390 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



Number of places of sales. 



(a) In the Cities. 



(b^ In the Country. 



A glance at these figures, which show that in the cities as 

 well as in the country there are more inhabitants now to every 

 saloon than in 1892, proves conclusively that the increase in the 

 per capita consumption, sho^^^l in the first table, cannot find an 

 explanation here. The increase cannot be accounted for either 

 by any lessening of j^rices, for during these years prices have 

 rather been slightly raised ; nor can it be accounted for by any 

 increase in the use of spirits for scientific or industrial purposes 

 for there is no evidence to support such an argument. We are 

 therefore led to ask : Is there any positive evidence that drunk- 

 enness has increased with this increase in sales ? Yes, there is 

 such positive evidence. I find it in the statistics from both 

 Gothenburg and Stockholm. In regard to Gothenburg the fol- 

 lowing table is the evidence which the liquor company itself 

 gives in its report for the year 1898 : 



