The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-02-04
The DispGnsary Report.
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF THE COMMISSIONER
Over Hunored Thousand Dollars Net Profits
for Eleven Months Better Facilities Wanted
for the State Establishment.

Tor the State establishment.
State Liquor Commissioner Mixson
annual report OF the South Carolin
, State dispensary for the year endin
/ December 3lat, has just been publish
ed. 1t contains full account of a
the work done by the dispensary an
shows that it has been doing a goo
business. The report is as follows:
To His Excellency, Governor Joh
Gary Evans, and Hon. ID. III. Tompkin
and Hon. James Norton, State Boar
of Control.
Gentlemen Herewith 1 have tn
honor to present to your honorabl
body my first annual report of the con
dition and operations Of the State dis
pensary.
AS the constitution recently adopte,
fixes January tho first as the beginnin,
OF the fiscal year, this report must O
necessity comprise only eleven month
from the first of last Febl uary, tn,
day | assumed charge as State Com
missioner, to and inclusive of Docem
Der the 3lst.
BY reference to my quarterly repor
made to your honorable body for the
quarter ending April Both, you OWL
be reminded that called your atten
tiOn to the unsatisfactory system o.
bookkeeping which | discovered had
characterized the former management
of the business, and for the purpose OF
recapitulation / have deemed it best
to include in this report the introduc.
tory of my first quarterly report.
also include in this report the four
quarterly statements of the assets and
liabilities and profits and losses which
| L have from time to time presented to
your honorable board, and also the
| purchases and sales made by me, and
the sales made by the county dis
pensers, and the profits accruing there
| from.
On assuming he duties of Commits
stoDer on February lst, eX Commits
sioner Traxler turned over to me a
statement of the assets and liabilities
of the State dispensary to January
3lst, 1895. In that statement, which
is included in this report, ex.Commis-
sioner Traxler placed his net profits
at $l5l ,295.50, when, as a matter of
fact, his net profits to December 3lst
is Only $ll0, ,34S. .00-$40, ,946. II less than
he claimed. The error was made by
ex,COmmissioner Traxler computing
the States profit on goods remaining
unsold in the hands of the county dis
pensers at the expiration OF his term
of Office, and his failure to schedule all
liabilities contracted by him and out
standing against the dispensary on
January 3lst. Candor and sense OF
fairness impels me to state that I do
not believe this misleading and erron-
eous statement was intentional on the
part OF eX-CommlssiOner Traxler, but
was clearly the result of his system of
bookkeeping.
The balance sheet which he turned
over to me at the close of his term of
Office contained the following entry
under the head of Assets %" Stock
as per inventory, $62, 246." In the con-
nection in which the word "stock I"
was used, it was open to false con-
struction. as the average reader was
most likely to construe it as meaning
representation of that amount OF
whiskey, wine and malt goods in hand
NJ the State dispenpary. But from
$45, l90.G7, inclusive of the $2,67l.23 of
contraband goods in hand at the time,
represented the amount of liquors,
wines and malt goods "as per inven-
tory" And this amount represented
the goods at a greater than net cost
price, as he added fifty cents per gal
Ion to the original cost of all case
goods, to cover cost of preparing them
ior the trade. My objections to this
method of taking stock were finally
withdrawn, for reasons which have
been fully set forth to your honorable
board, and which can be found in the
Introductory TO my first quarterly
statement, which statement il made
of the $62, ,246.43 represented the value
of the bottles, corks, machinery and
other nominal and fixed assets, as
shown by the following
Wines, liquors and malt goods s 45 100 G7
Bottles, barrels, ,demij johns,c ,cOrks
and other supplies .......... 14,406 10
Machinery and Office fixtures 1859 81
I'll orse and wagon. 80 90
$G22i6 43
The cash bal ance from Mr.. Traxler's
statement called for $45, ,548. 40 in State
Treasury and in safe. The result of
the Legislative Committees examina-
tion showed that there was $l05.22 less
than claimed, which reduced the
balance to $45, ,443.5S. His liabilities
for whiskey purchases were $34 2S6.02,
and additional liabilities not scheduled
by him, the amount of $3.3l4.8l.
Deducting the amount of his liabilities,
as revised to date, from his net cash
balance, would leave 8 cash surplus OF
81 ,Si2, IS on February lst.
1t is gratifying to me to be enabled
to state that the operations OF the Dis
pensary have been profitable for the
| period of my incumbency in office; a
net profit of $l33, 467.77 having accrued
| from the sales of the past eleven
months, whilst the unearned profit out
standing, December 3lst, is $25, ,57l.85,
making % total earned and unearned
profit for eleven months of S159, ,039. 81,
on 1908, 3,055.63, total sales by me for
the corresponding period. | have
saved to the State on my purchases OF
merchandise for the past clever
months the sum of $40, ,039.67 in dis
| counts.
would state, that there have beer
on an average 81 -Dispensaries il
operation in the State for the past
year. The sales from these Dispen
saries for the past eleven months az
gregate 81, 1,O76, 1906, or a net prof
OF $l06, 49, ,28 to the towns and coun
ties. Some OF these Dispensarie
located In the smaller towns have beer
operated through the dull season at {
loss to the counties in which they ar,
located, and L would respectfully sug
gest that your honorable board TAX
such steps as are necessary TO preyen
q recurrence Of these undesirable re
suits during the coming summer.
am impressed with the necessity OF a.
adoption by your honorable board @
string ent rules and regulations for tn
government OF the -Dispensaries
and rigid enforcement thereof.
would respectfully suggest that tn