Evening star., 1926-06-15
QUEBEC'S LIQUOR
SALES S9O,0(lD,0DO
Five Years of New System
Have Melted Province
s25 900, 600 Profit.
BY Consolidated Press

by Consolidated Press
! MONTREA l., June 15.-Over 500
| 100000 worth Of liquor was sold by
| the disper.iaries operated by the
| Quebec provincial government during
the five years under which the state
controlled system has been in opera
ton. according to official figures Of
the four years ending May |. 1925
and carefully prepared estimate
! from official sources for the last -
| months
II was on May l. 1921. that the
/ Quebec government. having made
disastrous attempt at semi-prohibition
through doctors certificates. launched
the plan of government liquor stores
which has proved so interesting an
experiment to the world, and which
| has attracted so large 81 volume OF
| tourist traffic as to exceed the most
sanguine expectations of those who
advocated this method of handling
| liquor.
! Recent Receipts Lower.
! In the first year of operation. the
| gross receipts were slightly over S15.-
/ 900. 900. The next year they jumpets
/ to more than S16.500. 900. and nearly
/ reached the S2oo0o.O 900 mark the fol-
! lowing year. In the year 1924-1925
{ there was Il slight slump. This was
/ due largely to the action by liquor
! commission itself in pushing the sales
Of wines in preference to harder fare.
! The volume of the trade was just as
! great but less p1oney was charged
! for the wines. Consequently the
! gross receipts fell from Sl9s12.7s1 in
| la23-1924 to S17sS7.5SS in 19241925.
( For the wear inst closed the gross
receipts will he between 10 and 90 mil
lions. thus bringing the aggregate for
the five years of operation to ap-
proximately s92 900 600.
The net operating profit has been
approximately S19 O0O. 900. and to this
must be added the revenue obtained
from the issuing Of permits. from the
sale of seized goods and from other
sources. which amounts to another
$3.50 ,000 making total profit Of
$4,000, 900 for the period.
If the United States were operating
under the Quebec liquor system. some
idea of the possible profits of the
Washington Government might be
obtained by comparing figures. With
a r!oht like Quebec's OF 25 per cent
Of total sales. the United States Treas
ury would pocket approximately 5000.
5000 each year. based on an aver
age annual consumption of $500 900.
600 worth of liquor i'm the years just
prior to the adoption of the eighteenth
amendment.
Profit Division Unknown.
How have Quebec's profits been di
vided? There is no definite informa-
tion available with regard to this All
that is known is that nearly s23 .000.-
600 has been turned over to the pro
vincial government to be absorbed in
hn ~, - Il
ed. in the words of Premier Tasche-
reau. lin the improvement of roads,
in colonization and in education
Out of the total operating revenue
the Federal Government takes large
slice of excise duties, the levy amount.
ing to about 35 per cent of the gross
revenue or approximately SOS. 900 900
each year. This is a substa ntial sum
which has helped the dominion ma
terially TO tide over the lean years
Of industrial depression.
The value of the stocks of liquor
Kept on hand at any one time in the
various stores of the liquor commits
sion varies considerably. but is sci
dom under $4,000, 900 The number
of stores IN operation is 81 and the
staffs at these stores, excluding man
ayers. total 47S persons. The highest
received In one of the most popular
branches IN the city of Montreal,
which had gross receipts of $1,235 .535
in the course of one year. Several
others received more than $3.50, 900 in
trade over the counter. particularly
those near the border points like Val
lcNteld. Sherbrooke and Hull.
Has Office In Paris.
In addition To its warehouses. its
executive offices. its special stores for
the sale of industrial alcohol and for
communion wine, the liquor commits.
mission operates an Office in Paris, a
laboratory for the testing of it's vari.
Gus blends and an infirmary for The
sick and aiiing in its employ.
Beer Is sold under permit from the
commission by the brewers. who pay
the commission approximately $3.50
Upo annually. The total amount of
beer produced was over $1,000 900 ga
Ions fog the past wear.