The death-rate of all males, above fifteen years of
age, is slightly over sixteen per 1,000. At the census of 1901, 536
in each 1,000 males aged fifteen years and upwards were found to be
married. Ignoring the differential death-rate of the married as
compared with bachelors and widows, it follows that about 4,100
male investors in the licensed trade die each year, of whom some
2,197 will be married men, leaving behind them the same number of
widows entirely or partly dependent on these investments.
The widows made by drink are nearly six times as many.
Numerous inquiries at home and abroad agree somewhat closely in
stating _14 per cent_. of the entire death-rate to be due to
alcohol. The proportion of one in seven is accepted by Dr. Archdall
Eeid, who considers that all efforts to restrain drinking increase
drunkenness. I do not think the justness of this figure can be
disputed at all, except as an under-estimate. We are here dealing
with male deaths only, and I will do my contention the obvious
injustice of supposing that the proportion of deaths due wholly or
in part to alcohol is no higher amongst men than amongst women. If
one could allow for the existing difference, the result would be
even more terrible.
Taking the figures for 1906 for England and Wales alone, we have
167,307 deaths of males over fifteen; 23,422 of these wholly or
partly due to alcohol, and of this number 12,554 were married men
(i.
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