The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 74
Why Working Men Should Vote out the Liquor Traffic
Why Working Men Should Vote out the Liquor Traffic.
Workmen should support good labour-employing and wage paying-industries. The following facts and figures show the manufacture of alcoholic liquors employs few labourers, and pays small amounts in wages.
A Blue Book, No. C 6535—1891, entitled "Wages and Production," shows the percentage for wages to receipts. Sir M. H. Beach was President of the Board of Trade at the time. For very £100 spent, the following is the
Now to show that the same facts apply to this country let us refer to another table of figures which by a reference to various industries in this Colony will show not only the amount of wages [unclear: said] in comparison with the outputs, but that the money paid to workers in breweries is at the [unclear: case] of a much lower percentage than is paid by the other industries specified. The following particulars are taken from the New Zealand Year-Book :—
Thus we find the liquor trade stands far below any other in its reward of the labourer. Let [unclear: the] regard it in another aspect:—In 1894 the beer output was, £961,486, which paid in wages £192,297. Had the same amount of money represented the output of sawn timber, wages would have received £320 492; from the same amount in flax-dressing, wages share would have been £480,743; from clothing factories, £320,472; but beer only returns £192,297, being £128,297 [unclear: was] than the lowest of the other industries enumerated. This proportion holds good universally. The traffic is therefore no friend of the wage earner. It is a destroyer of valuable grain food, [unclear: to] producer of crime, cause of enormous expenditure, a promoter of commercial, political, and [unclear: social] corruption, and the foe of every kind of improvement and prosperity.
Mr Samuel Joshua the leading distiller of Victoria, made the following statement when [unclear: giving] evidence before the Tariff Commissioners of that Colony recently :—"I am ready to [unclear: submit] that distilling is not a thing that is employing a large amount of labour. With 1000 men [unclear: I] would very likely drown the world in spirits."
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