BEER DUTY RETURNS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1920, Page 6

BEER DUTY RETURNS.

A REMARKABLE INCREASE. The fact that the past year's Customs returns show a total of £355,378, no less than £85,378 above the estimate, and £82,044 than the amount received during the previous year, was referred to by the Hon. J. Huxham, of the Queensland Legislature, who is passing through Wellington. Over in Australia, lie said to a Wellington Times reporter, they had been hearing a great deal about New Zealand being threatened at the next general election with prohibition. "If I analyse your figures correctly," he said, "your beer excise for this year has run up to over 30 per cent more than what was received in the previous year. That does not give very much indication, surely, that the people are keen on prohibition. I recognise that many thousands of your soldiers have returned latterly, and there is also the question of imported beer being cut out on account of the high rate of exchange with the United States; but, still, 30 per cent, is a very high advance, and it does not appear to mo to offer any indication that prohibition will be the result of the next liquor poll."