East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-04-27
RUSSIAN LIQUOR MONOPOLY.

American Consul Richard T. Gree
ner of Vladivostok, sends the follow
ing report on the Russian liquor traf-
fic to the department of commerce
and labor:
The st. Petersburg paper, Rooskia
Vedomosti, in an article on the re-
suits of the government liquor mon
opoly. states that this monopoly, con-
ceived and introduced by the former
minister of finance, S. ]. Witte, rep
resents. together with the reforms in
the monetary currency. the most i'm
portant measure of the last decade
At the Introduction of the bill on
liquor monopoly in the council of
state. Mr.. Whites speech contained
the following statement "Only by
way of monopoly can the government
derive the tax on alcohol larger rev.
enue than at present with the fewest
inconveniences and troubles; and at
the same time the monopoly offers
the only restraint, in the interest of
morality and the peoples health, from
the abuse of liquor consumption" So
the bill had two objects in view-to
increase the government revenues and
to lessen the opportunities for drunk
enness.
With reference to the decrease of
drunkenness, we can not state any
thing reliable, for we still possess too
little information on the matter. but
with regard to the financial part of
the reform the expectations have been
fully realized The preparatory work
for the introduction of the business,
from 1898 to 1901, required an out
lay of over S7S,OO0.O0O; the income
during this same period covered not
only all these outlays, but also the
running expenses, all the rebates of
duty (over S17,000,000O, the sums do
mated to the temperance associations
(about $6,O00,OO0), and still left sur
plus of SS50,O0O. The state control
published the results of the monopoly
business for 1901. The gross income
was SS1,700,000; the current bust
ness expenses amounted to $62,50O,-
900, and the net profit was $4,000
900. Besides, the excise on liquor
| yielded $10S, 100000
The quantity of liquor sold from the
! government stores during 1901 was
1873, 800, 900 gallons.
Professor Hodsky in the Peoples
| Industries, quotes the following fig
ures concerning the monopoly during
the past five years:
I'm 1899 the government had TO-
234 open stores for retailing spiritu-
GUS beverages. During the same year
/ 9203 places We're discovered where
such liquors We're secretly and Illicit
| ly sold. This is nearly as many as the
number of open government stores.
The figures are impressive, and tend
to make one lose faith in the moral
potency of the governments liquor
monopoly"
At a conference of the agricultural
committee of the district of Saratoff,
the peasant members We're asked to
give their opinion. in detail, of the
| influence of the liquor monopoly on
the lives of the villagers. Their
unanimous declaration was as follows:
/ (a) The decrease of drunkenness is
not manifest; (b) since there are no
drinking saloons, the people who will
drink get drunk openly in the streets:
! (c) the secret and Illegal sale OF
strong liquors is extending; (d) the
rural communities have lost consid-
erable revenue which they formerly
had from the licenses to saloon keep
ers.-R. T. Greener, consul, Vladivvo-
stok. Siberia.