ALLEGED INCREASED BEER CONSUMPTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 123, 11 February 1918, Page 6

ALLEGED INCREASED BEER CONSUMPTION

Sir,—Some persons |arc endeavouring to'allege that the consumption of beer has been increased, notwithstanding the institution of six o'clock closing. Such persons conclude that because the beer duty, in Januarv, 1917, was £17,5-23, and in January, 1918, £23,861, an increase of duty collected of £6300, fliere has been an increased consumption in beer. ' Such persons forgot one important factor,.viz.,, the increase in the duty upon beer. In January, 1917, the duty was 3|d.,»and in January, 1918, it was Ojd. • These were the minimum duty charges, so that the difference in the amount of duty per gallon paid as .between 1917 and 1918 was 2d. per gallon. Bearing in mind the increased duty, tlie amount paid in January, 1917, represented 1,051,413 gallons, and the consumption in January, 1918, was 954,456 gallons. Thus apparently the consumption has decreased by nearly 97,000 gallons. But even on these figures it would be wrong to assume that they establish a satisfactory conclusion. The amount of duty payable in any one month is variable, and may or may not have any relationship to the quail-, tities of beer actually consumed. This deduction, however, can with safety be made, that the increased amount of duty of over £6000, as between January, 1917, and. January, 1918, is not, as' has been popularly concluded, due to the.'increased consumption of this commodity, but entirely due to the increased amount of duty. 'per gallon, for it has been demonstrated that the actual quantity of beer on which duty was paid in the first month mentioned was 97,000 gallons more than in the second period mentioned; and it is quite wrong to assume that the institution of six o'clock closing lias not very materially affected the businesses of licensees.—l am, etc., . • Q.E.D.