New-York tribune., 1921-03-06
Office of Official
Champagne faster
Revived i'm Britain
Appointment at Salary of
$500 a Year Follows
Doubling of Tax in Addi.
ton to Ad Valorem DUTY

LONDON, Feb. 1s.-The Daily Tele-
graph remarks that medieval Office
has been revived. There is now an official
champagne faster, at a salary of $500
year.
He is put in Office to protect the pub
lie. Possibly the same publc--nerv-
ously anxious about economies just
now--will envisage some big new de-
partment, occupying, maybe, q great
hotel, with comptrollers and account
ants and staff Of lady typists, and burly
porters engaged all day in carrying in
cases Of champagne to the faster. That
is quite imaginary. The official in ques-
tion works in the excise, and if his is
& department-which the Chancellor
of the Exchequer will not admit-then
it consists of himself. His is the most
modest of all government departments,
incurring the least expenditure. Off
cially, he is not the champagne faster,
but the faster of sparkling wines-yet
champagne fills out so largo a part OF
his day that the name of that most
popular wine may not improperly be
attached to him.
The creation Of the Office is due to
the budget, when Austin Chamberlain
put an ad valorem duty on sparkling
wines. Such duty is borne by no
other wines. The wisdom or otherwise
of that step need not be canvassed
here. but his sole object was, of course,
to get money.
There is the dictum Of & learned
judge, that the object OF revenue act
is to get revenue, justly if possible,
but in any case to get it. Champagne is
accepted as the drink Of the rich mans
table, whether he dimes with company
at home, or at a restaurant. Perhaps
the restaurants arc more responsible
for this particular tax than they know.
Ad Valorem Duty Imposed
Memories which go back twelve
months and more will recall that res
taurants were charging high prices in
deed for favorite brands of champagne,
and there was such wide difference,
after all intermediary costs and profits
had been allowed for, between the
growers price list and the restaurant
customers bill that quite obviously a
good deal of money was being made
somewhere. The Chancellor Of the Ex-
cheouer thought the public should have
some share of it.
So not only was the tax on these
sparkling wines doubled. but an ad
on top. AS may be imagined, one third
Of the value Of expensive brands Of
champagne is a good deal more than
the tax itself, and the wine is very
heavily burdened.
An official referee-the taster-thus
became necessary, lest unscrupulous
persons should endeavor to cheat the
revenue by representing their particu-
lar champagne as being of less worth
than it is, and the ancient Office of
wine faster, to protect, not the King s
person, but his revenue, has come back
again.
His work is not so laborious as might
be supposed, for all the we'll known
brands of champagnes have values
which are easily established, by the
growers price lists, market estimations
and by other means. They give no
trouble, and can be passed over. 1t is
the odd parcels of fifty dozen or SO
from an unfamiliar grower that need
cial faster is an autocrat. His palate
decides what ad valorem duty they shall
pay, let the owner of the cases charge
the public what he will.
Trade Hard Hit
1t is an Office that ought to be we'll
requited, quite apart from the special
gift required. The tea faster incurs
risk to his constitution which the ex-
pert palate in wine is happily spared
The official champagne faster Is not a
young man, But those who have been
through the experience in the trade
say that the life of faster Of cheap
champagnes is one of peculiar horror
The ad valorem duty has hit the
champagne trade pretty hard; 1t is said
to be open to means of evasion which
have damaged the honest trader; it
has irritated our French Allies: the
trade, at any rate, are convinced that
it does not yield the best results. They
are anxious that it should be swept
away, and fiat rate substituted, cham
pagne being treated on the same prin-
ciple as all other wines. This, they say,
would restore the -eminencc Of
champagne, now suffering under dis
favor. There has been deputation to
the Chancellor Of the Exchequer, and
the public may be assured that what
ever the strength Of the argument. for
and against, they are in good hands
They may be further assured that here
at any rate, is no question of waste.
fui government expenditure. The
taster's Office, as already said, is the
smallest and most economical Of all
ant ofE,