News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1904-02-24
HOW GERMANS DRINK
STARTLING FIGURES GIVEN OUT BY
EMPEROR WILLIAMS COMMISSION.

His Subjects Spend One-eighth or
Their Income For Liquor - TotaA
Loss would Pay All His Great
Military Expenses.
The commission appointed by the
German kaiser to investigate the drink
ing habits of his subjects has finished
its labors and reports as follows:
Value of alcoholic liquids consumed
by the German people in the course OF
twelve months, $750,000,0OO.
Portion of income spent by Germans
for drink on the average, one-eighth OK
all they earn.
Tax on drinks collected by the state,
IS per cent of the total of all other
taxes.
Among alcoholic drinks consumed,
beer, the national tipple, holds first
place. The breweries tax Germany
$500,000,000 annually.
For wines the Germans spend $780,
100000 a year and for spirituous liq-
uors, schnapps, cognac and liqueurs
$150,0O0000
This showing is bad enough; but,
worse STILL the kaiser's commissioners
report that drinking is steadily on the
increase. Despite hard times or per-
haps on account of them the annual in
crease in the consumption of alcoholic
drinks amounted to $125,0OO in the last
ten years.
At the beginning of the nineties alco-
hol taxed German national wealth
] ,750,000,000 marks annually. In 1898
the figures had grown to 2,200,O00,000
marks.
The kaiser is in the habit of figuring
in dollars, since he is so much interest
! ed in dollar land. IAN increase Of $780,
100000 in five years" he cried, reading
the report "Why, the Yankees them
selves could not stand it."
| The average income of a grownup
German family man or bachelor is $500
year. OF this amount 81 goes for
liquor, and meal, sugar and other neces-
saries are % per cent higher in Ger
many than in the United States.
Taxes are high, too but not as high
as the drink tax. The German govern
ment spends $J00,000,000 per annum
for its tremendous army and navy, it's
host Of officials and for thousand and
one other expenses. On account of this
load of taxes the average citizen is
groaning loudly-he never dreams that
himself and compatriots spend more
in drink than the kaiser does for the
national government.
The kaiser's commissioners have fig
uped out that at a generous estimate
! $100,000,000 for drink money would
be amply sufficient for his majesty's
| loyal subjects and that if they could be
| induced to curb their thirst according
| ly the veXed question of taxation might
be easily solved. All Germans would
have to do would be to turn over to
! the state the savings of their private
alcoholic budget, then the imperial and
royal tax collector would never bother
them again.
Reducing the peoples annual drink
allowance to 8 marks (S1.S0) per head
will never do said the kaiser's advis-
ers. at would incite revolution"
"But the tremendous amount Of
drinking must be stopped somehow
cried his majesty.
General Field Marshal Count Wal
dersee, teetotaler. then proposed to
appeal to the German peoples pride Of
the army.
"Your majesty's subjects drink up
| five times the amount Of the army
budget annually" said the general. ut
does not do them any good, while re-
duction in the use of alcoholic bever-
ages will greatly benefit the country.
l propose that the average liquor mon
! ey be cut down to 40 marks per year
! and that the II marks saved be turned
over to the state in the shape of vol
untary tax. Then we can have double
| the army if necessary"
To supply the gin mills agriculture
reserves an area exceeding that of the
| duchies of Brunswick and Anhalt COM
| bined, and the space of four or five
| of the minor municipalities is needed
| to supply sufficient hops and barley
| for the demands of Gambrinus. The
acres set aside for the production Of
raw stufs for schnapps alone would
! yield siXty-fve pounds of bread per
head of population annually if turned
to its legitimate uses, and we con-
stantly read of the specter of famine
among the i'll paid working classes.
All told, the people of the "civilized'
world consume annually $2,000,O00,-
600 worth of beer, $T50000,000 worth
of wine and $1,75o,OQO;OOO worth of
whisky, representing one-tenth of the
annual income of all civilized persons.
u Il