River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-03-31
AFEW FIGURES.


The temperance mass meeting at
Brackets Hall last Sunday afternoon
was addressed by Allen ?. Weld, Esq,
who gave some very interesting facts
and figures IN regard to the liquor
traffic in this village, from which we
make the following extracts:
The books of the station agent at
this place show that tho imports of
beer for the ten months ending Dec.
3lst, 1880, at this station We're l26. 900
pounds, wE;!!c of high wines this tenn
including all alcoholic liquors not
beer) there was imported during the
same period the amount of $4,000
pOunus.
A keg of beer is estimated at one
hundred poU1ds, and a barrel of high
wines of forty gallons at 500 pounds.
reducing these gross estimates to bar
rels and gallons we have as the num-
DER OF kegs u beer 1,26q for ten
months. or about 127 pounds per
month Beer retails ut an average Of
IS per keg, making the monthly con
sumption of this beverage S25 per day
ut retail prices; or allowing q margin
for that sold at wholesale of twenty
per cent, the consumption is 500 per
lay on AN average. III this estimate
it is to be understood that the amount
manufactu ed here and that brought
in 10y wagons is taken to offset that
sold to other towns. This amount
cannot be very large, as the supply for
the eastern portion Of the county is
Ia ~ .1yhnlltr flaritraI
from the Minnesota ports.
An estimate of the taxes raised for
school purposes in the village of Riv-
er Falls gives the amount expended
for public school purposes at about
$40 per day, or one half of the daily
expenditure for beer. The cost of the
churches is, as nearly rs can be readi-
" estimated, about The same as the
schools; that is, the cost of beer is
equal to the amount expended for both
church and school There has been
rarely more than So 900 expended
in the town for repairs of highways
IN year. The cost for beer is double
this amount.
We have not included in this esti-
plate of the cost Of education the nor
NAL or private schools. Let us look a
little farther into the matter. The es-
innate for the high wines shows an
average of ten barrels per month of 10
gallons each; allowing the price at
which this retailS to be three dollars
per gallon $50 cents per pint or 81 per
gallon is common price, we have the
figures of $1,000 per month for high
wines, or more than forty dollars per
81. - !, Il
of about $50, eco which would pay all
of the amounts expended in this village
for educational purposes outside of the
churches, and adding the price paid
for tobacco in tie saloons would prob
ably cover church and school both.
Again the pressure of taxes is felt
to be heavy, but the taxes this year,
including road taxes, were less than
SO, geo, or less than the cost as paid
by the consumer for alcohol III its va
rious forms.
Last year after some opposition on
account of the cost, this district erect
ed Il school house costing complete
about $4,000. The figures given
above would indicate that the yearly
expenditure for alcohol would build
such house every yea and support
the school besides.
1t is true that all of this amount is
not actually paid by the citizens of the
village. 1t may be assumed perhaps
that the population doing business in
the village is 5000 souls; this would
give one thousand voters at the usual
assumed proportions; it Is probable
that only one half Of these use alcoholic
beverages, Judging from the result OF
votes where this is in issue. From
this basis we get the estimate that the
average tax per capita up0n the users
of these drinks is $40 per annum.
Assuming that half of the alcohol
is consumed by one-fifth of the con-
sumers. not Il violent assumption, we
have the tax on hundred dollars per
capita for one hundred consumers, a
larger tax than is paid ky any one in
this village for the direct support Of
the preaching of the gospel.
Il may he thought that these figures
show an excessive amount Of drinking
in this vicinity. or are greatly eNager-
ated. In response to this it may be
replied that by the census of the Unit
ed States for the year 1870 it appears
that the amount OF alcoholic liquors
which paid revenue that year WAS the
enormous sum of 5000, 100000, or
$l2 per capita for every man, woman
and child in the country, and this at
wholesale rates which at retail rates
would not be less than SIS per capita
while the average consumption
of the alcohol in this vicinity, if the
foregoing figures are correct, is only
81 per capita, or only one-fourth Of
the average consumption in the coun-
try. This. OF course, either proves
that the above figures are to low or
that River Falls and vicinity are unU-
sually temperate in the use Of alcoho-
hol.