The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-13

David A. Wells urged Secretary Carlisle
and the Democratic committee GA ways
and means 10 impose tar Of 81 on beer.
Ths political inaaence OF great Demo
cratic brewers, like Frank Jones, of New
Hampshire. and Senator Murphy, OF New
York stste. has proved sufficient 10 defeat
this proposition. The presencs OF the
brewers that the proposed addition Of 81
. barrel on beer would mean ruin TO the
beer business is without foundation.
Nearly one-fifth o. tine beer produced IN
the United States Is from breEeries owned
by English capital. Breweries owned By
English capital ia the year ending May.
isao produced 5.0ai. 10 barreia In the
Federal fiscal year ending June %. 1890.
the total product OF beer in this country
was 2. sol. ss4 barrels. In 1891. according
10 the July and August report" of Mr..
w. w. Duncan, an English financial au-
thority. the total capital Of the English
brsweries was So, oso. DO. This was d.
vided between s32.045, 90 In debentures.
So. SIS. 900 in preference shares and $eS.-
So, 20 In ordinary stock During the
past twelve months, says Mr.. Duncan, in
August, 1901, taking the entire list Of
these companies. good, bad and indiffsr-
ent, that have yet issued their balance
sheets or declared interim dividends" and
"the return has been per cent. on de-
bentures. 0 per cent. on preference and
i4il per cent. on ordinary shares. From
the beginning Mr.. Duncan found that
these companies had paid So per cent.
upon debenturs capital, * upon prefer
encs and ID per cent. upon ordinary cap
ital.
To pretend that business which pays
this return cannot bear an increase Of tax
alton without ruin 10 absurd. Frank
Jones, the great Democratic brewer Of
New Hampshire. violently opposed the
proposed beer tar. and THE Frank Jones
Brewing Company" Is one Of the largest
OF the English companies. At its meet
ing, held May 4. 1892, it was shown that
the profits Of the previous year. in which
49,. 600 barrels were brewed, were 1851 .l55.
or 81. 20 a barrel, net. In the three previ-
Gus years, in which $4,000 barrels were
brewed. the profits were $i.si6 is5. or $i.s8
q barrel. after paying all charges. 'Thc
Frank Jones Brewing Company" could. of
course. easily pay 81 tax and still leave a
profit of IS cents on an article usually sold
At 50 barrel or more. Even at 81 barrel
the Milwaukee & Chicago paid per cent.
and at 50 . barrel, Mr.. Duncan, after o
visit 10 the breweries and careful exam
ination, declared that G40, 900 barrels would
yield 81, 80 600 profit. or just 81 barrel.
The City of Chicago Company, which has
a capital of g.. 2oo, 900, in the half year end
ing last spring paid all its interest, 10 per
cent. on ordinary shares, and laid away
10000, latter providing very large sum
for depreciation and reserve" The st.
Louis company, while it lost by the heavy
war of 1892. when beer was sold ut 81 a
barrel for three and half months, still in
the three years ending last spring had
paid 81 per cent. and makes 81 barrel
Bartholomay. one of the largest. declared
10 per cen. for the half year ending in
September, 1892. and earned % per cent.
The profits of the brewers range from
si.76 up to 81 barrel. OF course David
A. Wells was right: beer could easily
stand an extra 80 cents barrel added to
thu 81 now paid. and many of the great
breweries could stand an addition Of 81 a
barrel. The Democratic tariff tinkers who
promised a tariff for revenue only not
only refuse to tax tea, coffee or sugar. non
competitive industries. but they refuse TO
increase the internal revenue tax on
beer: nevertheless they make coal, iron
ore. lumber and wool free.
Verify the miner, logger and wool
grower who hnds his industry extirpated
or his wages cut down will hardly be salts.
fed when told that the Democratic tariff
tinkers took care of "the poor mans
breakfast table .; and secured to him free
sugar. tea and coffee and cheap beer.
Yes. the poor man will answer, shut
had free sugar. tea and coffee and cheap
beer under the Mckinley act, and I had
what Is vastly more important to me, /
had full employment at good wages. while
today am either out of work. or work at
reduced wages. or At half time"