DRINK BILL FOR 1911.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1425, 27 April 1912, Page 7

DRINK BILL FOR 1911.

(By Mr. A. S. Adams, Barrister, Dunedin.) The following statement is intended to show the "drink bill" for the Dominiou for the year 1911, based upon the Customs returns of liquor imported and manufactured in the Dominion. The basis of valuation adopted by the Rev. E. Walker, who has for years prepared and published a similar annual statement, has been rotained, although, as stated by him in his report for 1910, the cost of tho actual consumer is much more. The period covered is from January 1 to December 31:— wC Spirits, 792,790'ga110n5, at',£2 per ' gallon (iucrease, 25,170 gallons. 1,585,550 Wines, 113,132 7 i'iill6 , ns,"ii't;'d£2 , pcr;'" "■'/ gallon (decrease 10,278 gallons( 286,301 Imported beer, 273,650 gallons, at Gs. per gallon (increase 20G0 gallons) 82,095 Beer browed in New Zealand, 9,526,960 gallons, at 4s. per gallon (increase 127,520 gallons) 1,905,392 Total .£3,859,371 Total for year 1910 3,803,438 Increase 55,933 Cost per head of estimated populationEstimated population of Dominion (exclusive of Cook and other Pacific islands) on December 31, 1911, taken from re- . ■ turns .of Government Statistician, N.Z. Gazette, 1912, No. 13, p. 691 1,075,250 Estimated population on December 31, 1910 ; 1,052,610 Estimated increase for year '22,601 Estimated mean population for 1911 1,063,918 .£ s. d. Cost of liquor per head 3 12 Cost per head for year 1910 3 13 1J Decrease GJ Fer head of population over 15 years of age, excluding Maoris 5 11 CJ Including Maoris a G 5 Number of occupied dwelling- j houses at date of census 210,731 .£ s. d. Consumption of liquor per dwelling house 18 G 3 The quantities of different liquors consumed per head of population work out as under:— tirits 71 gallons iues 131 gallons Beer 9.2 gallons