The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-27
STRONG DEFENSE OF COCA-COLA IS MADE Johnson Says Governments
 Suit Is Not Just THE USE OF CAFFEINE The Alabama Manager Says That the Drug Is Used in Much Less Quan-
 tity Than in Tea, Golf
 fee and Cocoa

fee and Cocoa
 In an interview given here yesterday, Crawford A. Johnson, Alabama manager of the Coca-cola company, strongly in- inmates that the present investigation In Chattanooga being pushed by the feder- al authorities against Coca-cola is princi- pally because the company is of southern origin, and an enterprise not protected like those of manufacturers in the east. He says the allegation regarding caffeine is almost laughable when 1t is pointed out that 1S,0OO,00O pounds of that drug was consumed in other drinks during the year 1909, while only 10000 pounds was used in the entire manufacture of Coca-cola.
 In his interview MT. Johnson boldly de- fends the company and says that his in- forming the public as to the government action is prompted by a desire to give the people of this state an opportunity of seeing little of the inside of the ter rife fight the United States is putting forward against the southern industry
 His intemview follows:
 In the case now on trial at Chatta- nooga, where the government is attack ing the manufacturers of Coca-cola under the guse of a suit against 40 barrels and 20 kegs of Ccoca-coa," to q careful think CT there might be some doubt as to whether it is the desire to protect and preserve the health and welfare of the public or to injure the prosperity of a great southern industry. The only reason ascribed for fight made on Coca-cola is the fact that it contains a certain amount of caffeine. Were the fight being made upon all drinks containing caf- feine, then one would naturally conclude that the sole cause of the suit was the desire to protect the health of the Amer ican people,
 According to the reports made to the United States government, during the year 1909 the people of this country con- sumed 1S,000,000 pounds of caffeine in cof- fee, tea and cocoa. During that same year the entire output of Coca-cola con- tained about 10000 pounds of caffeine, and some of this Coca-coa was sold in Ha- vana and Canada. If it be presumed that all of the coffee, tea and cocoa was con sumed by S0,00O,000 of people, then each person took into his system 31a grains of caffeine every day. If it be presumed that the Coca-cola was consumed by 25,O00, 900 people, as large percentage of it was consumed in the south, then it will be found that each Coca-coa drinker took into his system about IS grains of caffeine in whole year. In other words, every yybn m tpn every five days as much caffeine as the Coca-cola drinker used in a whole year. The amount of caffeine in the Coca-cola output is arrived at by calculating ,1.2 grains of caffeine to each ounce of syrup, and passing the output at 3,OOO,00o gallons during the year 1909.
 Tt is wonderful that If it be the desire of the government to protect it's people from the use of caffeine, through Dr. Wiley. it should proceed so strenuously against Coca-cola, strictly a southern product and have not a particle of fight to make against tea, coffee and cocoa, which in the amounts consumed in this country in year contain more than 25O times as much caffeine as all the Coca cola made in the same year.
 Possibly some reason may be seen for failure to begin a fight against tea, cof- fee and cocoa in the fact that in the Coca cola company there is practically only Asa G. Sander of Atlanta, Ga, while in the other lines we have a Sir Thomas Lipton. Arbuckle Bros., Baker, Dunham, ard countless importers of tea and roast CTS of coffee.
 "The manufacture and sale of Coca cola reads almost like a fairy tale. About the first year of which any record of it's sale was kept was the year 1886, when It's entire sale amounted to the sum of 20 gal Ions. Steadily its sales grew until in the year 1909 they reached 3,o0o,O0o gallons. ually spread out and enlarged their busi- ness until today they operate factories not only fin Atlanta, but in Dallas, Tex, Los Angeles, Cal, Chicago, H.. Boston, Mass, Baltimore, Md. New York city, Toronto, Canada, and Havana. At almost every one of these points the company owns its own real estate and has erect sd handsome buildings Today Coca-cola 1t bottled by almost 400 concerns The largest and most prosperous of these are located in the south, and of those located outside of the south great per cent have been commenced by southern men and operated by southern capital. These plants represent an investment of from F5, 100000 to $1O,00O0O0, running from the small plant with an investment of 5000 10 the large plants with an investment of $50, GOO and more. Almost everywhere these plants are located their owners have fol- lowed the policy of the Cbca-cola com pany, although their business Is independ snt, and have invested their money in their own buildings and property, and have become factors in the progress of the town or city in which they are To- lated.'