The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-11-27
WHISKY AND TOBACCO.
Report of the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue.

celptS 1or the previous year, and more
than the receipts of any year since 1883,
when receipts aggregated S14f, ,05i .345.
Receipts for the year were also $4.326,-
iI5 more than the estimated receipts for
the present fiscal year.
Withdrawals for consumption during
the year were as follows: Spirits dis
TILED from apples, peaches and grapes
o06, l07 gallons, other spirits 70,677, 1873
gallons, fermented liquors "a, ,6sO, ,2l9 bar
rels, cigars 3,844, 1885, $50, cigarettes 1862
726, 100, snuff 1886, ,987 pounds, tobacco,
chewing and smoking, 2e1, ,925 ,613 pounds,
32,667, ,755 pounds, This
shows a large increase compared with
the previous year.
The cost of collection of internal taxes
for the year was S3,97S, ,283, being less
than % per cent. of the amount col
lected. The cost of collection for the
previous year was 3.4 per cent. Of the
collected.
During the year 7S1 persons have been
arrested for revenue violations, q proper
ty value of S132, ,74435 has been reported
for seizure, and S73,619.14 for assess
ments for unpaid taxes and penalties.
During the year SIS illicit stills we're
seized. resulting in the death of one Of
fcer and the wounding Of another.
DIsTnLERIEs REGISTERED AND OPERATED.
The number of distilleries registered
during the year was 1894, and the num-
Der operated was 3,646. The number of
grain distilleries registered was 1890, of
which 1,029 we're operated, an increase
over the previous year of 140 in the num-
ber registered, and of 60 in the number
operated. There were 1854 fruit distil
leries registered and 2,6O7 operated, de-
crease of 1,302 in the number registered,
and 1919 in the number operated.
The commissioner deyotes chapter to
the subject of fruit brandy, Gnd reneTs
his Recommendation of last year that au-
thority be given for the distillation of all
kinds of fruit under the regulations
which govern the production of brandy
from apples, peaches or grapes exclu-
sively.
In regard to the proposition to remove
the tax from brandy distilled from fruit
he says it appears to be probable that
the relief of this act from taxation would
lead to the utilization of large number
of different fruits for distillation OF splr-
its, and to the production OF an add1-
tiunal volume of such spirits, which
might be expected to have an appreciable
effect upon the tax paid upon grain and
molasses spirits, with which it would
come in competition. The reduction OF
the revenue by the abolition of the tax
on fruit brandy is not, in his opinion, to
be the only subtraction of the present
collections from that source. A consid-
erablv larger amount would, he says, in
all probability be lost, while mischief to
the revenue service and increased diff
culties in the enforcement of the law as
to grain and molasses spirits, out of all
proportion to the amount Of tax surren-
dered, must be seriously apprehended.
SOME COMPARISONS.
The quantity of spirits (70.279, ,406 gal
lons) produced and deposited in distil-
lery warehouses during the year is less
than the production (77,S3l ,599 gallons)
of the year 1887 by 1852, 1913 gallons.
There was an increase amounting to
4,872,669 gallons in the production of
alcohol, rum, gin, pure neutral cologne
spirits and miscellaneous, and decrease
amounting to 1878, 1862 gallons in the
production of bourbon whisky, rye
whisky and high wines.
The quantity of spirits (70,536,Sll gal
lons) withdrawn and tax paid from dis
tillery warehouses during the year is
more than the quantity( (66, ,lS3, ,3OS gallons)
withdrawn from distillery warehouses
during the year 1887 by 4,353, ,503 gallons.
If the quantity (2,635,92 galions), as
stated by the chief of the bureau of Sta
tistics, of exported domsitic spirits re-
imported during the year upon the pay
ment of customs duty equal to the in
ternal revenue tax be added the quantity
virtually withdrawn from distillery ware
houses during the year is found to be
73,177,60 gallons, or 4,777,555 gallons
more than during the year 1887, in
cluding 2,2l6,465 gallons reimpoted and
tax paid during that year.
FREE ALCOHOL FOR TIE AETs.
There was a net decrease of 709, ,708
gallons in the quantity of spirits with
drawn for export, as compared with the
previous year.
The commissioner says, IL response to
numerous suggestions by members of
congress and others as to the practic0-
bility of withdrawing spirits from dlstil-
lery warehouses free of tax for uss IN the
mechanical aots, and protecting the rev.
enue against fraud by methylating spir-
its in bonded warehouses established for
the purpose, that the microscopic of his
Office made experiments for the purpose
of ascertainIng whether such spirits
could be demethylated. From an OK
haustive report it appears that he has
succeeded in separating methyl, or wood
alcohol, from the ethyl or taxable alco-
hol, and in deodoriZing portion of the
ethyl alcohol through the use of bone
black and other chemical substances.
The commissioner says further: "It may
be urged that if demethylation cannot be
accomplished without the use of still,
the operator is readily liable to detection
because of the special surveillance re.
quired by the internal revenue laws in
the matter of stills and distilling; but /
do not take this view of the case"
The quantity of spirits remaining in
distillery warehouses at the close of the
wear is stated at 81, ,O33 ,01S being 4, liz, 25l
more than the quantity so remaining at
the close of the previous year.
OF 864,704 gallons of grape brandy
bonded during the fiscal year, 535, ,583
gallons were produced in the frat dis
trict of California, 1890 gallons in the
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 may be IN
customs bonded warehouses, on the first
day of October, 1888, was 93,7l2, ,9l9 gal
Ions.
TOBACCO AND oLENARaARINR.
The aggregate amount of taxes col
lected from tobacco in all shapes during
the year was S30,662, ,431, an increase of
S55l, 1854 over collections from this source
for the previous year. The export ac-
count shows decrease in manufactured
tobacco of 224, ZOO pounds. decrease in
the number Of cigars exported of 49,. .425,
and an increase in the number of cigar
cites exported of 40,3S4, 800. The number
of ninara imnnrtad dnrinr the fiscal wear