Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913
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The Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913 is an Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
under which voters in small local areas in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
were enabled to hold a
poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...
to vote on whether their area remained "wet" or went "dry" (that is, whether
alcoholic drinks An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The cons ...
should be permitted or prohibited). The decision was made on a simple majority of votes cast.


Background

The Act was a result of the strong
temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
in Scotland before the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
s and
publican In antiquity, publicans (Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the ...
s formed defence committees to fight temperance propaganda, and publicans became unwilling to spend money on improvements to their premises in case the district went "dry". The Act was superseded by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1959 which incorporated the same provisions as the 1913 Act and consolidated Scottish licensing law. These provisions and the local polls were abolished by the
Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
. There was resistance from the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
to the passing of the Act, leading to threats to use the (relatively new)
Parliament Act 1911 The Parliament Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5 c. 13) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is constitutionally important and partly governs the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two Houses of Parlia ...
to pass it. In the end, these threats pressured the Lords to pass the act.


1920 referendums

The first opportunity to petition for a poll on local prohibition was in June 1920. In order for a poll to be called, there had to be a petition signed by 10% of the registered voters in a burgh, parish or ward.Temperance Reform: Local Poll in Scotland
, ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'', 6 November 1920
The first batch of polls were then held alongside municipal elections in November and December, the first being in Glasgow on 2 November.Worldwide Movement: Comprehensive Address
, ''
Ashburton Guardian The ''Ashburton Guardian'' is a tri-weekly newspaper published in Ashburton, New Zealand according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation in New Zealand it has a readership of approximately 11,000 and a circulation of 5,554. It was founded in 1879 an ...
'', 12 March 1921
The conditions required to prohibit the sale of alcohol in an area were strict. Three options appeared on the poll: no change, a 25% reduction in licences to sell alcohol, and the abolition of all existing licences. In order for prohibition to be implemented, that option required the support of at least 55% support of voters, and at least 35% of everyone registered to vote in the constituency. However, if this option was not successful, all votes for "no licence" would be counted towards the 25% reduction tally. The prohibition was also limited. There was no proscription of the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, nor of their wholesale, or their consumption in private. Local authorities were still permitted to license hotels and restaurants, providing that alcohol was only consumed with a meal. Although temperance campaigners initially hoped to hold polls in at least 1,000 of the 1,200 licensing districts of Scotland, ultimately there were 584 successful petitions.Veto polls: the constant threat to licensees
, ''
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'', 7 December 1970
By the end of polling, in late December, 60% of votes had been cast for "no change", 38% for "no licence", and 2% for the reduction of licences. About 40 districts voted in favour of prohibition, including Airdrie,
Cambuslang Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...
,
Kilsyth Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Saidhe'') is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the relig ...
,
Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...
, Parkinch,
Stewarton Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
and Whitehead.Callum G. Brown, ''Religion and society in Scotland since 1707'', p.146 Glasgow was a particular target for the prohibitionists. At the 1920 poll, a majority of voters plumped for "no licence" in eleven wards, but due to the turnout and supermajority requirements, it was only successful in four.


Repeal attempts

In many newly dry districts, new polls were sponsored by licensees at the earliest possibility, three years later. 257 polls were held, in total, the majority being a second attempt at prohibition. The next big wave came in 1927, when 113 were held, following which, prohibition remained in place in only seventeen wards. Among these was
Lerwick Lerwick (; non, Leirvik; nrn, Larvik) is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010. Centred off the north coast of the Scottish mainland ...
, where alcohol remained prohibited until 1947. Between 1913 and 1965 1,131 polls were held under the Act and the same provisions in the 1959 Act, with the vast majority (1,079) held before 1930. The holding of votes continued to tail off during the 1930s and 40s. By 1970, there were still sixteen districts with prohibition, but just one or two new polls held annually.


References

{{UK legislation Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Scotland United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1913 1913 in Scotland Alcohol law in the United Kingdom Repealed United Kingdom Acts of Parliament Alcohol in Scotland
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
Health law in Scotland Multiple-choice referendums