FOOD AND ALCOHOL 199 
It will be seen that under the proposed system the 
taxation rises fairly steadily as the alcoholic concentra- 
tion rises, instead of waxing and waning and then 
waxing again. 
It may be wondered how far this scheme, if adopted, 
would meet with popular approval, and what effect 
it would have on the sobriety of the nation. Cer- 
tainly the part of the scheme relating to the issue of 
cheaper spirits would be most popular, and it would 
cause a considerable increase of spirit drinking. This 
increase would be balanced largely if not entirely by 
the reduction in the consumption of wine which would 
certainly result from the increase of taxation, for there 
is a reciprocal relationship between the two classes of 
liquor. As can be seen from the figures in the Table, 
between the years 1922 and 1925 the per capita con- 
sumption of spirits fell from 0:36 to 0-33 gallon, whilst 
the consumption of wine rose from 0-26 to 0:36 gallon. 
If we suppose that the spirits contained 40 per cent. 
of alcohol and the wine 15 per cent., then it is found 
that the total amount of alcohol consumed in the form 
of spirits and wine was almost constant. 
Gallons Consumed in the Form of— 
Year. 
1922 (for United 
Kingdom) .. ' . 
1923 (for Great Britain’ 
only) .. . 
1924 (for Great Britain 
only) .. . 
1925 (for Great Britain 
onlv) .. LL 
Shires. 
. | Alcohol 
Wine. "cp. 
0°36 
0-26 
0144 
0°33 
0°20 
0'132 
0°33 | 0-35 | 0132 
0-22 026 | 0128 
Alcohol 
in Wine. 
00120 
0°0458 
0‘0O852 
00854 
Total 
Alcohol. 
0-183 
0'177 
0184 
' o0'182