28 



STATISTICS OF EXPENDITURE AND 



It would be interesting to compare the consumption of the 

 different provinces; but there are no statistics available for such 

 a comparison. Mr. Johnson, in his Graphic Statistics of Canada 

 (1886) has shewn the relative provincial consumption of wine and 

 beer, and spirits and tobacco, in a graphic form ; and from his 

 representation we learn that on the average of 19 years to 1886, 

 each inhabitant of Ontario drank 1.11 gals, of spirits, 0.4 gals, of 

 wine, and 3.2 gals, of beer, and smoked 1.8 Ibs. of tobacco ; and 

 so on for the other provinces as in the accompanying table: 



PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION' ACCORDING TO PROVINCES. 



In all probability this proportion holds in 1898 as in 1886; 

 and Mr. Johnson's conclusions are still true : 



" Ontario drinks nearly three times more beer than spirits ; 

 Quebec, nearly as much spirits as beer ; New Brunswick, more 

 spirits than beer; Nova Scotia, more beer than spirits ; Prince 

 Edward Island, more spirits than beer ; and Manitoba and British 

 Columbia, more beer than spirits," p. .36. To which we might 

 add that, according to this shewing, Prince Edward Island and 

 New Brunswick are the most temperate of the provinces.* 



*The consumption of spirits in the Maritime Provinces and in Quebec i? probably 

 greatly underestimated. The figures above shew only the consumption on which duty 

 was paid ; but there has always been a large amount smuggled into these provinces 

 from St. Pierre which exists practically as an entrepot for smuggling. Probably 15/16ths 

 of the imports of the island are smuggled into Canada and Newfoundland. In 1885 the 

 amount intended to be smuggled exceeded that proportion. It is said that half the 

 spirits and tobacco consumed in Quebec pays no duty. Since 1890 the import trade of 

 St. Pierre has fallen 50 per cent, in consequence of the increased activity of the Cana- 

 dian revenue cruisers preventing the usual exports. 



