Evening star., 1934-12-02
Revenue Sum Falls Consid-
erabIy Short of Advance
Estimates.
COLLECTIONS TOTAL
$370,000,000 FOR YEAR
Beer Leads as Contributor With
Wine Showing Surprise De.
crease in Sales Here.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Legalized liquor has been contribut-
ing to the income of the National
Government at the rate of more than
81 100000 a day.
Federal revenues from liquor taxes
and tariffs of all kinds during the first
year since repeal of the eighteenth
amendment probably will reach the
grand total of $370 100000.
This sum falls considerably short
Of the $470,000,00O to $500, 900 900
yearly revenue estimated by legisla-
tive leaders when the new liquor tax
law was enacted last January.
In the 10-month period from De-
cember l, 1888. to September 80, 1884,
liquor tax collection by Uncle Sam
totaled $294311,1o2. Import duties
collected on distilled liquors, still and
sparkling wines. amounted to an ad-
ditional S30,820, 900 in the same period
Beer Brings in Most.
Beer leads by wide margin as a
cash contributor to Government cof-
fers. Revenues from the excise tax
on malt liquors in the 10-month pc
riod totaled s168510.492. or 81 per
cent of the total income from all
domestic liquor levies In the same
period. receipts from the excise tax
on domestic distilled spirits amounted
to s83, 1888 900.
A hard liquor consumption of ap-
proximately $4,000, 900 gallons of legal
spirits for the year is expected. That
would be less than one-half of the
los. .000, ,000-gallon consumption esti-
mated for 1884 by an interdepart-
mental committee of Government ex-
perts in report to Secretary Morgen-
thau last year.
Distilled spirits consumption reach
ed pre-prohibition peak of 167 ,740.-
600 gallons in 1917 while the Nation
during the ante e-Volstead era generally
consumed between $4,000 900 and
las. .000, 900 gallons annually.
BIames Bootleg Whisky.
J. H. Choate, jr, director Of the
Federal Alcohol Control Administra-
ton, has figured that about 10 900 900
gallons of whisky were consumed an
nually before prohibition. Contend
ing that the actual consumption Is
considerably greater now due to the
largely increased population and more
drinking by women, Choate ascribes
the low rate of tax-paid Withdrawals
of whisky to the heavy consumption
of bootleg whisky.
In the old days the consumption of
whisky in this country was vastly
greater than that of any other dis
titled spirit. In the peak year 1917
more than Is times as much whisky
as gin was withdrawn from ware
houses for consumption while the
Withdrawals of brandy were only one
twenty-third those of whisky.
Import Trade OF.
Liquor habits changed in the VOL
stead era, however, and whisky had
formidable competition. Gin besame
increasingly popular under prohibi-
ton, due largely to the comparative
cheapness and easy manufacture of
the homemade" product.
The liquor import trade has fallen
far short of expectations. importers
blaming high tariffs and taxes. The
wine situation is described as par
ticularly Disappointing
Government experts estimated last
year that the consumption of i'm
ported wines in 1884 would total 15,-
100000 gallons. Between December
l, 1888. and September 80, 1884, only
3,5O5,00O gallons of imported wines
had been withdrawn for consumption,
while on the latter date 2.309 900 gal
Ions were in customs bonded ware
houses.