The morning call., 1893-01-29
A TARIFF EVADED.
Sharp Device of Foreign
BeermakerS.
To Avoid the Mckinley Tax Stone
Jugs Are Made Thicker and Glass
Bottles Hold Less Porter.

The arts and tricks of trade have in mod
ern days so developed as to approach
almost the dignity of science.
Human ingenuity and cunning have
never reached such a high point as in the
articles of trade and commerce. And this
Is necessarily SO. for has not the human
brain from time immemorial boiled, and
thr0bbed, and seethed alone for gold? The
acquisition of money has evoked more of
the genius and thought of mankind than any
other occupation of man. Is there any
wonder then at the acute sharpness of the
tricks in that calling in which money forms
the support and mainstay?
Every day some new device, some before
unheard of scheme to keep on the right side
of the balance sheet is discovered The
facility OF tradeSmen and manufacturers
In reSorting to this fine art, which is the
first law of trade, is we'll exempliied in
case which CALL reporter discovered In
the CuSt0m-house Yesterday.
When the Mckinley bill was passed II
raised the duty somewhat on imported
wines and liquors. For instance. on brandy
the tariff was raised from 81 to 81 80 a gtl-
Ion. champagnes from 81 to IS per dozen
on ales. beers and pOrters, from IS cents to
40 cents q gallon.
The law operated all right for some time.
aud the United States inspectors and
gaugers did not perceive any difference in
the importation, the only thing being that
the foreign manufacturer did not make so
much money as before, although he might
some what raise the price of his goods. In
the case of wines, bTandIes and cham
pagnes. the foreign manufacturer did not
care so much, for he could easily raise the
price of his goods, as the class of people
vvb "a huV imnprtpf wines and lnunra
rich enough not to care for a few dollars
extra, some even being inclined TO think
that Wine tastes better tue more expensive
it IL.
But with the case Of beers, ales and por-
ters II was different These are drinks OF
the people, and the importstions run way
into the millions Of gallons. An increase
Of cents gallon meant small fortunes to
the European manufacturers. The foreign
manufacturers could not raise the price Of
their goods because there was too much
American compettiOn, and they did not
want to disturb and run the risk OF running
an established market. They could not
afford TO raise tie price Of Dublin Stout Snd
Bass ale and porter and others Of the kind.
because the mass Of the people would at
once raise a cry at the idea.
SO the manufacturers bore their losses
| for some tlmr, vainly endpavoriDg To hit
! upon some plan by which they could do
! away with the loss entaled by the Nc
! Kinley bill.
! At last one Of their number bit upon a
| brilliant and happy idea. II was adopted,
the manufacturers no longer lost. aud no
more complaints against the beer and porter
| manufacturers were heard on the other side
! OF the water.
| Ia the meanwhile the American consumer
/ drank imported beers ard pOrters and re-
manned in biisstul ignorance that il was the
| victim Of a clever device. lie knew not
! that his present dozen Of ale and porter in
! his cellar was not the same he formerly
| obtained. He would have remained in ig-
! norance much longer were 1t not for the
! scOvery Of a United States gauger in the
| Custom house, who found very recently
! what the European manufacturers had
| begun to do.
The United States gauger mentioned has
/ among others the duty OF Inspecting and
| sampling imported liquors for the purpose
! Of Imposing the required duty under the
| Mckinley bill. In sampliug the ales, beers
| and porters IL IS necessary 10 measure them
! by the gallon, as the law Imposes the tariff
! by the gallon. Now, imported beers aud
| pOrteTs come in little stone bottles and also
| in dark black glass bottles. The gauger has
long been accustomed to measure beer and
| porter To do so he would take so many
| bottles from a case and pour them Into a
| gallon measure. Then the duty per dozen
! could be easily calculated, as the tariff stood
40 cents gallon. Recently in pouring some
! Imported porter in a gallon measure the
! gauger took the usual number of bottles
| out, hut was surprised to find that the
| measure was not quite filled. lie held
! the last bottle in his hand and scratched
| his head. Then he counted the bottles over
| TO see whether he had made q mistake. No,
| he had poured out The usual number. Then
| he took some beer-bOttles and tried to fill
another gallon measure. The result was
| the same.
| Being thinking man, he started to
| cogtate. and he concluded that the fault
] must lie III the bottles. He measured
| them. They were the identical same SIZE
| as before. Here was another puzzle. He
| thought again, and then went and pro-
| cured some Of the old porter and beer bot
| ties In making a comparison between the
| old and new bottles he was startled to fnd
| that the stone jugs now used are much
! thicker. ALL Here was the secret of the
| device. Being of the same size as the old
| bottles and thicker, they consequently held
less beer and porter. The guager examined
| the glass bottles and found that the portion
! of the bottle which forms a hollow at the
! bottom protruded in the interior much
! further than In the old bottles and lessencd
its capacity to hold beer. This, then, was
| the secret.
! After calculation It was found that by
| this device there was about quarter Of a
] glass less in each bottle now than at former
| imp0TtatiOns. When the millions of bottles
! imported are considered the saving to the
| European manufacturer more than COM
| Densates for his extra cents be paws a
gallon. He now pays his Mckinley tariff
without complaint, but gives the American
| public less porter at the same price as before.
| The secret lies In the bottles