THE LABEL THAT TELLS A TALE.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2478, 19 October 1922, Page 5

THE LABEL THAT TELLS A TALE.

There is to be found on bottles of spirits now being sold a red label bearing the following little fairy story: "Protect you revenue, 4/112 duty paid on this bottle." On January Gth this year the "New Zealand Times" stated that eighteen months' to two years' supplies of spirits had been taken by the liquor traffic out of bond at the old rate of duty, namely iS/ per gallon. This is less than 2/6 per bottle duty. It will be seen, therefore, that the liquor party's label tells a lie when it states that practically 5/ duty has been paid on the contents of the bottle. The liquor traffic is now selling the spirits that it took out of bond at the old rate of duty and upon which it had paid only 2/G per bottle duty.

In January this year a statement was published all over New Zealand showing that on the basis of the "New Zealand Times" report the liquor trafflc stood to gain £1.500,000 clear profit by charging customers the extra duty on spirits which the liquor traffic had not paid. That statement has never been denied. On the strength of increased duties which they had not paid the liquor traffic raised the price of spirits 2/6 per bottle to the consumer. In addition to this, whisky was costing 4/7 per gallon less in 1921 than it did in 1920. This economy in price means, on the 1921 year's imports, no less than £164,000 clear profit. Whisky costing 3673 per gallon, 5/3 per bottle, including duty, when sold by the nip yields to the liquor traffic 21/ per bottle or £7 7/ per gallon. No wonder the liquor traffic can afford to spend hundreds of thousands in enormous advertising and in the payment of canvassers in the effort to maintain its monopoly and secure another three years in which to plunder drinkers. Strike out the two Top Lines.—N.Z. Alliance Publicity. (67)