The Daily News. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1914. AN INTERESTING RETURN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 45, 14 July 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1914. AN INTERESTING RETURN.

To anyone addicted to wrestling with figures and drawing conclusions then:from, the annual return showing tho! coiiMieiptioll of wine, beer, spirits, tobacco, tea. etc., should prove a veritable treasure, ft offers a limitless scope ror ingenious and specious argument, while it murks in an emphatic manner the growth of that prosperity and high wages which manifests itself irt lavish expenditure on what were, at one time, considered luxuries, but are now regained as the necessaries of life. It inay even be that an answer will be disclosed in the return as to where the. money goes—at least a fair proportion of it. l'or instance. last year there was paid ;» Customs duties over one and a hall million sterling for the articles mentioned above, and if the goods themselves are valued at retail price, something lik'i [twenty-seven million sterling is accounted for—with not a vestige to show for it at the close of the year. That is to say, had the people of New Zealand lived the simple life ami drank nothing but water, besides eschewing the use of tobacco, the revenue would have suffered by a million and a half, and the people could 'have saved at least twenty-five millions £25 a head, or thereabouts, for every man, woman and child in tile Dominion. Instead of that, they evidently luxuriated in extravagant .'habits, used over seven millions pounds of tea (on which no duty is paid), nearly six hundred thousands pounds of coffee, close upon eight hundred and seventyseven thousand gallons of spirits, over n one hundred and forty-s.'ven gallons of wine, nearly three hundred thousand gallons of imported • beer, and ovei ton million gallons of New Zetland beer. Of course, this mighty total of liquid took twelve months to swallow, so tint there was time to take breath between each drink, but when to this total 13 added cocoa, soft drinks, home-made liquors, milk and other thirst quenchers, it is really wonderful that there was not an epidemic of spontaneous combustion. In primitive times, plain water sufficed. ' ould any stronger case be made out against the extravagant tendencies lithe age? es. For \\lhile all this unprofitable expenditure was going on, tilt re was also a huge amount of money going up in smoke, no less than 2,385.811 lbs. of tobacco being consumed, -besides, a pile of cigars and cigarettes that brought in a duty amounting to £223,">N. the quantity represented being ascertainable by those who leel inclined io work it out for themselves. What a terrible indictment! It is, however, a case ol "other times, other manners." In primitive times, when people lived the simple life, there was no money vo save or spend at picture theatres, and other things that while away time pleas- - There was 110 totalisator, no Tattersall's, and 110 motor cars, and rates were unknown. There was probably just as much, if not more strife and bloodshed, so that the extravagances of civilisation have their compensations—to some extent. It is a wellknown fact that in hard times the customs revenue is seriously affected, and that in prosperous times, it rises buo,--, antly. It may interest prohibitionists to know that taking the male population over fifteen years of age, the consumption of spirits per head was near.y 2'/!. gallons in the year, and that of beer (both sexes being included) thirteen gallons a head, including the 259,000 persons who voted prohibition. Taken 01 the aggregate, the figures appear decidedly large, but if they are reduced to daily rations a very minute space in a very smad glass would sulliee. In vculity the figures are 110 guide at all except as to totals, but they certainly show that il the liquor trade is abolished the substitute for the "(jis'.oins reven ic will tax the ingenuity of the Government which has to adjust matters, especially if what arc regarded as tae necessaries of life (the free breakfast table) are left alone. There is the alternative of the simple life, 110 luxuries. 110 Cabinet -Ministers. 110 high officers 01 State, just a village headman witfi .1 wand of ollice. but for that period <ve must await the advent of the "Connie; [Race'' so graphically described by Lonl I -ytton. Meanwhile, it is tolerably certain that the people 0!' New Zealand j will not work so long as wa-jes ace hit'* } and times are prosperous. j