The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-24
WHAT MAKES BEER EXPENSIVE.
1t is not the Cost of Brewing, But the
Expenses OF Handling.
From the Nero York GRAPHIC.

From the Nep York Grdphic.
| The secret of the ample supply of pocket
money enjoyed by some of the gilded
youths who toll not nor spin has long been
an open one to those who know Of the
means employed by wine firms to increase
their sales. but it is not so well known that
all the breweries are obliged to figure on an
| outlay of the same kind as a part of their
regular business expenses.
Inc brewerles, however, do not employ
gllded youths or 'gummies" TO lavish their
odd change. Oh, mol They spend literally,
though not to the extent that the cham
payne firms do, but their drummers and
collectors and drivers do the spending, aside
from the money that IS "blown i'm by the
brewer himself or his foreman The sales
man, or putter, or promoter, or whatever,
employed by leading wine firm, boasts
that his expense account runs up to any
thing between $500 and 81, 500 a month, and
this is really money expended through him
in the purchase of the wine he is putting.
Probably no brewery spends more than
this through the hands of all its spenders,
and they, as was just explained, are reason
| ably numerous.
The driver who delivers the beer at the
different saloons on his route is expected by
each saloon keeper to stop and spend dime
| or a quarter in cigar and beer. OF
| course this does not come out of his wages,
which are not especially large for a labor
ing man of his class. The brewery fur
nishes the money.
| Then the collectors. who have to look
after the saloon-keepers on behalf of the
brewers. are not paid anything more than
a good salesman would expect in any other
business, yet they are statesmen as well as
| collectors, and in order to be a salesman
they are obliged to be liberal customers of
the very men they sell to. Nobody ever
yet tried to sell beer wholesale without buy
ing from the retailer.
What would be the result if good,
sharp salesman should undertake to intro
| duce first class beer in some new saloon
without spending money in the saloon, and
spending it literally, toos" was asked of
Max Eusline.
HE would be laughed at, ;" said Eusline,
| who is one of the best known and most sue
cessful drummers in the business. ''He
would be laughed at, and he wouldn't sell
1 any beer. Drummers all drink It's q
part of the business, but none of them who
amount to anything drink hard. A lush
| is no good In this business any more than he
| is In any other. OF course, some men can
stand more than others, but they know
their capacity. Some men can drink what
would knock me silly. There is one man in
Syracuse who has, to my knowledge, drank
| a quarter keg of beer at sitting. That is
eight gallons or about 100 full glasses. OF
course he can drink more while he is at his
| business than most men can.
what do your saloon expenses on the
road amount toP'
| "Oh, have spent as much as $50 in one
place at one time, but that was for a special
purpose. l very seldom buy wine. It isn't
necessary as a rule. Ordinarily | wouldn't
spend more than 81 or So at one call
| Probably it would be less than that But
there is a difference between city trade
and drumming on the road. | was a drum
mer, and went anywhere and everywhere,
but did no collecting as rule. In the CITY
the drumming is all done by the collectors
| They don't go to saloons haphazard, but
have their regular routes, and seldom go to
saloon that isn't on their lists unless they
| get tip that some other saloonkeeper is
thinking of making a change But, of
course, wherever they go they have to spend
money. This money has 20 be supplied, of
course, by the brewer, and becomes charge
on the expense account. The brewer couldn't
carry on his business without large first
profit, for naturally these expenses are
large and he has many other large expenses.
The actual cost of manufacturing the beer
is small, but the expenses of keeping, hand
ling and distributing are large, and, as
said, there is the expense of selling and of
collecting to add.n