New-York tribune., 1922-05-21
Reer Drinkers Went Wrong
In Effort TO Get Tax Cut

Beer Drinkers Went Wrong
In Effort TO Get Tax Cut
II the beer drinkers wanted the tsx
on them reduced they did rot 20 the
right way about it. While the whiekey
drinkers consumed less than the Chan
1ellor anticipated, the beer drinkers
eonsunec more. The duty OF beer real
ized almost s2.00o,0o0 more than the
last years budget estisnsto, or about
7s9 100000. Why, then, should Sir Rob,
ert Horne 90 out of his way to reduce
us profitable revenue from this
source.
Inc beer drinkers coasumed enough
20 add $a,ooo,o00 worth Of duty more to
otbe Treasury then was expected, dc
Sgte the fact that the price of beer is
bnU four times what it Was before the
s~ar. The taX or beer to-day is no less
'thsn thirteen times what it was in
1914. That the price has not gone up
e. ~ proportion, js due to the fact that
%alieress before the wsr the beer
breNed in Great Britain was only
bhree and u half degrees below STAND
-sid gravity, it is to day, according to
The latest official figures, thirteen de-
erees below standard" gravity. That
represents an enormous drop in
strength and quality, which is re-
aected in the amount OF duty paid
The British government knows
4hlnG or two about beer itself these
lays. 1t is, N a relatively small way
OF business, itself saloonkecper. Ed.
ward Shortt, the HON. Secretary, has
hcen spending part of his Eastertide
vacation walking around Carlisle and
viewing the state experiment. of run
ming saloons. During the war, as u
special war measure, the state bought
out some two hundred such places. al
cost. at the present rate Of exchange.
OF approximately S5,o0o,o 900. For war
purposes also the state started in
brewing beer and dealing in all other
sinds Of alcoholic beverages Will. 1t
has never been contended that the CAY
isie state beer We, any better than
any other, it has been officially as
erted that the profit made on these
stste-controlled saloons during the last
gear was something over S2,ooo,oo0,
-1~arl'stc Scheme Questioued
In Recent Geddes Report
This claim, however, was ouestioned
in the recent Geddes report on econ.
on1y. which said: The profits on the
Carlisle scheme were arrived a, before
any provision WAS made for interes, on
capital provided BY the Exchequer. ex-
cess profits duty and income tax, which
would have been payable BY . private
hrin, Thv original object FOR which
Z his trading operation was undertaken
no longer exists, and there does not
appear 20 be any reason for It's con
tnusnce. Its continuance as a state
undertaking would not appear likely TO
afford any special financial advantage
20 the taxpayer"
Despite this urfavorsbie testirony.
HON. Secretary Shortt, after his ,isit
TO Carlisle, has just declared himself
m favor not only of continuing the
scheme but of extending it, He states
that what impressed him most was the
arrangement for the sale of food in
the saloon, especially in the poorer dis
tricts.
How far, he aads, the scheme will
commend itself to the country at large
snd how far il will be extended it is
lrpossl5le 20 say. But believe that
when state management has been prop
erly tested and properly understood /
II will commend itself 20 the great ma
iority of the people Of the country. !
Believing rs I do in tire success Of the /
scheme, live In the hope that we shall |
extend it TO ether towns and other
places. What have seen in this area
confirms my view that scheme Of this
kind is the best way Of making rea~
sonable enjoyment of intoxicants, com.
bined with social enjoyment and use.
fulness, possible. / do not think we
.hall see bill passed rationaiizinr
all licensed houses AZ a stroke, but
oeiiese this scheme will spread"