of cases was 2357. But during the whole of that time the population has
been increasing: it was 46,557 in 1866, and in 1876 it was over 66,000;
so that the apparent increase in these years is a proportionate though
very small decrease--a decrease of about one per cent. There has been
also a large decrease in the more serious crimes reported to the police
of the town. As to pauperism, there is a decrease in the number of
persons receiving entire relief from the community, but an increase in
the number of those receiving partial relief. The sales of spirits by
the company's agents have materially increased, but it is urged that
this is due to the fact that in its earlier years it had more opposition
to encounter, while in 1875 it had acquired a full monopoly over the
sale of spirits, except in the instances of the life-licenses, which had
been reduced in number. Its gross profits have materially increased,
rising from L7200 in English money in 1865 to L52,850 in 1876, and the
amount of the net profit it paid into the town treasury had increased
from L2800 to L40,100! The authorities of the town are satisfied with
these results; and there is an almost universal belief that the state of
Gothenburg in regard to drunkenness is incomparably better than it would
have been without the operation of the Bolag: at the same time it is
fair to state that some are of opinion that the benefits have not been
so great as they should have been, and that the company has to some
extent been worked rather with a view to money-making for the community
than to the repression of drunkenness. As to the general opinion, it is
indicated by the fact that every large town in Sweden has now followed
in the wake of Gothenburg. In 1871 the Norwegian Storthing passed a law
to enable their towns to follow suit; and about a score have adopted a
similar scheme, modified by allowing the profits of the Norwegian
"associations" to be paid by the members to objects of public utility.

As to personal impressions of the working of the system, it may be first
said that attention having been so fully directed to the provision made
for sale of food in these public-houses, this was tested in many with
satisfactory results--food cheap, plentiful and wholesome being
procurable. The public-houses were found to be generally neat and
orderly, but not equal in comfort or appearance to the public-houses in
other lands, several of them being underground vaults merely. The