[Editor: This article was included in “A Woman’s Column” (edited by Mary Gilmore), published in The Worker (Sydney, NSW), 2 January 1908.]
Women and the drink question in Finland.
Finland is a country of which little is known outside of Europe. Now and again we receive a cable to the effect that Russia is doing something dreadful to it, but when we consider that its Diet contains eighty Socialist members, and nineteen women deputies, Russia cannot be treating it so very badly.
Recently the Diet passed a Drink Bill, which is so drastic it suggests the hand of mothers thinking of their boys. The new measure absolutely prohibits (I read) the importation or manufacturing of wine, beer, or spirits. Any alcohol used in the country is only to be used for medical and technical purposes; and is to be a State monopoly. As the Finns, like other North Europeans, have a reputation for drunkenness, it will be interesting to note the effect of the bill should it receive Imperial assent, and become law.
Source:
The Worker (Sydney, NSW), 2 January 1908, p. 15
Editor’s notes:
Bill = a proposed law, or a proposed amendment to an existing law
See: “Bill (law)”, Wikipedia
deputies = plural of deputy: the name or title of a member of a legislative assembly in some countries (e.g. Albania, France, Italy); a parliamentary representative
Diet = the name or title of the deliberative assembly or legislative assembly of some countries; a parliament; the general assembly of the princes and representatives of the Holy Roman Empire
See: 1) “Diet: German history”, Encyclopaedia Britannica
2) “Diet: Japanese government”, Encyclopaedia Britannica
3) “Bundestag”, Wikipedia [re the Bundestag (“Federal Diet”) of Germany]
4) “Diet of Finland”, Wikipedia [the Diet of Finland operated from 1809 to 1906]
5) “Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)”, Wikipedia
6) “National Diet”, Wikipedia [re the National Diet of Japan]
7) “Diet (assembly)”, Wikipedia
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