Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-03-07
MlDDLEBURY's ANNUAL MEETING.
LARGE AND LIVELY GATHERING on
TUESDAY,.

In full force on Tuesday, nearly 450 vote:
being cast on one ballot. The greatest strife
was over collector, but the choice of So
lectlnen caused considerable trouble. Mr.
Munroe was reelected constable and col
lector and f. j. Mathews and J. l.. But
tolph, selectmen. G.. II. Balm was made
third member of the board of selectmel
in place of f. Il. Severance. The cas-
village wanted II selectman, but had 81
many candidates that all of them were
defeated. The tax is 80 cents on the dol
lar of the grand list and the sum so raise(
is to pay town expenses and the State
school and county taxes.
The moderator, c. NJ. Wids, called the
meeting to order at 10 O'Clock, and the
warning was read by Town Clerk NJ. A
Brooks. The reports of the various towr
officers and of the auditors were accepted
without debate.
Judge Slade, chairman of the commit.
tee, composed of himself. Gasca Ricl
and Prof. Boyce, appointed at the last
March meeting to look into the affairs OF
the liquor agency, read the report of that
committee, as follows
The undersigned committee. appointed AT
| the last annual town meeting to investigate
me liquor accounts OF the town OF Middle
DurN with view of asccrtaining the cause
/ lpl lnc tltHclencN as reported Nt tnilt time,
beg leave to submit the following report:
We have had placed in our hands the books
OF the agency covering the period from Sept
/, 1856, to Dee. /, lSsS, at which time the liqu
ors were removed from the custody and
control of Mr.. Il. +. Wales to that OF Mr.. l..
H. sayre. The books kept by Mr. sayrc
from Dec. |. lSSS, t, Feb. 90 1889, have also
been examined. These books show the
KIND and amount of liquor sold, which en-.
trles are made opposite the persons name
purchasing, and the price is carried out in
Il Ia nf rh
month the amounts so received are added
ana the total sum passed into the hands OF
the selectman having charge of the agency,
whose business Is to pay the same to the
treasurer of the town. Going over these EN-.
t1cS with much care, we find tor the most
part the same to be correct, and the amounts
paid over by the agent have been paid into
the treasury. We discover. however, large
discrepancies between the liquors that should
nave been sold as by the inventories and the
liquor that was actually sold as appears from
the books OF the agent We obtain the
amount that should have been sold by TAX.
ing the amount OF liquor on hand, for ex.
ample, FEB. |, 1887, adding to this the amount
purchased and paid for from Feb |, lss7, to
Feb. lSSS and then subtracting from this
sum the amount on hand Feb. |, lsss. Then
we add the several quantities sold, as shown
by the agents books Tor the same time, and
we find that during the year. Feb /, 1857, to
Feb; |, lsss, the alcohol shrank 45}i gallons
while the whiskey gained "a gallons. From
Feb. |, lsSs, to Feb. |, 1889, the alcohol shrank
i21ai gallons, and the whislley shrank - gal
Ions; BY these figures the town lost SlS} on
alcohol alone at the selling price, namely,
90 cents pint, and $l0O6j at the purchas.
ing price, namely, 1920 II gallon, from Feb
!, 49,, to Feb. !, lsSs; While from Feb, l. lSss
TO February, 1859, there was II loss to the
town on alcohol alone OF S5G3 ut the selling
price, ana S2s143 at the purchasing price,
namely, s?21 per gallon, not to say anything
about the loss sustained by the shrn<agc on
the whiskcy. We did not follow the other
liquors and wines, as not much of these ar.
tcles were sold, the large proportion of the
"a to nj
cohol and whiskey. No doubt come OF tin"
alcohol and whisl>cy during this last-named
period mysterlously evaporated during
transportation from market here, but the
loss of l2j . gallons OF alcohol, which is II
lltlc less than 20 per cent OF the amount pur
chased and ON hand from February, lSSs, TO
February, lSS9, cannot be wholly attribute.
DIc 10 that cause, but might have been ac.
counted tor II it could have been shown to
your committe that the casks containing the
same Wer" Tapped hbcnllY during the fire
IN April, 1855 or that the slaves OF the bar.
rels were luoscncd during the hurried re.
moNal of the same in that emergency. We
nave no special recommendation to make
IN view of III" foregoing that would not sug.
g"st themselves to every cautious business
man in the future conduct of the agency, if
1t Is 50 fixed by law that we have always got
to have an agency il the county commission.
er sees III to appoint an agent, but ii may
not be amlss if we should urge the necessity
OF gnuging every barrel or cask of liquor
received, to pay Tor no more than we get
ana to gauge the same every month and
shown
books OF the agent with the amount on han.'
BN ths method no very great loss can oc.
cur To the town. Also we would suggest
that at the same time the strength OF said
liquors be tested.
rather spicy discussion followed.
Mr.. Slade said, in response to question
from Mr.. Tupper, that the commit
tee were unable to ascertain whether
there was any considerable loss of liuuor
at the time of its removal during the fire
in April, lSSS. Mr.. Slade further said,
III response to question from Mr.. Bliss.
that the liquor was not gauged when il
was transferred from the care of Mr..
Wales to that of Mr.. Sayre. Mr.. But
tolph told of tests made of alcohol on
sale at the agency during the past year,
winch showed that the alcohol drawn out
INTO dispensing bottles was of less
strength than that in the barrels, and the
same facts were developed at both of the
tests made. Prof. Boyce said he had gone
through Mr.. Sayre's books for the period
Feb. 20, 1889, to Feb. 3, 1890, and found
that there was gain of eight gallons of
alcohol and loss of III gallons of whis-
key. The report of the committee was
accepted and adopted.
The following resolution, offered bv
Mr. Bliss, was adopted:
Resolred, That it is the sense of this meet
ing that, in view the large unexplained loss
OF liquor from the agency from February,
1887, To February, 1883, the incoming board OF
selectmen should further investigate the mat
ter and take such action as they may deem
proper to reimburse the town for the loss
aforesaid.
ii. l.. Sheldon moved, and it was voted,
after amendment by o. p. Moore, that
the selectmen be instructed to have the
liquor in the hands of the agent gagged
and tested once a month.
1t was also voted to pay the State
school and county taxes from the
treasury; to exempt the polls of firemen
except from the highway tax Ga list of
the firemen to be filed in the town clerks
office on or before April y, and to appro-
pirate $50 for the observance of Decora-
ton day here and S25 for East Middle
bury.
President Bralnerd was reelected mem
Der of the county board of education.
a tax of 30 cents on the dollar of the
grand list was voted, on motion of Judge
Slade.
,In1Un Slaha e 81