Since January, 1918, the rate at which the numbers of offlicences have decreased annually has slackened so much that the decrease in the year 1922 was only 11 as compared with 258 in 1916 and 323 in 1910, and in 1923 there was an increase with a total of 38 more off-licences on 1st January, 1924, than a year previously. The increase is made up of 27 or a little over 1 per cent. of the off-licences in England and 11 or nearly 2 per cent. in Wales. During the year 1924 there will probably prove to have been another very small increase. Clubs. On the 1st January, 1924, there were 11,471 registered clubs, showing an increase of 345 during the preceding twelve months -a much smaller increase than occurred in any year since 1919. Clubs increased by 323 or some 3 per cent. of the previous total in England and by 22 or over 6 per cent. in Wales. The increase in Monmouthshire was some 5 per cent. as compared with less than 3 per cent. in the rest of England. 6,589 1.94 218 3.42 1915 3.27 1912 1913 1906 6,721 1.96 132 2.00 1907 6,907 1.99 186 2.77 1908 7,133 2.03 226 1909 7,323 2.07 190 2.66 1919 1910 7,536 2.11 213 2.91 1911 7,912 2.19 376 4.99 8,209 2.25 297 3.75 8,457 2.29 248 3.02 1923 11,126 2.90 463 +4.34 1924 11,471 2.65 345 +3.10 8,902 2.39 164 +1.88 1916 8,520 2.28 -382 -4.29 1917 8,167 2.19 353 -4.14 It is estimated that during the year 1924 the number of registered clubs increased further by upwards of 318. Over the whole period since the year 1904, clubs have increased by 5,100 as compared with a decrease in on-licences of 18,942. As between 1904 and 1924 clubs in Wales and Monmouthshire have increased from 234 to 523. There are 164 in Monmouthshire and 241 in Glamorganshire. The figures for the 1st January, 1904, cannot be taken as absolutely accurate, as the system of collecting statistics specially for a given day was not then in force; but they represent substantially the number of clubs registered in the course of the first year of registration. † See note on page iv. (16086) *B Decrease in On-Licences since 1st January, 1905. The following table shows how much of the decrease which has taken place in on-licences since the Licensing Act, 1904, came into operation has been effected by means of the compensation provisions of the Act in each year, and how much is due to other causes. The figures of lapses from various causes in 1924 are subject to further verification : The number of licences extinguished with compensation which fell year by year from 1909 to 1917, rose in the years 1918 to 1920, fell in the next three years, and increased again in 1924. The following statement shows for each year the total amounts received into compensation funds and the average amount paid for compensation. The apparent large increase in the former amounts in 1924 as compared with 1923 is no doubt accounted for by the fact that a larger proportion than usual of the The figures in this column relate to new justices' licences granted in the year. If the licences were re-grants of previous term licences on expiry or if the premises have not, in any case or cases, been opened for business within the year, then the figures of "new licences" should be so much the smaller, but a corresponding increase would appear in " lapsed from various causes," the net decrease being that which is actually found at the end of the year (see p. iv.) † Provisional figures. The figures for licences lapsed include premises closed after the renewal of the licence at Brewster Sessions. Including 62 cases in which compensation was waived. Received into Full Licences. preceding year's charge was withheld from the funds pending the settlement of the large number of rating appeals in 1923 :— Year. Total Amount Compensation Average Amount of Compensation The amounts shown against a year do not represent precisely the proceeds of the charges imposed in that year. It is the practice to pay the proceeds into the funds in two instalments, the second of which is usually paid in the early months of the following year. Convictions for Drunkenness. The total number of convictions for drunkenness in England and Wales in 1924 was 79,082, as compared with 77,094 for 1923— an increase of 1,988, or 2.6 per cent. In other words, the level for the whole of the country remained nearly stationary; but the rise, such as it was, took place almost entirely in the last seven months of the year, increases in every month of that period more than making up for a total decrease in the first five months of 1,151. Year. Jan. Feb. March. April. