The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-27
DEMANDING CHEAPER BEER
-ur FORTUNES MiDE ny BREWERS
uITJIIN THE L.fST Ten iEiRS.
An or ,hcm Getting Hich. Despite their COM
,,a,ni. Temperance Men who would Like
a, see More Beer aud Less Spirits sold
tn, ,IN's brewing for the Ncnr 1877.

ali
a.. See More Brer and Less spirits sold
Th. ,I,,'. urewing for the Ncnr 1877.
The Rcv. Howard Crosby il decidedly in
,,,,r NJ cheap beer. He said: My impression
"a ,nat ANYTHING that would bring about the
arinkiug of beer in place OF sprituous liquors
4. dosir,blc | know that great clorts have
h,sn NAL for the Introduction and popular
,,ation " beer as a beverage. and that it has
crown IN favor but | do not know anything
,sri,ularly about the proposed reduction in It's
nree II that Is practicable, | think it is GER
,ainly very desirable thing. OF course. people
will drink 700 much beer. n they Will eat too
much food and drink too much lee water. but
uwould he grand thing II the rum. gin. and
branly drinkers should become beer drinkers
instead. It would be the greatest step toward
,emperan " that has ever been taken. II we
o,uli er, all sensible people to look Mt this thing
,n.alm way and 10Y the right light. | think we
could soon get the great mass Of the public to
as,ept that position.
regarding tho FREQ snlc o. nle and beer. as
.ropos,d 10y Mayor Ely in his published inter-
view with a Sun reporter | should feel very
much a. he does-ihat | would not want to i'm
noae a license to sell those mild drinks any
more than 20 sell soda water and lemonade. 1t
would be- necessary. however. If the iraillc were
made free Ot license. 10 exercise great care
that strong liquors were not sold under the
names OF ale and beer. | have no present
means of knowing whether n reduction in tine
price Of b,cr is practicable or not; or. II it is.
whether tho burden OF that reduction should
fall upon the brewers or the retailers. But il 1t
can be made. 1t should be. and The subject Is
one worthy Of serious and close Investigation.
All should bo done that can be done TO remove
unnecessary profits and lower the cost Of this
beverage 10 Consumers
But neither the principal saloon keepers nor
customers generally. ask the especial favor Of
freeing the sale Of beer from its Just burden Of
municipal taxation. They argue that high
license must be preferable. for the reason that it
would exclude many Of the small places that
deal only in inferior beer. sell little that what
they do sell Is not fresh. and only serve 10 scat
ter the pIJilis Of the husin ss that none can do
we'll. Reduce the number ~ saloons. they say.
by imposing heavy license Zee, and those that
remain will be enabled to make good profit.
tho brewers will get their money promptly and
tho customers will have infinitely more salts
faction than at present. But can they then. any
more than now. afford to reduce the price Of
their beer from Ave 10 three cents per glass {?
MOI the saloon keepers reply. how could
we and pay such big license;" In point Of
fact. any license tha, would be likely to be i'm
posed would be- mere bagatelle to any pros
porous boer seller vet its continuance affords
him an excuse FOR keeping up the price of his
drinks a, least two-niths above whnt would givo
him fair living profit. one proportioned to the
times and to the results of labor and invest
ment in other directions. II is by no means
easy TO arrive at the exact truth about
the sale OF beer in New York. what the
limit OF cost is. and what the probable
profits may be- for the sellers are likely 10 be
either ol7tinste.y reticcni or frankly and ingen-
on this topic. But il must he seif-evldent 10
every one that tn-y make money. and a great
deal Of /. in proportion to the capital they have
Invested They used TO pay in war times tl2 to
3li barrel Tor beer. and sell 1t AT i've cents a
class. In sub big glasses as are seldom seen
sell at the same price glass. II is true, they
have moro OF the less profitable trade III
pnts aud quarts than they did then. but the
general reduction in the Size Of glassDs makes
up for that in the generality OF saloons all. in
deed. except those IN tho easements oi tene-
glass. some OF the saloon keepers make great
outcry about expenses rent. ice, and help, But
the expense account are they as heavily bur
dened as in the war times. Rents have lessencd
labor IL cheaper. and ice is. al least no dcArcr.
Why. then. should this bugbear Of expenses
maintain the beer at war prices to the consumer.
when the vender obtains il from the brewer up
on comparatively hard times basis
Among the correspondents who have Rd-
Crossed The SUN on the subject Cheaper
Beer" says:
In the interviews with brewers and seller. of lager
beer hey s say cannot be sold at rec cents glass
A. matter of course they interested parties who do
not wish reduce the price Had the brewers anu deal
trs IN Cincinnati boen Interviewed. they wOuld have
unanimously said Beer could not be sold or three
fents gas- Yet II sells there at tha, price now and
80 sold there why not IN New YORK All things have
shrunk value mems labor uicdi and l. Tor one,
cannot why lager beer should be exempt Let the
~Orkingmen asitate the question the they did
clnoinuau, and, mark my words. we shall nave cheap
Prices pS sy V1I vii % be s ssed T. 1 @ e are say S od ID py sT
Workinsmen having cheap beer
Although nice detail Of profits cannot be
- mt mi. Ea mad
tho basis Of the amount OF beer browed In New
York. According 70 the reports Of the Internal
beer manufactured between May l. 1877. and
May l.. 1873. in this district mot including n host
Of Williamsburgh, BROOKLYN Staten Island. and
Jersey brewcrs foOts up As follows: