414 ^Yisconsi}l Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



been laviskly consumed. At present ale and wine are sold by 

 almost every local merchant. A license wliicli according to law 

 cannot exceed $107.20 and which is nearly always much lower 

 is entirely too small to put any reasonable limit to the number 

 of ale and wine houses. Drinking is thus made very easy, and 

 consequently is very largely indulged in. It is, however, not only 

 in the cities that have abolished samlags that this kind of drink- 

 ing has increased. It has found its way into samlag and pro- 

 hibition to^\ms alike. Ale and wine have become more and more 

 fashionable in later years. Vast breweries have been erected 

 and more are in the process of erection every year. More and 

 more wine, too, is being imported. I>rorway to-day need fear 

 not so much the brandy as the milder drinks. While the retail 

 and bar trade of the former in cities licensed for its sale is under 

 the absolute control of samlags (Christiania and Skien ex- 

 cepted) and it is sold only under strict regulations, the trade in 

 the latter, which is conducted by private individuals who pursue 

 the business for private gain, is practically free from ail re- 

 strictions. 



That this laxity with res^ard to the sale of these milder 

 beverages is an evil which ought to be remedied is unquestion- 

 able, but the problem how" to remedy it is more difficult than is 

 apparent. It might seem that it would bfe an easy matter for 

 Xorway to allow the samlac^s to assume exclusive control over 

 the sales of all kinds of liquor, and, indeed, it may seem strange 

 that she, face to face with the danger of being flooded by these 

 beverages, has not made provisions to that effect already; but 

 here, as generally in all matters of reform, there are obstacles in 

 the way. Unfortunately, as a result of earlier liquor legislation 

 there still survive several hundred licensed merchants who, 

 according to the law of contract, hold unassailable rights to trade 

 in ale and wine as long as they live. As long as these private 

 saloons continue the traffic, there is little hope for improvement. 

 The samlags being governed by strict rules, are from the very 

 nature of their organization unable to compete with other es- 

 tablishments whose sales are bound by no regulations other than 

 those desirable from the point of view of private gain. If the 

 samlags have not exclusive control, then, as far as the fostering 

 of sobriety is concerned, they might almost as well have no con- 



