Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-12-05
LIQUOR AND TOBACCO.
REPORT OF THE COMMIsslONER or
INTERNAL REVENUE.

The Withdrawals from Warehouses for
Actual Use Were Much In Excess " last
Year Quantity VI Liquor and tobacco
Consumed.
Washington sreciall
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 30
last. The report shows that the total re-
ceipts for the fiscal year were st2i.326.475.
an increase Of $5.4s9.174 over the receipts
Ter the previous year. The estimated re-
ecipis for the current fiscal year arc $125-
Gs0uo0. provided no changes are made In
the existing rates Of taxation. The with
drawals for consumption during the year
were: Spirits distilled from apples.
peaches. and grapes, Ss6,l07 gallons;
mcnted liquors. 24.6s0.2l9 barrels: cigars.
1914. 1861 $50; cigarettes. 1851. rs 100;
snuff. 7.436.989 pounds; tobacco, chew
ing and smoking. 2Gi.9256l3 pounds;
cl oiilar.ar ,:.c, c-.G.1...5 ioun,.s. This
shows large increase rs compared with
the previous year. The cost Of collection
OF internal taxes for the year was S3.yf8. .,,S3.
being less than 81 per cent. Of the amount
collected. During the year III persons
have been arrested for revenue violations:
property to the value OF Sl32.7i4 has been
reported for seizure, and $T3.8lg for assess
ments for unpaid taxes and pcnatiea, Dur
ing the year 5l8 illicit stills were seized, re-
sulting in the death OF one officer and the
wonnding OF another. The number 81 dis
tiiierses registered during tho year was
1904. and the number operated WAS 3,GsG.
The Commissioners renews his recon-
mendation that authority be given Tor the
distillation OF all kinds Of fruit under the
regulations which govern the production Of
brandy from apples. peaches, or grapes ex-
elusively. In regard to the proposition TO
remove the tax from brandy distilled ircin
fruit. he says that it appe lrs 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 distillation OF
spirits. and to the production Of an nd
ditional volume OF such spirits. which
might reasonably be expected to have
an apprecia 10 effect upon the taS
paid grain and molasses spirits with
which 1t would como into competition.
Tic quantity OF spirits (70.279. 406 gallons)
produced and deposited in distiil,ry ware
houses during the year Is less than the pro-
duction OF 1887 by 7,552,193 gallons. There
was an increase amounting to 4.S27,6G9 gall
Ions in the production Of alcohol. rum, gin.
pure. neutral. cologne spirits and miscelia-
NJ ous, and a decrease amounting to 12.379,-
S62 gallons in the production OF bourbon
whisky. rye whisky, and highwines. The
quantity OF spirits (70.7il.Sl1 gallons) with
drawrstax paid. from distillery warehouses
during the ar exceeds that Of last year by
4,353. sos gallons.
The Commissioner says that In response
to numerous suggestions by members OF
Congress and others as to the pfacticatility
OF Withdrawing spirits from distillery ware
houses free OF tax for use in the mechanical
arts. and protecting the revenue against
fraud by methylatinI the spirits in bonded
warehouses. established for the purpose.
the microscopic OF his Office was requested
TO make experiments in the chemical
laboratory for the purpose OF asceitaining
whether such spirits could be demethylated.
He has succeeded. by the use Of a smull
still. In separating the methyl or wood
alcohol from the ethyl or taxable alcohol.
