OCR Text |
Show Utah Liquor Commission Credited With Administrative Economies Net profits of the Utah State Liquor Control Commission amounted to $3,246,447 duiing the fiscal year ended June 30, 1949 it was reported by Utah Foundation in a study released today. During the last three yi-ars there has been only a slight variation in the profits from operations of Utah's liquor monopoly. However, profits in the last ten years have increased fiom $874,415 in 1940 10 ovei $3'.i million during fiscal 1949, the private tax agency noted. According to the Foundation report, the Liquor Control Commission Com-mission sold 1,086,226 gallons of liquor for $12,187,781 during fiscal fis-cal 1949. This was 24.2S3 gallons gal-lons less than was sold dunpg 1948 and 152,671 gallons lass than for 1916, the peak year. The profits from the sale cf alcoholic beverages are now ued for the operation of ooth state and local governments. The first $2,250,000 of prof' I goes to the state general fund. The next $1,000,000 is divided among the cities and counties as state grant-in-aid. For the three months July 1, to September 30, 1949, current operation cost of the Liquoi Commission amounted to $212,-799 $212,-799 compared to $244,320 for the same three months a year previous. prev-ious. The reduction resulted from the elimination of the enforcement enforce-ment division, a reduction in the number of other employees of the Commission and tne funeral fun-eral tightening of administration administra-tion procedures. Salaries and ages for the period July 1 to September 30, dropped from $115,460 in fiscal 1949 to $96,264 for the first quarter of fiscal 1940. Payment on package agency contracts were reduced from $48,710 in 1949 to $40,674 for the first quarter of fisca' 1950. Delivery and other oper ating expenses showed i small drop for the period. During the year September, 1948 to September, 1949, the permanent personnel of the Utah Liquor Commission was reduced 70 employees or one-third. In September, 1949, there were 142 permanent employees compared to 212 permanent employees for September, 1948. On October 1, 1949, the LUnh Liquor Commission operated 18 state-owned stores and 55 package pack-age agencies. The average net profit for all state stores was 21.09 during fiscal 1949. Th" average net profit for package agencies was 26.6 of total sales. Utah Foundation analysts report re-port that the Liquor Commission' Commis-sion' has tightened up the auditing audit-ing of state stores and package agencies and the depositing of sales receipts with the banks. It is now the practice of the auditors audi-tors of the Commission to audit large stores every 30 days and small stores and package agencies agen-cies every 60 days. For fiscal 1949 there were 676 violations of the liquor act .reported .re-ported compared to 615 arrests nade by the State Enforcement Division during the previous 'year. Of the 676 for fiscal 1919. 414 were for drunkenness or drunken driving, while 83 were for the same offenses during fiscal fis-cal 1948. Relatively few arrets for violations of liquor control provisions are shown by reports submitted by the courts offenses of-fenses such as sale by the orink, sale to minors, illegal procurement, and similar violations. viola-tions. These offenses accounted for 459 out of the 615 arrests made by the State Liquor En-foicement En-foicement Division during th-: " fiscal year 1949. However, the research report states that the record of the old Enforcement Division is not impressive. im-pressive. For three months of the election year 1948, .September, .Septem-ber, October, and Novemoer, clip IS enforcement officers mads a total of 50 arrests for all viola tions, compared with 175 for the same three months of 19-17. The Utah Foundation stud' notes that prior to January, 199. the Liquor Commission placed most of its orders for liquoi stocks through Salt Lake agents of the distilleries. The 1948 financial fi-nancial report lists 31 agents representing 44 distilleries or wineries through which a total of nearly $8,000,000 in liquoi stocks was purchased. The prominence of individuals with political connections in the lip) of agents suggests that such connections may have been their principal qualification for their appointment as representatives for the liquor firms. The Com mission now places all order:-directly order:-directly with the manufacturer. |