The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-02-18

| creasei Is not for the entire period sine,
the enactment OF the law, but for th,
past year. Compared with the pre-
| ceding year % per cent. may be addel
as reasonable estimate for the pre-
ceding year. IT is quite encouraging
| to the friends of the law to note the
general change of sentiment of most o
the towns In its favor. The country
has always been q unit In favor of tht
law, and has demanded it's strict eE
| forcement. The bitterest enemies o.
the system now admit that mora ly
speaking 1t is grand success.
THE DISPENSARY AS A BUSINESS.
In 1928 there were in the State
sixty nine dispensaries.
Total amount purchased by
them ......" .".."...... .S 6Il 300 VI
Sales at invoice price.... 573,578 81
Total sales to consumers... 679, 222 81
Gross prohts."...." l65,355 AZ
Expenses s.............."...." oo,6o0 10
Net Profits. ................. 76,775 q
The operation of the State and
cOuaty dispensaries for the past year
have been peculiarly successful. The
volume OF business has greatly increas.
ed. The sales of the county dispensers
for the eleven months ending Decem-
ber 81, amounted to nearly one mil
lion one hundred thousand dollars. 1t
is not to be inferred from the increased
sales of the dispensaries that the con-
sumption OF intoxicants is on the
increase, for the statistics which I
have already given clearly prove the
|, contrary, and go to show that the
Incorporate use of intoxicants is on
the decrease. That the dispensary is
a potent factor In the great moral
reformation | venture no unbiased
mind will dispute. The increased sales
by the d'spensaries are accounted for
from the fact that the fierce and bit
ter opposition to the dispensary law
which has hitherto existed has largely
subsidized in it's intensity and the sober
second thought of law-abiding citizens
has disclosed the fact that their un-
reasonable opposition to a law design
ed for the protection of the morals of
the State was grounded more on pre-
JUDGED and misconceived idea of
personal liberty than aught else.
With this return of reason and the
exhaustion of the supply of barroom
whiskey came in a large degree
cessation of the bitter hostilities to
the law, and as a result the traffic in
liquors was directed to its legitimate
channels, and public sentiment cry-
stalled about the dispensary law as
the wisest and most practicable solu-
tion of the whiskey problem. The
sales of county dispensaries for the
eleven months ending December 81
to 1915, 5,530.20; the sales by
dispensaries for the same
period amounted to 81 l,076, 963. .65 at a
gross profit OF $201 ,3S3.45. The net
profit that has accrued to the State
from the operation of the State dispen-
fnr hn oil thn
December 81 amounts to $133, ,467.77,
and the net profits to the towns and
from the operations of the
for the corresponding
pei iod amounts to $l06, 1928, making
q total of accrued profits to the State
and towns and counties for the eleven
of $239, ,599.05. Adding the
S25, ,571.85 unearned profit due the
State on goods In hands of county dis
pensaries at the close of the past year
it would swell the total of earned and
unearned profits to the State and
towns and counties for the eleven
months to the amount of $265, 170.90.
The net profit accruing to the State
as revised to December 81 from the
beginning OF the operations of the
1ispensary to thenclose of ex-Commis-
3ioner TraXler's term on January 81,
1895, amounted to $llO,348.SO. Added
to this the net accrued profit OF $133,-
i67.77 for the period of eleven months
from February to December 81, 1895,
makes total of net accrued profits to
the State from the operation of the
State dispensary to the amount of
S243, ,816.57.
The books of the State Commissioner
as Is shown in his annual report, and
also by the special legislative examin-
ing committee, show that at the close
of the past year the total assets, at
cost price, of the State dispensary
were 1914, ,070.24, and the total liabili-
ties $7O,253 81. These assets consist
Of: