THE BEER TAX.

Dunstan Times, Issue 948, 18 June 1880, Page 3

THE BEER TAX.

Witli respect to the above the Evening Star, in a leading article comineuti'g on of Dunedin brewers, and their avoured intention to make the retailers bear the whole of the tax, c •nclndes -is fol lows Now, in Dunc-lin and suburbs, and we believe, upc.no y i i 0 mi, tnis b.-er is retailed at sivpmco a glass in he very moderate size turn 'lei - generally- in' deed universally—used in publie-iioiucs. In hotels doing what is cille 1 a large ‘ jitg busitiess,’ rto doubt ‘Colonial’is retailed in somewhat larger quantities for the. same money, but the great bu k o- the liquor is doled out in the i dini esimal half-obits to which we have alluded The profit’ m a gallon is easily calculated; "ii a liogsh-ad it is something’ remarkable. Curiously enough, for years past, the very - beer which is brewed in Dunedin !i s !> on cold tivoi the bars of hotels at i 'lris’ church.' 'Vcding ton, Napier, an 1 ev. n \ncklan-l at three pence a glass, whilst tin imbibing public in this City have quietly gone on paying double th/it price withni a few y irds of the hreweries 1 The sensible plan both foi brewers and publicans would have been to have settled the tax between' themselves and avoided public agitat’on in a matter which is hardly likely under all the circumstances to evoke much public sympathy. When we see what we do daily, and hear what we hear—when even brewers’ travellers are the kings of the road, and empty champagne bottles mark the track of the brewers' very frequent business calls on tbeir constituents—when licensed houses are objects of the keenest competition, and the trade is known and acknowledged to be most lucrative—people will hardly be induced to believe that tin resolution adopted by yesterday’s meeting has much foundation in fact, and that i tax of sixpence s gallon on beer is at all likely ' to min large vested interests, botl

in the hotel-keeping and brewing businesses. ’

Meetings of brewers and others have been held all over the Colony to consider the tax, the following being brief results of tile same : ,'j .

Auckland, June Mtb.

At a meeting of brewers to day it was resolved that the beer tax ought to be 3.1 instead of (id. New Plymouth, Jniio Mth. The licensed victuallers met to-day, when several resolutions were passed, one condemning the beer tax as unfair and excessive. The Secretary was instructed to draw up a petition to the House of Representatives, asking to be relieved of the tax. Wellington, June M'th. At a meeting of licensed victuallers this afternoon, a deputation was appointed to wait on the brewers with a view of coming to some arrangement as to what amount of the recently imposed tax on beef should be charged to pu dicans. Wanganui, June 15th. The brewers here have notified that the publicans must pay the duty on beer before delivery. The Licensed Victuallers Assoeiati n passed a resolution that the tax n unjust, and asks the local representatives to oppose it, Blenheim, June Istb. A meeting of Inewers and publicans was held last night, when ft was resolved to send a deputation to Wellington to meet the de'egates from other places, and to take steps to get the tax repealed. TiMa'ru, dune loth. A meeting of licensed victuallers was held las - nigh--, wh-n resolutions were passed e-mde'iming the beer duty as unjust and e.i- 'oM’V -, an ! .requesting the representatives of the district to oppose it. Dunedin, June loth.

A meeting O' brewers was held last night, when a resolution was carried that two del-■ rates' be a .p -i-ite-l to go to Wellington to endeavour to grt the beer tax rescinded.

The Mesh from Mie s"at of Government is i< f 'll w< :—“ Then is not :!> • slightest possibility of the Gove nm nf 'educing the beer iluty. They are si,run,, enough to make, a stall'! ami will mak> it