Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-11
REVENUE.

Some Extracts from the Report of the
COMMUNICATING Off in h Re-
cclpts from Dealers In spirits-Growth
of the Tobacco Trade Recommends
lions.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-The annual
report of the Commissioner of Internal Rev
emu shows that the receipts of the bureau
for the last fiscal year were S112,421,12l, a
decrease of 50, 1GS, 919 from those of last
year and of over So, 600, 900 from the csti-
mates. The largest collections were made
in Illinois, amounting to 1913, 075, S65, Ken
lucky second, with S14,S42,475, New
York third, with Sl3, S23. 645, Ohio
fourth, with S12, 565,516, Pennsylvania
fifth, with ST., 81, 2o9, Missouri sixth, with
SG,27G, 165, and Indiana seventh, with 81
O31, S66. The smallest collection was made
in Vermont, and amounted to SIS, $50. The
cost of collection was S4 ,455,430, against
S5,O16, 914 for the previous fiscal year. Six
hundred and twenty-four violations OF in
ternal revenue law were reported and two
hundred and thirty-tour persons were ar
rested. The Commissioner recommends an
increase in the number Of revenue agents..
There has been a small increase in the
amount of taxes collected on tobacco, and
there has been marked increase in the man.
ufacturc of the weed and all unusually
large increase of the quantity of those
products exported to foreign countries.
The number of grain distilleries regis
tered during the year was 1,195, of which
only 91S were operated. The Commission
er asks for legislation taxing all fractions
OF a gallon Of distilled spirits, as several
large distillers have substituted pack
ages of ten gallons capacity and up
ward in the place of the ordinary
spirit barrel, in order to obtain the benefit
of the untaXed fraction as frequently
as possible. The Commissioner also rec
ommends that the provision of the law IN
der which grape-brandy products are per-
mitted three years storage of their prod
ucts i'll special bonded warehouses be made
applicable to d~istillers of brandy from all
fruits.
The quantity of distilled spirits i'll the
United States, except what may be in GUS
tom bonded warehouses October l, 1855,
was 80, 1o7,os6 gallons, and the average
stock of each retail liquor dealer in the
United States is estimated at $50
gallons. There was a decrease Of ST.
69O.Gl4 of the assessments on dis
titled spirits made during the last
year from the amount assessed in the
previous year, mainly because the produce
ton OF distilled spirits three years ago was
less than it was four years ago and because
large quantities of spirits, on which the tax
had been due. were bonded for export and
suffered to remain in the warehouse with
out payment or assessment OF the tax for a
period not exceeding seven months.
Abiding to the reimportation of exported
spirits, the COMMISSIONS says:
Besides the 7,GO0,0O1 gallons of domestic
spirits on which the internal revenue tax has
never been paid, which remained in store in
foreign warehouses at the close of the year.
there then remained in d~istillcry warehouses
l0,@.@.A as gallons Of spirits. which had 50
remained for Il period exceeding the three
years from the date of the entry for
deposit. 1t appears that under an opinion
OF the Attorncy-eienerai OF December "a,
1881, such spirits as are covered by tranSpor-
tution bonds or expectation bonds are allowed
to remain in distIllery warehouses during Il
time reasonably necessary i'll the process OF
expectation. even after the expiration of the
| thrce-ycars' limit liked by the w~archousing
bond. This time was limited by my predcccs-
sor with the approval of the then Secretary OF
to see the necessity for so long a time to uc-
complish the transportation OF the spirits to
the port OF export, | have, with the approval
of the present Secretary, reduced the time to
thirty days, and so limited the time within
which such bonds may be filed as to collect
the tax on or before the expiration Of the time
three years. within which spirits may remain
in distillcry warehouses;. The only time now
obtainable ncXccss of the three years is that
which occurs through the necessary delay in
enforcing the payment OF the tas;.