Thompson — The Gothenburg Liquor System, 397 



of their sales during the later years and of the condition of 

 drunkenness may be gained from the following table, derived 

 directly from the annual reports of tlie samlags of the city: 



It is to be noted, however, that this table does not show the en- 

 tire amount of spirituous liquors consumed in Christiania even 

 as well as the preceding table does for Bergen. In addition to 

 the sales by samlags and the sale by w^holesale merchants 

 there has been in Christiania a considerable sale of spirituous 

 liquor in bottles by, on the average, twenty-nine private liquor 

 dealers. These private liquor dealers hold their right to the 

 trade as a result of earlier liquor legislation and, unless expro- 

 priated, will in all probability continue to exercise their rights 

 as long as they live. 



To ascertain the exact amount of spirituous liquor consumed 

 in Christiania, it is evident that it would be necessary to add to 

 the sales by the samlags as given in the preceding table, not only 

 that part of the wholesale trade which is direct to consumers, 

 but also the sales of the retail liquor merchants of the city. 

 The extent of these additions cannot, however, be exactly de- 

 termined ; in the first place, because wholesale dealers have not 

 kept distinct records of those sales which before consumption 

 did not go through the hands of the samlags or of the private 

 liquor dealers; and, in the second place, because the private 

 liquor dealers, like so many other private establishments, 

 have kept no records of their sales at all, at least no attainable 

 records. No one can, therefore, tell how much is consumed in 

 Christiania. All we can attempt to do is to arrive at an ap- 



