366 MALT AND BBER IN SPANISH AMERICA. 



United States, our share in this portion being quite small. About all 

 of it comes in bottles or halt' bottles, tbat from Germany and England 

 being packed in boxes containing one dozen bottles or two dozen half 

 bottles, while that from the United States is more cheaply packed in 

 barrels containirg five dozen bottles or ten dozen half bottles. Duties 

 are paid on the gross weight of packages ; hence the lighter the pack 

 ing is the less will be the cost of the article. The duty on all kinds of 

 beer is $2.22 per 100 pounds, with 12 per cent, of total duty added for 

 transit duties. Beer is sold in this market at wholesale at prices rang- 

 ing, according to quality, from $3 to $6 per box, and is retailed at 

 from 20 cents to 35 cents per half bottle. Both white and black beer 

 are consumed in about equal proportions. 



Germany sends both the best and worst qualities of beer, thus grati- 

 fying the most extravagant and economical tastes ; and it is generally 

 asserted that all kinds of German beer are cheaper and better than beers 

 from other countries. It is also stated that some of the best brands 

 of American beer, that were formerly much esteemed here, have latterly 

 greatly deteriorated in quality. 



A brewery, upon a small scale, has been lately established in Caracas, 

 and some tentative effort has been made to supply the market with 

 domestic beer. It has not, however, proved a success and it is believed 

 that climatic conditions alone will insure its failure. The beer is of 

 very inferior quality and will not keep for any length of time. 



WINFIELD S. BIRD, 



Con&tti. 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 



La Guayra, January 29, 1890. 



MARACAIBO. 



REPORT BY CONSUL PLUMAOHER. 

 MALT. 



In this consular district there are no breweries and malt is not an 

 article of trade, none being imported or prepared locally. 



BEER. 



The imports of beer into this consular district amount annually to 

 about 35,000 boxes of two dozen pints each. None is introduced in the 

 wood, as the climatic conditions are such as to render its preservation 

 a matter of great difficulty, and consequently beer on draught is unknown. 



The total import duties amount to 5f cents per kilogram, gross 

 weight. 



By far the greater quantity of beer is of German production, the ex- 

 ports from the United States being comparatively insignificant, although 



