The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-30
The fiscal New Year Day

The + isc !: / N
BYIrl.isDisRrC j. IIAsi<lN.
TO. morrow is theJgovernmontal New
|tYsArs p T, , So ixod by act % Congress
ilst. At half Il past pa O'clock this this
viii close the accounts for the fiscal
fear . iegs and new edgsr,n fot
be actual - struck, however, for weeks.
| The red lres will not be drawn until
We receipt " tho final reports covering
! d ~ transactlors TIP to midnight Of June
Etlioaghout the United states nnd from
every every point, no matter how remote,
where dlsbursing officer or. govern
,La agent handles an Amcrican dol
tor e OF Internal Rcvonue at Honoluiu
vary vary even y. the extent Of q half
ounce snlIff stomp, value tllree-six-
ttentlhs OF q cent, the reports must be
across the Pacific before tho nations
books are closed for the year.
The Significance Of tile American Ms
ca year increases annually With the
Eebrarfy froMt e the so'',ry On
luton. established the Office Of secrc.
tary OF tho Treasury, with salary OF
1900 year attached. Five years
ater e expenses tS q The goy
the public debt aggregated S455.000.
70 meet the expenses of the govern
nent for the tiscal year 1908, Congress
a1pp y 4, Upward Of sses ooo
the year that the receipts from all
sources would total something more
Than ss4i,0oo,00O
su rhsss q proyded for
Tor the current fiscal year. but 1t re-
mains to be seen whether or not the
books VIII disclose such happy state
of.aftalrs, Beginning with the financial
tau. there was a decline IN the customs
and internal revenue receipts. which
continued throughout the remainder Of
the fiscal year. a considerable deficit
A fact in connection with the close
Of the current fiscal year that Will
probably give comfort to- the prohibi.
tlonist is hat one the larges, Items
the government Is in the receipts from
tie tax on distilled spirits. The extent
Of the falling off from this source can.
mot be accurately stated prior TO the
from data row made public II Is cyl.
dent that the receipts from distilled
spirits Will show a loss OF approximate.
!, twenty million dollars as Gompareed
Very much moro than overcome the
gain made by distilled spirits In tho
previous ilsca year, when the receipts
showed an increase of upwards OF
twelve million dollars. or consump.
ton OF more than. eleven million gal
Ions In excess Of the Withdrawals DIR.
ing the fiscal year 1906. On feature.
however, OF the current years. collec..
| <y..y Il f,$ty Al .fvtt rsslr 4 Lev tod
to be more or less dlsquieting to the
prohih.tion,st, is. despite this evident
reduction In the consumption of ar
dent spirits. the figures now ,ayailabi!e
dealers in Intoxicating liquors.
The falling off in the receipts from,
distilled spirits is due to three causes
the depression lE business following
last fall: the use Of grain alcohol. free
of tax, in the arts and industries, and
the passage of prohibitory laws The
loss to the revenue.. however, by rea-
great as peculiarly supposed Careful
analysis Hf governmental statistics
plainly indicates that, while the con-
sumption Of distilled spirits, taking the
per capita consumption IS steadily de-
|creasing. Tie natvrai increase In the
population and the consequent OPEN
ing up Of new territory where the sa-
|ly'bt W. uctssHIIleu 10 CO. pbc OuI-
stripping the advance OF the temper
ance wave.
On the other hand. the official report
promises to show substantial increase
under which heading beer is
largely predominant. This Increase. ac-
cording to the figures now public,
should amount to million or up
the fact that the receipts from olga.
rettes, oleomargarinc and .adulterated
butter also show a substantial Increase
again emphasizes the truth OF the
Of Ar repeating i ITSELF, with the entranes
OF tight money!. the closing down of
mills. the reduction OF fortunes and a
lull IN the prosperity OF the spend.
on high-class drinks, fancy cigars and
grade i" creamery butter turned to
beer. cigarettes and oleomargarine. In
times OF great and general prosperity
the trick Is reversed and the revenues
"A notable innovation from revenue
stendpont and one which to some ex-
tent may account for the Increased re-
ceipts from the tax on fermented ~ u;
year Just closing almost entirely as a
result of the activities Of the proh-
bitionists. This Is substance becom-
ing officially and popularly known as
SPRING p - 81 the demand ana desire fer
a beverage to be sold in the prohibi-s
ton localities that Will at one and the
same time escape the Federal special
tax or government license. and avoid
prosecution in the, state courts Tor vio--
iation of the local option laws.
This Temperance Beer masquerades
under various names, such as 'Near-to-
Beer. and other suggestive titles.
The scheme has proved quite success
ful as a money maker and those citi-,
zens in the prohibition communities
who continue to banker after s"the cup
that cheers have been able in some
the4use' OF this product. Some
peculiar situa Ions from a fiscal stand
point. have resulted from the manu-
facture and sale Of this so-called ITEM.
perance Beer
h Il has been held In certain prohl-
billion localities that beverages contain
Ing less than two per cent, OF alcohol
are. Misunderstanding. and that they,
.therefore,-ean be sold without Violat-
ing the local option laws hence, In
some places, persons are paving the
ma liquors and 2handlinG lager beer