The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-04

What has become of the beer appe-
tiles of the people? The question is Of
Importance to the internal revenue
people, for either they have quit drink
ing beer to the extent of about half of
the consumption Of July last year or
else there is something queer in the
returns made.
In July, 1897, there was beer con-
sumed and taxes paid upon the same
In this collection district, to the extent
of $l0S,000. This year the tax upon beer
was just double that of last year, vet the
revenue amounts to only $4,000. That
there is something wrong with this re-
turn is evident on the face of it. but
Chief Deputy Collector Vars cannot
figure what the trouble is. He believes
he has all of the returns but it is i'm
possible on the face of it that con-
sumption should have fallen off nearly
one-half The figures indicate Just
that, though, and it is probable that
the matter will be made the subject
of special inquiry.
The war revenue tax for the month
OF July brought into the Golfers of the
treasury in this district apparently but
SSS,OOO. That is all the Increase over
July, 1897, that the returns show. AS
the collector says, it is undoubtedly
true that some of the returns will be
carried over into August and the cur
rent month will appear heavier in re-
turns than the facts would warrant
Under the old tax July, 1897, yielded
the government in this district the sum
or S2S6,OOO. This year the total for the
month amounted to but $374,0OO This.
IN spite of the fact that the collector
has disposed of $12S,00O worth of pro-
prietary and documental stamps. The
increased revenue during the month
from the additional tax on cigars and
cigarettes amounted to but So, 600. He: e
is an obvious discrepancy that may
work itself out in the returns that are
made this month, for the saleof stamps
alone would indicate an Increase of
more by a good deal than the apparent
total increase.
AS going to show that the July re-
turns DO not indicate what the revenue
will amount to, it may be stated that
there have been sold in this collection
district alone $4,000 worth of stamps
of the denomination of $40.
AS might have been expected, the
commissioner of internal revenue has
begun contradicting himself in his rul-
inSs, and some of the rulings made are
impossible of translation. The register.
of deeds is very much interested in the
question of stamps on documents, and
already there are several cross dec;-
sions. The one important matter of
NAiC ll44liS VI Satisfaction Oh mortgages
alone is causing all sorts of trouble on
account of an utterly incomprehensib'e
ruling, and the register does not know
what to do now. A ruling that was re-
ceived yesterday contains this clause:
In the satisfaction of a mortgage where a
regular release is executed, sealed and de-
hvered, it is held that this release comes
under the head of a conveyance and that
stamp tax is required to be paid thereon
according to the value of the interests re,
leased or conveyed by such instrument.
where, however. the local laws authorize
entry Of satisfaction upon the record and the
mortgage is thus cancelled, such entry does
not require stamp, it is regarded neither
as release nor a certificate.
AS it is customary to record satisfac-
tlons by a marginal notation, and as
the last clause of the foregoing cannot
be reconciled, Register Krahmer does
not know what to do. This is only one
of the many cross-rulings that have
been made
A decision was received yesterday
that lets the commission men out of
the necessity of paying the tax on
brokers. The local produce association
made formal protest against being
classed as brokers. The ruling is to
the effect that, as they neither buy nor
sell, but act as middlemen, they cannot
be taxed.