Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-09

porter, SChlltH and various other beers,
two kinds of champagne, port sherry
| wines and in one agency d quantity OF
assorted cocktails. 1t seemed to be
the intelligent opinion of a large ma
Jority of people with whom your COM
mittce conversed, ard is the opinion of
the committee, that there is no neces-
sity Of having this large variety of
liquors for the legitimate purposes con-
templateG by the State. In the Lew
iston agency alone from the first day
OF December 1867 to the last day OF
Move mber 1908, e76 quart bottles OF
Schlitz beer We're consumed for medic
inaP purposes. And in addition to
these, quantities of Bass ale, Provi-
+ Gencc ale and lager, Dublin stout, etc.
If liquor is to be dispensed under our
law for even broad medicinal purposes,
there would seem to be no necessity for
having so many grades and prices. The
attorney of your committee and sew
| eral members of the committee have
talked with various wholesale liquor
dealers, who produce their own brands
J and the following seems to be the facts
of the matter: A dealer takes as a
base 4 certain quantity of whiskey
three years old, that Whiskey is dis
titled from &c per cent. to 10 per cent.
grain and the balance corn, with occa-
sionally coloring matter. That is very
likely to be excellent whiskey. With
it are mixed whiskeys of other grades
and ages containing varying per-
cottages of grain and corn and by viz
tue Of the services of an expert there
il, produced a whiskcy which is more
or less ;,alatable according to the vary
ing tastes of the consumers. Each
dealer claims that his goods are the
best. But when asked with reference
to tho medicinal value, with hardly an
exception, they answered that q whs-
key three years old, of good quality,
contained all the medicinal qualities
tho1 any scientific palatable blend
could contain But allowing for local
tastes, it is the opinion of the commit
tee that there is no necessity for car
ryins more than two grades of whis-
key three years old. of good quality,
and one of rum, gin and brandy. With
references to alcohol there is an I'M
doubted medicinal necessity for this
LIQUOR Put i'll scarcely an instance has
Your committee been able to discover
any purchases at any agency for me-
chanical or manufacturing purposes.
If a manufacturer needs alcohol he
ordinarily buys it in barrel lots and
has no need to employ the agency. 1t
would seem wise therefore to entirely
cut out Of the statutes the mechanical
and manufacturing clause
Under the head of profits the cCm-
mittce show that the percentage OF
Profits run from Il per cent in Lewis
ton to "A per cent. in Wiscasset. The
committees think that there should not
he an excessive profit and that IT
should he uniform throughout the
state The committee says that indi-
cations in Lewiston agency point
strongly to financial Encouragement
Of some kind but say they did rot have
an opportunity to 90 thoroughly Over
thu, agents books. I'VE can only re-
port them they say, in general
terms that the methods in the Lewis
ton agency are extremely loose and
S,lch as would not be tolerated by all
ordinary business firm and that there
is apparently q large discrepancy be-
tween the actual profits made by the
city and the profit which should come
from the amount of business done in
the agency"
The committee 60 at length into the
purchases of liquors made by the
STATE liquor commissioner. They find
that the State is purchasing practically
100000 worth of liquors each year and
that i'll the last fiscal year George F..
Hewitt & 60. of Worcester, Mass, sold
the State liquors to the value of
* MI IF hn ha PM nn
Ring and Co. of Boston sold S35 $751;
Each firm has a travelling salesman
who frequently goes about from place
to place in the state of Maine, land
it appears from the testimony of the
various agents that either Mr.. Whit
ney, who is said to be Hcwitts man,
or Mr. Reed who is said to be Ring $
man, goes into the town and makes
suggestions in regard to various
brands of liquors." adds the report.
The committee presents an interest
ing collection of figures concerning the
prices which the State pays for its
liquors. One wholesale liquor dealer,
who was interviewed by the attorney
of the committee, stated that the State
of Maine is paying more for its
liquors than customers in other states.
To ascertain whether there was any
foundation for this allegation the CON-
mittee employed an assistant to make
an investigation. Referring to the
sales made to the State of Maine by
Ruben Ring & Co, the committee say
that the investigation showed that the
State was paying no higher than 9TH
er customers for case goods, but that
no M +
difficult to determine whether any par
ticular whiskey sent into Maine under
one name is the same that is being
sold to other customers under perhaps
another name They say that in only
two instances do they find the same
name upon the whistles furnished to
the state liquor commissioner as are
also furnished to outside customers