New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-13
THE LUCKLESS CONSUMER.
HOW THE BEER DEALER MAKES HIM PAY
THE WAR TAX AND INCREASE THE
PROFITS OF THE BUSINESS AT
THE SAME TIME


PROFITS OF THE BUSINESS AT
THE SAME TIME.
One Of the complaints Of the Swiss people against
ocsler. according to a childrens play on the sub
5ect. was that he
Msh r SS.n a., and NAL: "a. makes s II.
The play was written In England. where the
people arc quite as sensitive the subject Of
beer taxes as they In Switzerland. In this
country the Government would think Of
robbng the poor man of his beer or OF anything
else. though the Government does happen to want
little money to buy cans OF gunpowder and toma-
toes. which the people, rich and poor. only too
glad to pay. Hence the recent Of 81 a barrel
on beer There is no complaint against the Gov
eminent. 1t IL against certain dealers who seem
inclined to take advantage Of the situation to
levy a little tax Of their own For what else is It
when dealer advances his prices 80 per cent In
order to pay an increase Of tax Of 20 per cent?
when the Increase Of tax Of 81 barrel on beer
was first proposed some articles published in
these columns on the probable devices that would
be resorted to for getting this tax cut Of the
sumner. The tax has been in force for some
weeks. and some Of the methods considerably
clearer than a plkestaff. while others grad
ualiy emerging from the mist That collars would
be worn high on beer glasses this summer was a
foregone conclusion. and they Yet 1t now
proves that glass Is the safest thing to drink
beer out Of For when the beer is in a glass you
can at least see Just how much Of It Is foam and
the white and the brown in evidence against
the unwllingness OF the tapster to pay for tho
war. the management of which he Is ready to
criticise. But when the beer is in a stein It is
impossible to sec where the liquid ends and the
gas begins, and II you are so hasty to take q
drink out Of II at once, you never provo after
ward how much you drank and how much the beer
settled. II you leave your stein the table for
are that 1t will look as II the bottom had fallen
out Of 1t. OF course. another way ia to smaller
glasses stems than formerly. but the drawer
Of beer seems to delight In employing on one glass
OF beer all the ways that there Of making tho
consumer pay the tax He would be delighted. II
he thought that tho consumer would stand It. to
use smaller glass. Ill 1t with foam and charge
seven cents for II.
All this was to be expected Nobody thought for
a moment that tho brewer would submit to the
payment Of one-tenth Of a cent a year Of the
tax. Neither did anybody think for a moment that
the retail dealer would quietly accept place be-
tween the upper and the neither milestone But
easy-going persons may have supposed that when
the consumer of the beer had paid the tax he
would be allowed to 80 out Of the shop taking
with him any little money that he might have
after the subtraction Of the price Of the beer and
the tax.
But 1t is now clear that this is not the plan
OF the beer dealers at all. When you have your
knee on a mans chest and robbing him. why
do the work nesligenty7 They have notion Of
robbng the poor Of his cherished beer. That
would rob them Of their business The plan is to
hold out just enough promise Of beer to get him
into the shop AND then rob him OF his money And
1t II Just the poor man who drinks beer who 10
getting robbed. not the wel-to-do the rich.
And this IL the way Of It: A notice Ia posted in
Of the beer shops to the effect that hereafter
the price Of ales and beers will be Is cents pint.
The change is ordered. according to the piacard.
by the Wine. Liquor and Beer Dealers Association
OF the precinct The old price was 10 cents pint.
Increase of 80 per cent in the price Of beer sold in
this way And this change affects only the poorest
For this new. price is for those who come to buy
with them In no other way and to no other class
OF persons is 1t the custom to sell beer by the
rushing the growler," and among persons who are
less choice in their use Of words as chasing the
TO make these poor people who rush the growler"
HX the S i S the scG 50 s that old to the
this is' S b an he ess to make shs
and then make the rich IN, man pay 1t also as often
OF oSlSS nts
sd all nnd T8 Will
Hi have RrS o as out Of at S
advanced price the whole OF the increase Of tax
pns The rest Of the barrel Could therefore BE-
SOLD at the old I'D Price ice and Al, at the old profit whatever
ba Is t has psa the the
Enoe Of the Of When forty pint:
the whole barrel has been Pad for tax and all
even. Whatever he sells 1t for is clear gain. Now,
likely to G be rather profitable with the ~a n
paying the tax?