| OTHER ISOLATED EXPERIMENTS
IN addition to the foregoing instances, several isolated
attempts have been made in various parts of the country
to eliminate private profit from the local liquor traffic.
Among these may be mentioned the inn at Wantage, Berkshire;
the Spencer Arms Inn at Chapel Bampton, Northamptonshire
(The Harleston Inn, Northamptonshire, is not here included,
since it is carried on entirely in the interests of the
local Cooperative Society. ); the New Inn at Childs-wickham,
Broadway, Gloucestershire; the Spital Beck Inn, Yorkshire;
the Plymouth Arms at St. Pagan's, Eedditch ; and the late
Sir E. Lechmere's Inn at Hanley Castle, Worcestershire.
WANTAGE, BERKSHIRE
Referring to the first of these, the late Lord Wantage
said (Quoted by the Rev. Osbert Mordaunt in his pamphlet
entitled Reformed Public-Homes, published in 1898. ):
" The public-house here continues to succeed perfectly.
It has now been working about ten years. The manager receives
a fixed salary of £100 a year. He has no profits on
the sale of intoxicants. One room is reserved for those
who call for tea, coffee, etc. It is an open house, and
beer is obtained according to the wishes of those who are
served. The fixed rent to me as owner is £20 a year.
The profits, after all expenses, average about £150
a year, and are distributed according to the decision of
a committee, of which I and my agent are the chief members.
The money has been used in paying all expenses of management
of a Friendly Society, also in putting up lamps in the two
parishes, and providing all expenses in the maintenance
of them, lighting, etc. The facilities of having the best
room in the house specially reserved for those who do not
take beer or spirits is decidedly advantageous. The usual
newspapers are provided free."
Brief particulars of the remaining houses are given by
the Rev. Osbert Mordaunt in his pamphlet on Reformed Public-Houses
published in 1898, and they need not be further referred
to here. The houses are all small.
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