Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-11
TAX AFTERMATH.
Some Effects of the Removal of Reve-
nue. Stamps.


Revenue stamps already affixed to
patent medicine bottles will not be re-
deemed by the government, and drug
gists who have a stock of such medi-
cines now on hand will lose
the value Of the stamps. Unused
stamps can be returned and the value
of them collected through the internal
revenue collector of the district, pro-
vided proof is given that tie stamps
were purchased within two years.
Regarding this a local druggist
said: "The war tax stamps were by
the edict of congress affixed to all bot
ties containing patent medicines, as
we'll as to other articles to be found
in every well-regulated drug store.
Well, now that the 1st of July has
been fixed as the date when this
revenue tariff ceases to exist, a new
complication confronts all druggists.
when the war tax went into effect,
nearly if not all, of the patent medi-
cine manufacturers met the problem
with an advance in the price of their
wares, which correspond, as a usual
thing, with the amount Of the
revenue stamp, which, according to
law, had to be affixed to each bottle
of medicine sold.
I'm days gone by patent medicines
were cheaper than now. Then a dol
lar bottle usually cost the retailers 81
cents or thereabouts-that is net cost
price. Today similar preparations cost
about 81 or SO cents a bottle and the
retailer must be content to retail the
product at a price which represents
but few cents over the factory cost
price.
mot satisfied with raising the cost
price of proprietary medicines to
cover the additional expense of the
revenue stamp, some Of the manu-
facturers have announced an addition
al increase of 5 cents per bottle. Just
now, we are receiving notifications
from the manufacturers of a change in
prices, supposed to correspond with
the new situation.
up to date we have received notice
from about One-half of the manufac-
turers. Less than 10 per cent of them
announce a return to the price which
prevailed before the taxes went into
effect. The remainder plead increased
cost of the raw materials as the rea-
son for their non-reduction to the for
mer prevailing quotations.
zone reason which we are given to
understand for the position taken by
the proprietary men is that the druG
store men are accused of not properly
pushing the patent medicines, substi-
tuting something of their own manu-
facture when some specific article is
called for. The manufacturers claim
that the druggists, by so doing, in
crease their own profits, as their prep
aration can be compounded cheaper
than the patented article, and the
home product is pushed whenever OPP
portunity offers, the genuine article
being furnished only when the pur-
chaser is insistent in his demand"
Frequent inquiries have been made
at banks by merchants and others
who have books or bank checks with
the internal revenue stamp printed
on each check. Many who have small
books Of checks have decided to make
the application necessary for the
stamps. Each holder Of such a book
is required to send the book, with an
affidavit that the stamps were pur-
chased within two years, to the com
missioner of internal revenue at
Washington. He will lose the book of
checks, but he will receive back the
value Of the stamps on the checks.
Many business men, however, will
find it cheaper to keep their stamped