736 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



a year of continued great depression in the industry of the coun- 

 try rose to the large figure of $2,143,617. That this latter ratio 

 of annual increase under the present rate of tax is likely to in- 

 definitely continue is almost demonstrated by the fact that the 

 popularity of fermented or "malt" liquors as beverages among 

 the American people is unquestionably increasing ; and also that 

 large, seemingly, as is their present average per capita consump- 

 tion namely, sixteen gallons the present per capita consump- 

 tion of the people of several other nationalities is much greater 

 that of the United Kingdom being estimated at thirty gallons ; of 

 England and Wales, thirty-six ; of Belgium, thirty-two ; of the 

 whole of the German Empire, thirty-three ; of Bavaria, sixty- two. 



An important fact pertinent to the prospective consumption 

 of beer and its permanent value as a source of national revenue 

 is, that the cost of the materials used in its manufacture has 

 decreased in comparatively recent years, in the United States, 

 Great Britain, and probably in other countries characterized by 

 its large consumption, to the extent of at least forty per cent ; * 

 and the advantage from this change which has accrued to British 

 brewers was stated by the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 in May, 1895, to have been upward of 2^000,000 ($10,000,000) per 

 annum. 



From this decline in prices, and consequent reduction in the 

 cost of production, the consumer has not been permitted to gain 

 any advantage, the retail price of beer remaining substantially 

 what it was. 



All the resulting gains have been intercepted by those con- 

 nected with the trade, and how well they have fared, some sta- 

 tistics recently given by the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 and which are probably equally applicable to the United States, 

 sufficiently show. " In 1884-'85," he said, " the number of assess- 

 ments to income tax from brewers was 2,44G, and the whole of 

 their profits assessed amounted to 6,316,000. Ten years later 

 the number of brewers assessed for income tax was 2,274 show- 



* In the United States the decrease in this branch of prices has been much greater, as 

 shown by the following table of comparative prices in IS?? and 1897 : 



Sugar (brown) lb- 

 Rice, Carolina lb. 



Hops (import price) lb. 



Barley (import price) bush. 



Oats bush. 



Maize bush. 



Molasses (prime) gal. 



1897. 



Cents. 

 2-81 

 4-0 

 22-0 

 37-8 

 21-0 

 28-5 

 24-0 



Decrease, 

 per cent. 



70' 

 38' 

 57' 

 50' 

 52' 

 52' 

 55' 



