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Show "The Nation's Drink Bill." In Its annual estimate of what It calls "Tho Nation's Drink Hill" the Amei lean Grocer, which must bo regarded re-garded as good authority, puts tho total to-tal for 1002 at $l,3(i'J,ot)S,27il. This, however, Includes an cxpendltuie of 10(),5.i:i,0ll ror coffee, tea and cocoa, leaving jl,17J,5ti.,23.-i for alcoholic beverages of all kinds and potencies. Since 1S0, It sajs, the use of alcoholic beveiages has nearly doubled, having increased fiom 10.0'J gallons par capita to It). IS gallons, a gain of over 0.1 per cent The ue ofthemlldcrstlmulants has not giow n so fast, that of colleo rising ris-ing from 8.78 pounds per capita to 13.. 37 pounds, a llttlo over 52 per cent while tea dropped from 1.30 pounds to .04 pound, a decrease of nearly 48 per cent. The record for 1002 represents a per capita expenditure for stimulants stimu-lants of $17.33 for the 70,003,000 lnhab-Itantsof lnhab-Itantsof the United States, or 4.7 cents per day. The users of alcoholic stimulants stimu-lants are estimated to form one-fourth of the total population, on which basis the per capita cost of alcoholic beverages Is $00.32, or 10 cents per day. Tho American Grocer concludes from Its computations that "the American pcoplo arc temperate In tho use of stimulants and that they arc not Increasing their use of such as tend to debase manhood, Increase our taxes, promote pauperism or stimu late crime." However, It will probably prob-ably not bo gain-said that wo would bo better olt In "mind, body and estate" If vvespent annually somewhat less than $1,173,500,235 for alcoholic beverages. |
