The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-05
Over q Million Dollars.
Columbia State, Jan. 81.

Columbia State, Jan. 81.
The first annual report of the State IL
ouor commissioner was issued yesterday
and it Is a most Interesting document,
full of information of value to the public.
In the report the commissioner says:
sit Is gratifying to me to be enabled to
state that the operations of the d~ispensary
have been profitable for the period OF my
incumbency in Office; q net profit OF
SlS3, 467. II having accrued from the sales
Of the past eleven months, whilst the I'M
earned profit outstanding, December 3lst,
Is $25, 1.S5, making q total earned and
unearned profit for eleven months OF
$3.50, O39.6 on S9O3, 055. GO, total sales by
me for the corresponding period. l have
saved the State on my purchases of mer-
chandise for the past eleven months the
sum of $40, 1896 in discounts.
II would state, that there have been on
an average "a sub.dispensaries in opera
ton in the State for the past year. The
sales from these d%ispensaries for the past
eleven months aggregate Sl,076, 963.65 at
q net profit of $106, 1928 TO the Gowns and
counties. Some Of these ~dispensaries 10
Gated in the smaller towns have been
operated through the dull season at a loss
70 the counties in which they are located,
and I would respectfully suggest that
YOUR honorable board take such steps as
are necessary to prevent a recurrence OF
these undesirable results during the COM
ing summer, T am impressed with the
necessity of an adoption by your honora-
BILE board of stringent rules and regula-
tons for the government OF the sub-dis-
pensaries and q rigid enforcement thereof.
/ would respectfully suggest that the
county dispensers be required to sign
their monthly inventories under oath or
affirmation, as we'll as all other monthly
and quarterly reports:
aI would respectfully call the attention
of your honorable board to the fact that
divers complaints have been made by
various dispensers on account OF my
inability TO fill their orders in several
instances. Your honorable board will,
doubtless, remember that L foresaw this
annoyance early in the past spring, and
to provide against this contingency. l
suggested the immediate erection of q
suitable building on the line of the rail-
roads, that an increase in the working
force might be made a6Cantageously, and
handling of goods greatly. facilitated.
And as q provision against the lmpractl-
csbility of the immediate adoption OF the
above suggestion 7 also suggested, as an
alternative. that your honorable board
empower the commissioner to purchase
in sufficient quantities to Btow away q
large stock through the dull summer
months, to meet the heavy demands OF
the fall and winter trade. But at the
time litigation was of such a nature (and
for other causes, of which your honora-
BILE board is fully advised) 1t was not
deemed %expedient to carry into execu-
ton either Of my suggestions and, as q
consequence, I was forced TO meet the
heavy demands made upon me as best l
could. Stationed as I was in inadequate
quarters, with q stock on hand far short
Of the demands of the increasing trade, 1t
was a physical impossibillty tn keep
abreast Of the demands, although I had q
full force at work night and day, and
every foot of available floor space was
utilized for storage purposes. That j
may tide against a recurrence of these
difficulties next winter, I would suggest
that your honorable board take some
steps looking to the construction CT a lar
ger building near the railroad line, and
that the commissioner be vested with the
power to purchase supplies and mOrchan-
disc in quantities sufficient to meet the
fall trade. It is absolutely necessary to
provide increased facilities to meet the
requirements Of this growing trade, and
ifthe suggestions thrown out by me are
not adopted, it will be impossible to
measure up to the expectations of the
public.
.sYour attentipn is also respectfully
called to the beer sale privilege granted
certain parties. I am unalterably of the
opinion that it is a fruitful source OF Illicit
traffic and would respectfully recommend
that your honorable board withdraw all
privileges thus granted.
tThe personal accounts item OF this
report represents S4,526.43, shortages due
bv county dispensers. Part of this def
cit is in process Of settlement, whilst the
other part Is now in the courts. S212.3o
of this amount is due by the penal and
charitable institutions Of the STATE and
Clemson and Winthrop Colleges for alco-
hol. whiskey and wines. The asylum
owing the amount OF S1S3.50 for goods
purchased by order Of the board of
regents. 5000 is owing by the suspended
bank Of Chester, and Snow d Co., Of
Kingstree. These suspensions t~rapspired
before / assumed the duties Of commits
sioner. The remainder represents adj
vances made by me to pay the govern
ment tax on whiskey at local distilleries,
in order to remove 1t from the bonded
warehouses, and amounts due by distil-
lels and wholesale liquor dealers for
empty barrels reshipped them. These
accounts must, of necessity, appear in
esch report issued from this office, SIS out
going shipments and incoming payments
for same are almost daily occurrences.
Therefore, 1t is not to be assumed that
these personal accounts' wholly repre-
sent q contraction of worthless debts, or
q wanton disregard Of the law in the con-
traction of any class of debts. But I I'M
plainly within the pale Of the law in the
opening of these particular accounty, and
7 think the correctness of my position
will lodge itself in the minds of your
honorable board at first thought, when I
state that these accounts are absolutely
necessary to a proper end satisfactory
management Of the rapidly increasing
business Of this institation."
The following is the summarized state.
ment of sales, gross and net profits of
sub-dispensaries for eleven months, end
ing December 3lst, 1895, at the end Of the
report:
Sales by county dispensers for
eleven months to December
81, consumers price, ."......$1 076,963 IS
Cost of counties above mer-
chandise. S75,5SO ~
Gross profit on above...".... S2O1,3S3 As
Total expenses for eleven
months $500 II
Total net profits for eleven
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Sl96,&3l "a