The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-06-05


State commissioner to the county dis
pencer, certified by their official sig
natures and seal, which certificate
shall state that liquors contained in
said packages have been purchased by
the board of State directors for sale
and use within the State of South
Carolina, under the laws of this
State, and shall also cause to be at
tached to all such liquors the certif-
cate of the chemist of the South Caro-
line college that samples of the same
have been tested as required by this
chapter, etc."
The rest of the section makes con-
traband all liquor not so certified to.
AS matter of fact all case goods 70
out with this certificate and none are
annlyzed, or such was the burden Of
Dr. Burncy's testimony yesterday.
And it would appear that even the
certificate on liqours tested is not
much of guarantee.
In Sec. 557 it is stipulated: "Ac-
companying said bids there shall be a
sample Of each kind of liquor offered
for sale, containing not more than
one-half pint each, which sample
shall upon its arrival be delivered to
the dispensary commissioner, to be re-
tanned by him until it has been as
certamed that the wines or LIQUORS
correspond in all respects with that
purchased; said samples to be the
property of the Statc.'
The question was asked by Mr..
Lyon yesterday: "Has there ever
been any test to see if the iunor
bought corresponded with the sam
pies submitted9' Dr.. Burney stated
that no such comparisons had been re-
quired from him.
DR.. Burney's Evidence.
DR.. w. b. Burney, who has been
state chemist since the ,lispensary
was started 13 years ago, stated upon
being sworn, that some days he re-
re'vos no samples at all and sometimes
ne receives rs many as 10 n day.
These samples arc all drawn from the
barrels in the dispcnsary. Admitted
that il is not his custom to compare
samples submitted by liquor houses
| with the whiskcy actually purchased.
Tie does not know that he has ever
done so. but he is governed by the Ia
bel on the samples and does not know
generally whence the samples come.
Whiskcy is taken from every barrel
in each consignment and poured into
a pail Two TASKS are filed from the
pail and one is sent to him for cxami-
nation. The other is given to the
state board.
Tie does not believe that there is
any separation of the ingredients in
barrel of whiskcy so that after sit
ting awhile the fusel oil would rise
I" the top and the cologne spirits al-
so be separated. There is such affinity
IN the component parts that he thinks
such separation hardly probable. He
was unacquaintcd with alcohol bust
ness except in the laboratory and he
does not know whether the specific
gravity Of high wines is suc.l that the
high wines would come to the TOP.
That could be demonstrated by expert
mcnts.
Mr.. Lyon tried to refresh DR.. Bur-
hcy'S memory as to experimental
analysis made in the laboratory at
the college by Mr.. T.. r. Wilson. DR..
l>urncy had no recollection Of any
analysis being made by Mr. Wilson
and himself in testing the purity Of
whiskcy from the dispcnsary shelves
to make comparisons with samples
submitted by bidders. If there had
been any variation it is probable that
he would have recalled it. It has been
10 years since that young man was in
college and he had made thousands
OF analyses since then. Mr. Lyon had
| I" leave this line Of inquiry.
Dr.. Burncy said that he knows that
thousands of dollars Of whiskey are
sold in ease goods. lie does not ex-
anime much Of the ease goods. The
practice has been not to analyze the
ease goods at all. A few samples of
such goods had been examined in days
gone by, he said.
For practical purposes pint is suf-
iicicnt quantity from which to make
an examination, but to make a minute
| n of f;o, III, .