Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-01
OUR INCREASING DRINK BILL

The statement which tho American
grocer propar' annually regarding the
'nation's drink bill' is always interest
ing, because. says tho New York Even
ing Post. its figures represent. perhaps
as nearly as il is possible to estimate.
tho amount Of money actually taken out
of The pockets of the consumer. For in
stance. instead Of figuring the years
consumption Of whislicy at the price
which it brings by the gallon. each gal
Ion is con sdnrcd as furnishing sixty
"drnks." ard the average price j. rock
oned at seven ana ouc-half cents, Il fig
urc much nearer the charge for
the lowest grades in til" vilcst
groggcrics than that of Il hotel or
high-srade bar. If these figures are in
error it is probably or tie side of I'M
reinstatement, vet as they stand they
show Il larger expenditure for "stinu
lants.' both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
both absolutely and relatively to the
population in tho year ending with last
June. than in any other for which the
records are accessible.
The total estimated retail cast al
Stinulants for 1a0-1fOi is placed 1T 81, 4?S,.
C2?.1!5, or little moro than twice the
total expenditures of tho federal govern
,ncnt for that year. This was sla33 for
every man. woman. and child in the
country. Tea. coffee and cocoa are rep
resented by $40 of this. the remaining
$l5.G3 having been spent for alcoholic
stimulants Each of thrse items had in
creased in the year by nnc cents per
capita.
If III. comparison he made 10y sullons
to be sure. the use of non-alcohOlic beN-
eraSes is found to exceed considerably
that of the alcoh ,ic. As a poo lie. we
drink o0o,000.GO more gallons of coffee
than We do OF honr ana three times as
many gallons of tea as of wine aud
spirits combined. Yet this docs not oh
scure the surprising face that in {, year
when the British chancellor of the ex-
chequer explained a deficiency III his
predicted excise revenues on the ground
that his cOnntrymcn were becoming less
addicted TO intoXicants the average
American spent more money ON liquors
than ever before.
1t has been for mary Years Il favorite
observation of sociological students that.
in this country, the use of ardent liquors
was giving place to tn" consumption "
mlncr beverages. lr tho half century
from 1910 to 1870. for instance, while this
same average American mad learned tn
drink nine times as much beer AS he did
before. and half as much wine again.
he had made up for this by cutting of
nearly half of his former allowance Of
whiskcy. That is, tho per capita con
sumption of distilled spirits hid fallen
from 2.52 gallons to LAO, while that Of
wines rose in 20 years from % of Il gal
Ion t" .4G, and that OF malt liquors from
Leg gallons to no than 1857.
but the assertion that mild beverages
arc dispiacing strong can no longer fair
~ be made regarding present conditions.
For the last eight years as a matter Of
fact, we have been consuming every
year not only absolutely. but relatively,
more spirits than the year before. From
1.W gallons per capita, the lowest figure
in our statistical history. which was
reached IN 1896 the consumption has
steadily mounted till it is now las gal
Ions. making an Increase of 46t. per
cont. Eeor, in the same time. has gain
ell only IS A per cent. while wines
have shown a net Increase from .?6 gal
Ion in 1sG to 80 gallon in 1901
Cnc-fifth of the population is rough
~ rcckoned as adult males. If we al
low one-fonrth to be possible consumers
~ spirits and again allow 60 drinks
to the gallon. the figures mean. in ef-
| fcct, that. while the average man tool;
nine drinks of whiskcy in n fortnight IN
| 1886. he takes one every day now. THAI
there has actually been any considerable
| increase Of intcmpcranor during this
| period. however. there Is no reason t.
! believe. These same eight years have
seen total abstinence regarded more and
more a business asset; railroad companic.
and commercial houses in incrcas
ing numbers require it. while. in srits
of the detection of New Hampshire ans
Vermont it is quite probable that the
area in which tho public sale of liuuol
IL prohibited is larger titan ever before
| The American grocer however. appears
to take n rather pessimistc view OF tbs
| figures 1t has compiled. "Were the tax
on whiskey removed and II temperance
sentiment should grow sluggish" 1t says
"this nation would be in fair way tc
a debauchery that would threaten it,
life'r,
]