The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11

lowance to 9 marks per head will never
do" said the Kaiser's advisers, lit would
incite revolution"
But the tremendous guzzling must be
stopped somehow cried his majesty.
General Field Marshal Count waldersee,
a teetotaler, then proposed to appeal to the
German peoples pride in the army.
"Your majesty's subjects drink up five
times the amount of the army bud
get annually" said the General 'It does
not do them any good, while a reduction in
the use of alcoholic beverages will greatly
benefit the country. / propose that the
average liquor money be cut down to for
ty-three marks per year, and that the four
marks saved be turned over to the state
in the shape of a voluntary tax. Then we
can double the army, If necessary
Here are some more figures. ascertained
by the Kaiser's commissioners:
The German peoples drink budget is four
times as high as the states total income
from duties and food and drink taxes; ii is
eleven times as high as the entire budget
of the post and telegraph; twenty-five times
as high as the cost of old age insurance.
thirty times as high the amount of fire
insurance in the empire, and 1000 times as
high as the cost of caring for the poor.
STATE AND PRODUCERS PROFIT.
While the Kaiser personally favors sup
preston of the drinking habit to a certain
extent, the government objects to interior
ence pointing TO the fact that the drink tax
amounts to is per cent. of the entire gov
vernment income. ITO stop drinking" arg
ued high official of the minister of finance
the other day." would mean heavy blow to
our national wealth. The annual income of
a handful of brewing companies alone aver
ages aOO,OO0O0O of marks per year, even
when times are hard as now." added the
Privy Councillor.
1t is also argued that possibly 100000 of
Germans make their living by the produc-
ton and sale of alcoholic beverages.
The breweries consume not less than two
thirds of all the barley grown in Germany,
while one-sixteenth part of the corn and
cne-twelfth part of the potatoes grown in
Germany are used to make schnapps and
liquors of all sorts. To supply the gin mills
agriculture reserves an area exceeding that
of the duchies of Brunswick and Anahalt
combined, and the space of four or five OF
the minor principalities is needed TO sup
ply sufficient hops and barley for the de-
maEds of Gambrinus The acres set aside
for the production of raw stuffs for
schnapps alone would yield sixty-fve
pounds of bread per head of population an
| nually if turned TO its legitimate uses, and
we constantly read of the specter OF famine
among the ill-paid working classes.
In Great Britain the quantity Of alcoholic
beverages consumed amounts TO so pei
year and per head of population. That
means the average Britisher spends A.5
more per year for his gullet than his Ger
man brother. The amount of money spent
| in the barrooms of Edinburgh, in particu'
lar. is 37is cents per day and head of popu.
lation, including stockings and children
| The Edinburghers. indeed, spend more fol
| drink than for rent.
All told, the people of the civilized
world consume annually 1900 millions OF
dollars worth of beer, 1.2J0 millions dol
lars worth of wine, and LOCO millions dol
lars worth of whisky, representing one
tenth of the annual income of all civilized
uRersons. Mark the word civilized.