Imperial Valley press., 1914-10-10

grand CD total of 1856. Think of
it! Less than 1000!
To find employment for these 1000
persons would be an easy task if the
S26,0O0,O00 annual loss to the state
Ia burden needlessly borne by the
taxpayers) caused by liquor-made
crime, was invested in legitimate en-
terprises.
The well-known Chicago financial
expert, Roger w. Babson, says that
for every million dollars invested in
the liquor business only 95 persons
are employed, while in the other in
Gustries there sis an average of Asa
persons employed per million dollars
invested.
In commenting on the profits of the
liquor industry Mr.. Babson says:
when one considers only the fam
lilies which use beers and liquors the
cost must reach about 5000 per fam
lily. Most of this money goes to rich
interests, although large part of IL
is Used for extending the curse
through advertising the products, sub
sidizing retailers and controlling leg
islation. In other words, except 4
small amount paid for wages, this
great sum Of money goes either to
certain rich families or is used for
extending the habit for drink and de-
bauching politics. Moreover, from an
economic point of view even the labor
of the real wage earners engaged in
the industry is wasted, for such la
Dor might be employed in real pro
cuctive enterprises, were it not for
the liquor industry. Hence, | see no
moral, economic or social excuse for
the existence of the liquor traffic" 3"
From the foregoing facts and sta
tistics the following conclusions are
fairly reached:
California dry will not injure the
grape industry, but improve it.
California dry will not throw large
numbers out of employment, but will
provide additional work.
California dry will not injure bus
mess, but vastly improve it. The state
will be saved the huge sum of about
S26,000,000, now being annually paid
to take care of the evil effects of the
liquor traffic.
The wine industry, as shown by the
Fifty-ninth Report of the State Board
of Agriculture, is, comparatively
speaking, puny, sickly industry, oc-
oupying farm acreage less than .0O6
of the whole. In crop value it is only
about per cent of the total value
of all crops. 1t took fifty years to
produce about 100000 acres, while
California's young crop, cotton, pro-
duced $4,000 acres in three years in
g limited section of the state. As to
the future of the wine industry, the
outlook, according to Horatio f. Stoll
secretary of the Wine Growers AS.
sociation, is far from encouraging. On
Page 512, Volume II, of Horticultural
Bulletin, Mr. Stoll says:
"One of the most FERROUS difficulties
which we must overcome, if we hope
to compete successfully with France,
Italy, Germany and Spain and Por-
tugal in the wine market, is the la
Dor problem. This fall, pickers were
at premium in the vineyards, and
as result prohibitive prices had to
be paid to the Japg, Hindus and other
available help that could be pressed
into service.
but with the opening of the Pan
anna canal, it is expected that the in
fIux Of immigration from Southern
Europe will help to adjust this vexing
problem"
Now pause here just long enough
to recall that Professor Bioletti said
that the small grower of wine grapes
would be better off if he gave his
vineyard away and worked for the
man be gave it to. And yet we are
told that if California goes dry the