Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-12-07
INTERNAL REVENUE.
ANNUAL. REPORT OF CoA1M1ssIoyEn
JOSEPH MILLER.
The Quantity of Liquor and Tobacco Cen.
sumo d During the Observation-Disclosures
ais for Actual Use Exceed Those Of Last
washington speciaLl

Joseph Miller. Commissioner Of Internal
Revenue. has made report to the Secretary
Of the Treasury on the working of that SER
vice during the fiscal year ended June 80.
ceipts for the fiscal year were $l24.s26.475.
IN increase of $5,4S9.1H over the receipts
for the previous year. The estimated re-
ceipts for the current fiscal year are $685.
the essmg rs Of naton II" Tbe made %b
drawals for CONSUMPTION during the year
were; Spirits distilled from apples.
peaches. and grapes. ss6.1o7 gallons:
other spirits. 7o.677.379 gallons: fer
snuff. 7.4ss9ss pounds; tobacco. chew.
ing and smoking. POI. 925613 pounds:
oleomargarine, 32.667,755 pounds. This
the rgs as et m With
of internaltaxes for the year was $3.97s.2S3,
being less than 80 per cent. OF the amount
collected. During the year SSl persons
have been arrested for revenue violations:
reported for seizure, and $73.619 for assess
ments for unpaid taxes and penalties. Dur
ing the year 518 illicit stills were seized, re-
suiting in the death Of ono officer and the
w0unding of another. The number of dis
tilleries registered during the year was
1894. and the number operated was 5,646.
The Commissioner rcnews his recon-
mendation that authority be given for the
distillation of all kinds of fruit under the
regulations which govern the production of
brandy from apples. peaches. or grapes eX-
clusively: In regard to the proposition to
remove the tax from brandy distilled from
truit. he says that it appe ars to be probable
that the relief of this article from taxation
would lead to the utilization OF large num-
Der of different fruits for the dstillation Of
spirits. and to the production Of an adj
ditional volume OF such spirits. which
might reasonably be expected to have
paid grain and molasscs spirits with
which it would come into competition.
The quantity, of spirits 7O.279.406 gallonsl
produced and deposited in distillcry ware
ductiou Of 1887 by 7.552.l93 gallons. There
was IN increase amounting to 4.s27. 500 gal
Ions in the production Of alcohol. rum. gin,
pure. neutral. cologne spirits and miscella-
1862 gallons in the production Of bourbon
whisky. rye whisky. and highwines. The
quantity Of spirits (7O.741.s11 gallons) with
drawn tax paid. from dstillery warehouses
during the year exceeds that of last year by
4,:l53, sos gallons.
The Commissioner says that in response
to numerous suggestions by members Of
Congress and others as to the practicabilty
OF withdrawing spirits from dstillery ware,
houses FREQ of tax for use in the mechanical
arts. and protecting the revenue against
fraud by methylating the spirits in bonded
warehouses. established for tho purpose
the microscopist OF his Office was requested
TO mako experiments in the chemical
whether such spirits could be demethylated.;
He has succeeded, by the use Of a small
still, In separating the. methyl or wood;
alcohol from tho ethyl or taxable alcohol
through the use of bone black and other
chemical substances. Tho Commissioner:
says further: 1T may be urged that if tho
demcthylation cannot be accomplished
without the use Of a still the operator is
rcadily liable to detection because of the
special surveillance required by the inter
nal-revenue laws in the matter OF stills and
distillng. but do not take this view OF the
case. The acknowledgements laws do not
prohibit the use OF stills by persons other
than tho distilers Of spirits. and. as mat
ter of fact, many druggists and others use
stills on their premises. The still used in
this Office was among the smallest OF the
stills which druggists and others. not dis
would be hard TO detect"
The quantity of spirits remaining in dis
tillery warehouses at the close of the year
is given at 81 .033. OlS gallons. being 4ll2251
vious year. The quantity SO remaining
Oct last is given at 52554.625 gallons. OF
the s64 704 gallons grade brandy Of bonded
during the year 535, $50 were produced in the
tho Tenth district of Ohio. and 4l6 gallons
in the Fifth district of New Jersey. The
quantity OF distilled spirits in the United
States. except what was in customs bonded
warehouses. on Oct 1, 1888. Wa, 93,7l2.919
gallons.
Tho aggregate amount Of taxes collected
from tobacco during tho year was S3J.G62. 431.
The export account shows IL decrease in
manufactured tobacco of 224.7 ECO pounds: u
decrease in the number Of cigars exported
OF 1852 1926 and an increase in the number OF
cigarettes exported of 40 S34 $40! The num-
Der of cigars imported during the fiscal
year ended June 80. 1888. was "a ,2G3. $50. The
value OF tho manufactured tobacco im-
ported was SSS. 457.
The retail liquor licenses in Illinois num-
Der ll.271. IL decrease of 1854 for the year.
and the retail beer licenses are GA, an in
crease OF 80 for the year. In indiana: the
81 for the year. and the retail beer licenses
are 1872. an increase of IL. In Michigan the
retail liquor licenses arc 215. an increase OF
8. In Wisconsin the retail liquor licenses
are 5.466 q decrease of 842. and tn. retail
beer licenses are 345. an increase Of 1874.
In the prohibitory State of Iowa the retail
liquor licenses have been reduced from
1854 to 2,92S. and the retail beer licenses
have decreased from 2s3 to PAP. In the
prohistory State of Kansas the retail liquor
licenses have decreased from 1908 to 1.277.
but the retail beer licenses hayo increased
from 81 TO ll9. In tho three States Of Maine.
New hampshire. and Vermont the retail
liquor licenses have decreased from $50 to
2,2l4. and the retail beer licenses have do
creased from 318 to 213.
For tho entire country the retail liquor
licenses number 16S. GS7. II decrease for the
year of 1850. The retail beer icenses are
S.1Gi. {; decrease for tho year of 524. There
was an increased production of 1.50o.000
barrcls of beer. and u decreased production
of 7.5OO.c0D gallons of spirits.
In Illinois the total collections of 1883
largely exceeded those Of 1887. In the First
District the collections wcre S9463.sls. or
Ss41 $50 more than the aggregate Of the First
and Second Districts the previous year. In
the Fifth the collections were S.3sS. 34O. an
increase OF S4.3T2.O2l over the collections
the year before in tho Fourth and Fifth Dis
t'i"ts together. In the Eighth District the
collections We're 81 .C93.203. an increase Of
55G.2!F7. and liz the Thirteenth District they
were $685. G32. an increase o! SJ.G37.
---------------------- --------------------------
Chief Justice Isea,.
Chief Justice Armstrong. aged Gs. the
Chairman of the Labor Commission. fell
dead on the street ut Sorel (Que!:oc', from
apop'exv. He had resided over ten years
i'll the island of st. Lucy, West Indies. as