan, James Setli, John Mann, jun., and Hector Munro Ferguson. It ; states that within tho past - half-century Norway'has .been'transformed from one of'the most drunken of European nations int-o one of the most sober. Apart fromtho general advance in education, the result- is duo to two main causes: (a) Tho growth of a strong temperance sentiment which, while present in.alhsections of the community, is mc6t. powerful; in its earnestness and intensity among the' woriting classes; (b) Progressive temperanco legislation, under which the people are-invested with powers of local control, with considerable latitude in the choice of means of control. Tho sparsely populated country districts have tho power of an indirect local'veto, while the towns have the option of (1) direct local veto of spirits, or (2) "management" by disinterested companies, known as "framings." The report traces the development ofthe Norwegian licensing system, and the following account of the "constitution of the "Samlag" is given: — In the towns of Norway the Town Council is the licensing authority, and'fixes tho' number of spirit-licences required to meet the reasonable convenience of the town, after tho town has decided by vote that the traffic in spirits shall be carried on within its bounds. These licences are ; then granted to a disinterested company called a Samlag, which llms holds a mouopoly of the retail trade in spirits. Tho Town Council retains the right of supervision over all the operations of this company. Tho company's by-laws and regulations, its articles of association, and! its appointments of mnnagere and other servants, are all subject to the approval of the Town Council, and, with the exception of the appointments of managers, to the sanction of the King. Tho committee, which apportions the surplus profits, consists of an equal number of representatives of the shareholders and of the Town Council. The initiative regarding the destination of the surplus rests with the directors of the company, who make proposals to this committee. Tho decision is made at a joint ineetinf of the directors and the committee, but is not carricd into effect until it has 'beenapproved by the governor of the district after consultation with t-ho magistracy and the Town Council. The directors—three to five in number—receive a small honorarium for their services. No difficulty has been experienced in inducing prominent and capably men to act. The maximum rate of interest on paid-up shareholder' capital is 5 per cent-. The amount of capital required in any given town is not large —about £1000 on an average; and though there ;6 no provision against lar"a holdings, the amount held by any one shareholder is never great. A single' share is usually of £11 to £22 value. The accounts of the., company are subjectc-d to a double audit—first by'a local auditor, and finally by the Government Department of. Commerce, Navigation, and Industry, and are open to inspection by the municipal authorities. Tho aims and principles of the Samlag system may be summed up as follow: — The elimination of private profit, a'r.d securing the monopoly value for the public. Ensuring highest quality of liquors sold. The reduction of the number of licenses. The easy enforcement of the law. ■The destruction of tho power of the spirit trade. The furtherance of all prograjsive measures of reform.' In embodying these principles in their law, the Norwegians followed the example, hut avoided the serious defects, of the Swedish law. The Swedes at first applied the profits to the reduction of the municipal rates. The Norwegians provide for

the application of the profits mainly to non-rate-aided objects, thus:— To tho State, originally 25 j-cr cent., jiow raisrd to .. 65 pur ceilt. J-0 tli© municipality. in lieu of larger Jicensc duties now t "u-" •' 15 P" cent, io objects of puHic utility, not being chargeable' on any, rates, but operating as counter attraction to the yiibl-ichmiso; in towns 10 per> cent., and in surrounding country districts 10 f° r 051,1 * ..JO percent. '• 100 por coat. i>mce the establishment of the Simians about- £1,400,000 have been expended on objects of public benefit." During the pasUightjeam the proportion accruing to n lofn + S T e M ncreased ■»*«* 4^ till 1910 to form the. nucleus of an GldFnnd ' lvhich Ilow amounfs 10 ° f ( /,'° loo:i ' option votes which havo been likeu in Norway since 1890 shows. dearly that veto can-be' carried in rural districts and >in small towns, but that it is too drastic an option for tha greater centres of population. . I n the larger towns, however, tho people can be led/ 'by judicious Saralag handling to tolerato alugh.standard-of restriction, though tho oniy largo town which 4ms adopted prohibition (Stanraiwer) shows a . decided tendency to reconsider its decision. A deep-, impression was created in the minds ; of the commission by the emphatic (kcliira•lions madoV Norwegians of classes, in •javonr-of thoSamlag 'management system.