GLEANINGS FROM THE BLUEBOOK.

Evening Star, Issue 3476, 14 April 1874, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE BLUEBOOK.

(From the ‘ Tribune.’)

The first report of Mr William Seed, Chief Inspector of Distilleries, to the Commissioner of Customs “regarding the working of the Distilleries branch of the Customs Department,” is dated 30th September, 1873, and has just been published (price 3d) by the Government printer. Up to 18G7 no practical steps had been taken to authorise distillation in New Zealand, although several successive Acts had been passed continuing stringent regulations against illicit distilling. At that period Mr Seed was despatched to Melbourne and Sydney, “ for the purpose of acquiring an insight into the working of the distilleries and excise department there.” The information H6 collected enabled him to prepare a measure, taking the form of “The Distillation Act, 1868,” which has been law from January 1, 1869, and he was appointed Chief Inspector under it. Mr Wilson Heaps, of the Customs staff in Canterbury, was sent to Melbourne in December 1863, and in three months made himself acquainted with all the duties of an Inspector under the Act to which office he was gazetted in June’ 1869. There are now two licensed distilleries at work in the Colony : 'the New Zealand distillery, Dunedin,

worked in the day only; and the Crown distillery, Auckland, both day and night. # The Dunedin distillery is in substantial brick buildings; no expense seems to have been spared to make-them complete in every respect, so as to form a first-class distillery capable of producing over 100,000 gallons per annum. The raw material used is mostly malt, which is malted on the premises, and rye. Operations were commenced in October, 1869.

The Auckland distillery commenced in December, 1870, in a brick and stone building, formerly a flour mill; but the ground about it and supply of water being inadequate, it was moved to Kirkwood’s Brewery, which the proprietors bought and adapted to their purpose. There they recommenced in April, 1873. The present producing capacity is about 50,000 gallons per annum. “ Molasses, imported from Honolulu, has been extensively used here.”

During the four years, 1869-72 inclusive, the total materials used at both distilleries were-Malt, 70,604 bushels; barley, 16,635 ; oats, 1,637 ; wheat, 468 ; rye, 2,874 ; molasses, 276,0051b ; wine, 525, and beer, 11,121 gallons; total amount of spirits made, 199,298 proof gallons; paid duty upon, 100,879 gallons for duty. The consumption of New Zealand spirits for the year 1872 was 51,602, for the first half of 1873, 31,536 gallons. Licensed small stills, principally required by chemists and photographers, if under three gallons capacity may “be used under permit, which secures their registration, and, without requiring them to be licensed, subjects them to periodical inspection. Any above the capacity of three gallons must be licensed,” fee, two guineas. Mr Seed tells us that the Government was mainly induced to bring in the present Act by the belief that it would tend to suppress “illicit distillation, which was very rife about that time;” and, while he does not profess to know how far it has so acted, “judging from the small number of illicit stills that have been captured since the passing of the Act, it is pretty certain that the low rate of excise duty rendered illicit distilling unprofitable, and has put a stop to it, except in remote parts of the Colony.” Brewers have to take out license under the .Act. The fee is only Id yearly, “ but the breweries are subject to inspection, which has 'for its object to check adulteration, and to prevent their brewery plant from being used for the illicit production of spirits.” Beer-drinkers will be glad to hear this;—“ Samples of beer have been collected from the principal breweries in the Colony, with the exception of those on West Coast of the Middle Island; these samples have been subjected in the Colonial Laboratory to a searching examination for deleterious ingredients, but in no case were traces of such ingredients discovered.” We are not told what precautions are taken to secure that the samples be really fair ones; and we have an unpleasant recollection of some New Zealand brewer who filed his schedule, when the druggist appeared as the heaviest creditor! The number of brewers’ licenses issued in the four years above named was 88, 103, 116, and 129 respectively. Bor 1872 they were thus distributed: Christchurch, 23 ; Nelson, 22 ; Auckland, 19; Dunedin, 15; Wellington, 15; Greymouth, 7 ; Wanganui and Picton, 5 each; Hokitika and Napier, 4 each; Oamaru and Invercargill, 3 each ; New Plymouth, Havelock, Westport, and Timaru, 2 each. The total number of licenses (L 5) issued to wine and spirit merchants for the four years was 504, 544, 484, and 464 respectively.