1827 Wine and spirit adulterators unmasked

19

eighteen months credit ;

and, to those of his con-

nexion, who

(as dealers) have to sell it again, at an

advance only of from Is. to Is. 6d. per gallon ; but, when it is considered, that, with regard to the latter, very heavy bad debts* are frequently incurred, I do not think, at the very outside, the profits realized average more than from five to six and a half per cent, per annum ; and the only reason which I can conceive for the sale of an article (attended with so small and disproportionate a profit for so great a risk of loss) being continued, by those who sell it genuine, is, that, it frequently becomes the means of introducing the sale of other commodities, to which a greater remuneration is attached ; in short, it is what is usually denominated in the trade, a leading article. Having thus, however, shown what the cost of the article is, to supply it of fair arid genuine quality, (the correctness of which must be known to several, and may be easily ascertained by all my readers,) I will now proceed to give some examples, which will disclose to the public the golden secret, by which the placarding dealers are enabled to sell, as Brandy at 24s. per gallon, that, which costs about twenty per cent. more. * In many concerns I know it to be a fact, owing to the enormous advance of money for duty on Brandy, which renders a bad debt with this article extremely heavy, that, so far from gaining any per centage at all, upon a calculation of the profits and loss for a twelve- month, the loss has exceeded the amount of profits as much as ten and fifteen per cent, and, in some instances, considerably more.