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. England and Wales. Total. 1922 1911 | 12,299 11,709 | 13,365 | 14,306 | 15,819 | 13,937 | 15,904 | 14,153 | 14,776 | 16,123 | 14,548 | 15,191 172,130 1912 14,350 13,366 14,285 14,027 16,291 15,483 16,868 15,913 15,500 15,803 14,930 15,777 182,593 1913 13,11112,995 14,656 15,315 16,590 16,265 17,453 17,034 16,767 17,132 15,457 16,102 1914 13,295 13,807 16,376 16,530 16,587 17,274 17,410 16,332 14,338 15,362 13,441 13,076 1915 11,421 10,719 12,392 11,785 12,618 11,696 12,642 12,131 11,151 10,759 9,723 1916 8,093 7,240 6,754 6,910 6,443 6,951 7,183 6,748 6,950 6,941 6,561 1917 6,309 4,709 4,786 3,568 3,648 3,123 3,508 3,429 3,032 3,251 3,337 1918 3,285 3,309 3,249 2,552 2,208 1,992 2,050 2,097 2,068 2,124 2,053 1919 2,355 2,316 3,429 3,590 3,836 4,704 5,043 5,379 6,162 5,901 6,503 1920 7,877 7,915 8,737 8,018 7,896 7,766 8,595 8,485 7,404 8,084 7,393 7,593 1921 7,050 6,229 6,971 5,709 5,854 5,337 5,932 6,592 7,484 7,041 6,269 7,321 5,963 5,412 6,455 6,006 6,725 6,552 7,396 7,091 6,593 6,574 5,534 1923 5,508 5,357 6,240 6,489 6,923 6,833 7,059 6,926 6,628 6,952 5,797 1924 5,622 5,274 5,778 6,204 6,488 7,129 7,313 7,211 7,281 7,011 6,504 188,877 183,828 8,774 135,811 7,417 84,191 3,710 46,410 2,088 29,075 (16086) *B 2 In England, as distinct from Wales, there was an increase for 1924 as compared with 1923 of 2,444, an increase in the figures for Northern England of 2,501, or 6.6 per cent., being met by a slight decrease in Greater London and Southern England. In Wales there was a decrease of 456, or 10.4 per cent., and the most remarkable return is that of Swansea, where the convictions are decreased by over 47 per cent. from 351 to 185including a drop of 28 convictions in connection with methylated spirit drinking-(see later). In England the total for County Boroughs was slightly larger than in 1923, viz., 54,731 as compared with 53,643, but there were some marked variations as between different Boroughs (see further observations on pages xiii and xiv). • See note on page xv. Taking the country as a whole, the total of 79,082 convictions is (by about 8,000) less than three times the lowest figures recorded, i.e., for the year 1918, and more than two-fifths of the highest figure, i.e. for the year 1913. on the From the point of view of seasonal fluctuations, it may be observed that the increase in Northern England took place in every month of the year, except March and May; in Greater London seven of the months showed small increases corresponding months of the previous year, the decrease for the whole year being accounted for by February, March, April, May and June, which had decreases of 196, 372, 261, 309 and 62 respectively. In Wales the decrease affected every month except March, June and December. The occurrence of the drunkenness which leads to conviction is unevenly distributed over the days of the week. Saturday is the most fruitful day for arrests, and contributes about 33 per cent. of the total; Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday give some 9 or 10 per cent.; each Monday and Friday show nearly 13 and 16 per cent. respectively. In the table below the figures for the years 1919 to 1924, with percentages of increase or decrease year by year and as compared with 1913, are arranged in areas consisting of counties grouped mainly according to the occupations carried on therein : 1913. 1919. 1920. 1921. Area.* 1922. 1923. Increase Increase Number Decrease Decrease Decrease ΟΙ ог Number Decrease] ог of Con- per cent. per cent. per cent. Decrease Decrease of Con- per cent. Decrease victions. on 1918. on 1919. on 1920. per cent. per cent. victions. on 1913. per cent. on 1921. on 1922. 1924. Increase on 1923. The figures are shown separately for males and females in the following table. Of the total convictions, 66,140, or nearly 84 per cent., relate to males, and 12,942, or 16 per cent., to females. There appears to be a tendency for the convictions to increase among males and to decrease among females. In relation to the Note. The italic figures in brackets represent the percentage which the figures for each area bear to the total number of convictions. *See note on page xv. (16086) *B 3 |