Temperance

Being predominately a naval and garrison town, Portsmouth had an usually high number of drinking establishments. Consequently, the Portsmouth Temperance League regularly petitioned the licensing sessions citing examples of children as young as seven being served alcohol. In an exhibition held in 1911 they had some convincing statistics. They estimated the drink bill for Portsmouth in 1911 was £826,323 which would have paid for the Town Hall (£140,000), South Parade Pier (£70,000) and all the council schools and Technical Institute including equipment (£568,000). They also highlight that very little of this would go back into the local economy as wages unlike some of the other local industries.