OCR Text |
Show HOW IT IS DONE IN SWEDEN. Many towns in Sweden take the liquor business practically in their own hands. In Gothenborg, for instance, the local government controls the sale of liquors, both wholesale and retail. When a man applies for a license he knows that he must give to the government all the profit over six per cent, which percentage is paid to the dealer as recompense for his time and interest on the capital invested. The wholesale trade is in the hands of one company, who sell liquor only to those establishments approved by the government. As a consequence of the small profit in the business, the number of applications for licenses are comparatively few. In Gothenborg, which is a city of 70,000 inhabitants, there are only thirty-seven licenses issued. Liquors are sold at so low a margin that it does not pay illicit dealers to compete with the regular establishments. This method secures a handsome revenue to the local government, which is expended in the support of public schools, and also in the laying out of public gardens and parks to beautify the city. - Detroit Press. |