ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 733, 15 August 1878, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OK TUB EVENING MAIL. Sir, —In your issue of yesterday yon refer to an advertisement in your columns, and express virtuous indignation at the audacity of the i rowers for endeavoring to give the public an opportunity of sharing the impost which otherwiso would tall entirely on their overburdened shoulders. A careful perusal of your figures leaves no doubt as to the correctness of your arithmetic, but circumstances sometimes alter cases, and 1 think .1 can show you that instead of the brewers making an increased profit of 2s. 9d. per hhd. on their boer they will make a positive loss of at least Id. per gallon, besides being subject to much trouble and annoyance in the matter. Now, a brewer doing a trade of 100' hhds. per week would have to disburse Llso' per month, and as we seldom reap the reward of our labor (I mean handle thiv coin) under three months, this represent.* an extra L 450 of our capital appearing m our books instead of at our banker. Then again, sir, how about bad debts. 1 believe 1 may safely say no trade has an large a proportion as the unfortunate caterer for thirsty humanity, although on account of the high tone of conniwrcial morality in Oamaru the brewer rarely ks the opportunity of attending a meeting of creditors more than once a week. One other little circumstance should be taken into account, and that is the returns,, to say nothing of waste and ullage. Only the "trade" know how heavy an item: this is, especially during tho summer wasou of the year. Even in the 0M Country, where the best appliances mid r,he finest materials are employed, and tho greatest possible amount of skill is iirought to bear on the manufacture, the loss is often enormous ; yet tlio Colonial. 1 ire Her is to be allowed no rebate oiuvnmed boer, for which tho tax has pi.v\'iously been paid. Aln'-ady we pay heavy duties on malt,, hops, and sugar, although it is true hV uithorities allow us to have water k nothing, unless there happens tu> hi! a waterworks scheme in the neighborhood, 'hen we receive polite attentions from tint Corporation once a quarter, or oftoMor i required. Why should tho milkman, -who, » ■iddition to his other crimes, disturbs onr slumbers in the morning, ravy > his price with impunity l and why loiigsuft'ering community pay foe iio» livening paper containing three columns i« news (I) and twenty-live of advertisements, and yet ivear a smile, while the uiifortnnate brcwet is crushed by the, terrible weight of your displeasure because be merely asks a

benevolent r>nb)"ic to share the unjust innovation of n tax upon an important Joloniul industry I —l am, <fcc. An Inokpjsnsivb Buna.