and In deodorizing portion Of ethyl alcohol
through the use OF bone black and other
chemical substances. The Commissioners
says further: 1T may be urged that il the
demethylation cannot be accomplished
without the use OF still the operator is
readily liable to detection because Of the
special surveillance required by the inter-
nal-revenue laws in the matter OF stills and
distilling, but do not take this view Of the
case. The internal-revenuo laws do not
prohibit the use Of stills by persons other
than the distiilers Of spirits. and. rs mat
stilis'on their premises. The still used in
this Office was among the smallest Of the
stills which druggists and others. not dis
tilers. are permitted to use, and its use
would be hard to detect"
The quantity OF spirits remaining In dis
iillery warehouses at the close of the year
is given at 81 .093.0l8 gallons. being 4.ll2.25l
gallons more than at the close OF the pre-
vious year. The quantity so remaining
Oct. last is given at 52.554. 625 gallons. OF
the o64. 7O4 gallons grade brandy OF bonded
during the year 535,5S3 were produced in the
First district OF California. l0069 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 was in customs bonded
warehouses. on Oct. !, 1883, was 93,712,9 i9
gallons.
from tobacco during the year was 49,. 662. 49,
The export account shows q decrease in
manufactured tobacco Of 224.700 pounds: n
decrease In the number of cigars exported
OF aga and IN increase in the number Of
cigarettes exported OF 40. 1874 500. The num-
Der Of cigars imported during the fiscal
year ended June 30. 1883. was "a .203. $50. The
value Of the manufactured tobacco i'm
ported was SSS.457
The quantity of oleomargarine produced
from Nov. l. 1886. the day ON which the law
took effect. to June 30, 1898. was 81, O20. l54
pounds; tax paid. 80. 49,. 1874 pounds; export
cd. 2.4l0,7D pounds; lost or destroyed.
60.790 pounds; remaining in factory June 80
last. 315.9o0 pounds. The Commissioner
says: "The falling Off in the number of
special taxpayers has been a subject of
great solicitude to this office. as 1t may be
partly due to fraud. The statement as to
tho production and use OF cleo oil shows
that more than 27.0000O0 pounds ont OF n
production during the year of 59O09,C0O
pounds Of this substance invented for
the purpose Of being used in the man
ufacture OF butter substitute was
neither exported nor used. rs shown by re-
ports received at this office ON tho manu-.
facturo of ole0margarine. The question MS
to what actually becomes OF this material
will never be satisfactorily answered until
the manufacturers thereof are compelled TO
account for 1t with the. same particularly
as they ARE required to account for the arti-
Gle subject to tax. 1t is undoubtedly used
for instance. as cheese. II can not be
economically used as lubricant in the face
OF the fact that its market price Is nearly
double the price of tallow"
Tho retail liquor licenses In Illinois num-
Der l1.271. u decrease Of 36i for the year,
and the retail beer licenses are 634. an in
crease Of 40 for the year. In Indiana the
retail liquor licenses are 5,567. u decrease OF
81 for the year. and the retail beer licenses
are lS2, an increase Of r. In Michigan the
retail liquor licenses arc 2l5. an increase oil
g. In Wisconsin the retail liquor licenses
are 5.4G6. n decrease OF S42 ana tn, retail
beer iiconses are 3i5. an increase OF 154
In the prohibitory State Of Iowa the retail
liquor licenses have been reduced from
1854 to 1928. and the retail beer licenses
have decreased from 2S3 to 249. In The
prohibitory State Of KANSAS the retail liquor
licenses have decreased from 2.Hl8 To 1,277
but the retail beer licenses have increased
from "a to 1lg. In tho three States OF Maine
New Hampshire. and Vermont the retail
liquor licenses have decreased from 1870 te
ANA. and the retail beer licenses have de-
creased from 316 to 2l3
For the entire country the retail liquor
licenses number 1686 87. decrease for the
year OF 1850 The retail beer licenses are
H.16l. u decrease for the year Of 524 There
WAS an increased production OF l,5O0.0OG
barrels Of beer and decreased production
Of 7.500.0O) gallons OF spirits.
In Illinois the total collections Of 1885
largely exceeded those OF 1887. In the Firs,
District the collections were 80. 463,Sl8, o,
$24l $50 more than the aggregate OF the Firsi
and Second Districts the previous year. II
the Fifth the coll ,ctions were SIS. 3SS. $40 al
increase OF S4372.02l over the collections
the year before in the Fourth aud Fifth Dis.
tricts together. In the Eighth District the