Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-14
Manager of Russian Empire

estimated, they win be over $50, 900, 900. They
will be more than the estimated cost Of
the army and navy and ten times as great
as the cost of all the prisons and all the
courts. If the percentage of increase keeps
up as it has been doing they will in time
largely support the government. There is
some talk of extending the monopoly to
tea, which is universally drunk in Russia,
and If so the car will have money to
burn.
1 went into one of the government sa-
looms the other day and bought a bottle OF
brandy just to tell you how it is sold. Tie
saloon was not far from the American
consulate. 1 saw the sign No. 6 over it,
with Russian characters below it, and I
pushed the double doors open and entered
a room which looked much like a mixture
OF bank and drug store. There was a
network in front of the counter and on the
shelves at the back were bottles of differ
ent sizes, from little ones as big as a wine
glass to some holding half a gallon. The
bottles were round and white, and they
seemed to be filled with water. They really
contained vodka, or Russian whisky, which
is as clear as crystal.
Behind the counter stood a nicely dressed
Russian woman, dealing with her CUSTOM
crs through a window in the wire network
like the teller of a bank. No liquor is al
lowed to be drunk on the premises. There
were 10 chairs nor lounging places, and
one Is expected to leave as soon as he
makes his purchase. I asked as to prices,
and was told that the smallest bottle cost 8
cents, but that a cent would be paid back
on the return of the bottle. Each bottle
was tightly corked and waxed with a gov
eminent stamp. The ordinary peasant buys
a bottle, takes it outside and gulps down
the contents. He then returns the bottle
and gets his rebate of 2 kopeks, or l cent.
I bought a 12-cent bottle, and for that sum
/ got almost a tumblerful of vodka. 1
have not opened 1t yet.
The Russians are great brandy drink
ers, for after all vodka is a species Of
brandy. Drinking is common all over the
empire, and 1 see many drunken men. I
do not know that they are as bad as this
English N this respect, but they certainly
drink more than the Americans. The above
figures are the profits of the business, and
they give a small idea of the enormous
consumption, which will probably increase
as the people grow richer.
The English are the greatest drinkers on
earth. They have more than 81, 900, 900, 900
invested in breweries and distilleries, and
their annual consumption of liquors costs
more than $50 for every man, woman and
child in their country. Next to them come
the Germans, and at the bottom of the
great nations come the Americans. Never
theless, our drink bill is a big one. We pro-
duce from 100, 1000 900 to 100, OOO,O 900 gallons of
distilled spirits every year, and we count
our beer by the millions of barrels. Every
one knows that the business is a most
profitable one, and were it not for licensing
an evil and the creation of an enormous
government service we might copy Russia
and cut down our taxes at least one-half.
The Russian government, however, is like
no other on earth. It raises its revenues in
all sorts Of ways. 1t has both direct and
Indirect taxes and government monopolics
1t has heavy customs duties which bring
1t In something like 800, OO0,O 900 a year.
There is a tax on matches which pro-
duces more than SIS, 900, 900 and one on sugar
which Is expected to yield $3S, 900, 900 in 1903.
Then there are stamp duties and inheri-
lance taxes. If you transfer a piece Of real
estate 4 per cent of the value of the prop
erty goes to the government, and If Won do
any banking you must use government
stamps.
The taxes are different in different parts
of the empire. There is a wagon tax. a tax
levied on the natives of the Caucasus
mountains by which they are freed from
military service, and a tax on cattle owned
by the Tartars, who live in tents. The
taxes on real estate are comparatively
light and the customs duties omparatIveIv
heavy. There are n large number of
licenses and also certain taxes on incomes
and on industrial establishments. A large
part OF the revenue, however, comes from
the government monOpolies. the car being
the greatest landowner and the ereo test
capitalist of the world.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.