The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-06
The DiSpeOSary Report.
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF THE COMMISSIONER
Over a Hunoreti Thousand DolIa,s Net Profit,
tor Eleven Months Better Facilities Wanec
FOR tn" State Establishment.


tor TN" State Establishment.
| state Liquor Commissioner NliXson's
annual report Of the South Curolinu
State diapcnsary fur the year ending
December 3lst, has just been publish
cd. 1t contains Il full account of all
IA" work done by tho dspcnsury ana
SHOWS shat it has been done a good
business. The report is as follows:
10 ~" EHr"''cEcy, Governor John
Cary Evans, and Hon. ID. II. 1rompl<ins,
ana Hon. James Norton, State Board
Of Control.
hon0r to present to your honorable
body my first annual report of the con-
dltlon and operations Of tho State dis
pensary.
AS the constitution recently adopted
likes January tho first as tho beginning
81 tho fiscal year, this report must o
necessity comprise only eleven months
from the first Of last rebl unry, th,
day assumed charge us State Com
missioner, to and inclusive Of Dccom
bcr the 3lsC
By reference to my quarterly rcpor
made to your honorable body for the
quarter ending April 30tn, you OWL
be rcmindnd that called your uJtun
t,un to the unsatisfactory system O
bookkeeping which | discovered haI
| churtc' c'or'Zcd the former ntonagcnlrht
| OF the business, and for the purpose ot
rccapituiation | have deemed it bcs,
to include in this report the introduc.
tory OF my first quarterly report
also include in this report the four
quarterly statements Of tho assets and
liabilities and profits and losses which
J. have from time to time presented To
your honorable board, and also the
purchases and sales made by me, and
tho sales made by the county dis
pcnscrs, and tho profits :ccruing there
from.
On assuming the duties Of Commits
sioncr on February lst, OK Commis-
sloncr TraXlcr turned over to nc q
statement of tho assets and liabilities
OF the State dispcns;,iy to January
3lst, 1898. In that statement, which
is included in this report, cx.Cominis-
at $l5l ,29550, when, us q matter OF
fact, his net profits to December 3lst
is only $ll0,NS. .00-$l0,9 8 1911 less than
hc claimed. The urror was made by
cX-Commissi0ncr TraXior computing
the States profit on goods remaining
unsold in the hands OF the county dis
pcnsers at the expiration OF his term
Of Office, and his failure to schedule all
liabilities contracted by him and out
standing against tho dispcnsary on
January 3lst. Candor and Il sense OF
fairness impols me to state that dc
not believe this misleading and crron
cous statement was intentional on til,
part Of OK. cx.Commissioncr Traxlcr, bu
was clearly the result OF his system .
bookkeeping.
| Nh.s hal oh in1 h,,
over to me at tho close OF his term O
Office contained tho following cntr,
under the head Of "Asscts y" Stool
as per inventory, $G2, 246." In tho con
ncction in which tho word "stock
was used, it was open to q false con
structiOn. as the average reader was
most likely to cOnstruo it rs meaning
a representation OF that amount OF
] whiskey, wine and malt goods in hand
at tho State dispcnpary. But from
dissection it was shown that only
$i5, l99G7, inclusive Of the $2,G7l.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
tho goods at IL greater than net cost
price, as he added lily ccnLs per gal.
lon 20 tic Original cost If ali case
1 .
ior thc trade. My objections 10 thi:
method cf takin" STOCK were tinailN
"itGdrawn for rca~uns wnlcn hav,
| Hrrn fu.!y Cd Iorb.. 10 vou" h"n"rUbi,
b'crd, "nG "IiH.. &n0 b" found IN tht
lnt"Odn"to"" 90 my first V""rLcr!l
stat IH"nt, which stah"mrn' y: !nnGt
Il part Of this report. The rcna!nucl
Of the $G2, 2l6.I3 represented tho vain,
OF the bottles, cOrks, machinery ant
other nominal and fixed asscts, II:
shown by the following:
Wines, liquors and malt goods $ H. 10? 81
! Bottles, ,barrcls, ,dcmij johns, ,corks
and other supplies .......... li,!U Z:
Machinery and office fixtures 25S9 ~
Ia OrsC and wagon n............. 30 W
$G2,2IG 1"
The cash balance from Mr.. Traxlrr's
statement called for $l5 ,jIS.IO in State
Treasury and in safe. The result Oi
the Legislative Committees cxumina
tjon showed that there ,lo &lU5.22 less
than claimed. which reduced j..r
balance to &l5 ll3.3S. His liaDiiiaic,
for whiskcV purchases ""rC $3l ,2SG.O2
anu ado 'f}Dnai lluhllIti's nnt 4chcd Il %
Dy him. the amount Of T3.3ll 81
Duductln. the amount ol his liabilities
s.s revised to date, from his net casi
DdidHCc, Notliu leave AZ cdSIl surplus .
| s., ,Sl2,75 on February lst.
1t is gratifying to me to be cnablct
to state that the operations Of the Dis
| pcnsary have been profitable for th'
period Of my incumbcncy in Office
net profit Of $l33, ,4G7.77 having accrued
from the sales Of the past clevcr
months, whilst the uncarncd profit ont
standing, December 3lst, is 25,57l.S5
making q total earned and uncarnec
profit for eleven months Of &l59, ,0'9. .G2
on $003, ,O55.G3, total sales by me foI
the corresponding period. | have
saved to the State on ny purchases o
merchandise for the past clever
months the sum OF $40, ,O30.67 in dis
| counts.
would state, that there have beer
on an average 81 sub-Dispensarics il
operation in the State for the pas
year. The sales from these Dispcn
sarics for the past eleven months ag
gregate $l,076, ,036. G5, or a ret prof
OF $lOG, ,28 to the towns and cOun
tics. Some OF these Dispcnsaric
located in the smaller towns have bee
operated through the dull season at
loss TO the counties in which they ar