The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-20
WATER WAGON HAS
MADE LARGE GAIN
In Two Years, Seven and a
Half Billion Drinks
Went ''Shy."
REPLY TO TEXAS BREWERS
DRY PARTY CHIEF COMPLIES FIG.
UREs FROM THE INTERNAL
REVENUE ADVANCE REPORTS
HIS STATEMENT.

| HIS STATEMENT.
Chicago. Aug. 20-Drinkers Ia the
United States, from the chronic 'souse'
to those who occasionally and lightly
daily with the foamIng stein or the
sparkling wineglass. have gone shy
seven and a half billion drinks in the
| last two years. according to statistics
issued yesterday from prohibition ma
| iod !, i0S.OS men who were won't to
take an average of four portions If
grog each day have become total alb
stainers.
In the seven and half billion
drinks that We're missed had gone over
the bar for consumption they would
have cost S464. 449 ,997.15 at the regular
grogshop prices. while if they had been
poured into tank of sufficient capac-
ity they would have floated fleet of
battleships.
| The statistics were compiled by ma
tional chairman Charles r. Jones from
an advance report of the United States
internal revenue bureau for the fiscal
year 1909. and they were put forth as
a counter to the assertions of the Tex
as Brewers association that prohibit
ton never prohibits and that more IL
quor is sold in dry" than in wet
territory.
Statement in Part.
The assertions are contained in a
statement which reads in part as fol-
lows:
ON the basis of the oficial records
issued by the internal revenue depart
| ment for the four fiscal years June
20, 1905 to June 80. 1909. the astonish-
ing fact develops that the liquor traf-
fic during that time has come short Of
its expected sales to an estimated
aggregate total of 3S9OS7. S33.97 gal.
Ions Of spirits and fermented liquors.
The liquor traffic had been in
creasing it's output by leaps and
bounds for the years up to 1907.
''On a basis Of growth conservative
ly estimated at figures only equal to
the increase during the year 1905 AMI
1905. there would have been a total
| expansion of liquor production during
the two years from 1907 to 1909 Of
800 O6O. TOE. 6S gallons of liquor. Did
it happen? Well. hardly so you could
notice it. AS an actual fact during
those two years instead of gain
above mentioned, which might natur-
ally have been expected. there was an
actual decrease of SOyOO6.621.31 gal
Ions.
And here drop tear for the poor
alcohol mixer. For in just two years.
from June so, 1907, to June 30, 1909,
the total difference between expecta-
ton and realization was actually the
mere bagatelle OF 3s9,Os7 1887 gal
Ions.
No Beer Shrinkaqe.
''Of this enormous shrinkage from
expected figures of increase Of liquor
production, the whisky total is 37,ss2..
COZ gallons. while the beer production
in the same time shows a net sprink-
age of not less than 351 .204. 1851 gal.
Ions from expected developments.
This thirty-seven odd million gal
Ions of whisky means total of
l 1894, 130.359 drinks of fire-water. reck-
lining fifty to the gallon. a conserva-
tive estimate; and o,619, 267 ,631 drinks
Of beer, reckoning every schooner at
half pint. The cost of these seven
and a half billion of drinks Of booze"
reckoned at the current market value,
would have been not less than $464.-
449.997.15.
This is the sum the liquor traffic
two years ago might have expected
would pass through their tills in the
twenty-four months which closed June
30. 1909, but of which, sad co to re-
late, they have never seen a penny.
Suggests a Vacation.
Isn't it about time for the brewers
press agent and the whisky scribe to
take vacation till further orders?
Putting aside for the moment the
startling totals of expected increase in
liquor production. which did not ma
terialize in the last two years, we find
an actual drop in liquor production of
1908 and 1909 from the figures of 1907.
Of 14,657,329 gallons OF whisky and
2,142.e14 barrels of beer. That is.
there was an aggregate drop in LIQUOR
production for these two years of
2,045.9Si.6S5 drinks of distilled and
fernented liquors from the total for
1907.
Reckoning that the average moder-
ate drinker buys four drinks dav, the
figures show that the equivalent Of
1,40S,o9s men no longer patronize the
saloons as they did in the year ending
lima 3n 1oo-.s