New Britain herald., 1917-06-23
COMMUNICATED
WRITER WANTS ACTION.

v
 WRITER WANTS ACTION.
 shows Where Can Be Found Three
 Hundred Million Busheas of 1Oeseaas.
 The department of agriculture pro- diets . shortage of 150,000 900 bushels of wheat In this years crop. On top of this shortage we have . greater demand than ever before for our grain products by those with whom We have become allied in great war.
 10000, 900 bushels of cereals were used last year by those who manufac- ture intoxicating liquor in this coun- try. Add to this 162,O00,0oe gallons of molasses, with quantities of sugar. and other ingredients. and we have the amazing total of 1000, 900. 900 pounds of various kinds of food stufts used in the manufacture of products that unfit us for the pursuits of peace or the successful prosecution of war. In addition to this we dnd that thou sands of tons of coal gre also used and thousands of men arc devoting thear labor to this worse than useless work.
 Tot this is not half the story. Eng
 land cries ''se0d us food supplies to relieve our needs, lest we psrish.' But. To. another 1oo.000,ooo bushels or grain are there converted into poi aonous beverages. France likewise pleads for aid. but hero again we find similar waste of food. needed to sustain life, at the most critical per- iod of the worlds history.
 England hears from her prime minister that the liquor traffic ts . greater foe than German or Austrian arms. The White Paper" issued in
 1s1b by the British government
 showed how drink was holding up re- pairs on warships, the transport of shells.
 Our governments advice to start gardens in our back yards, Is good. Wo cannot do too much, in that line. To conserve food in our homes b also most wise policy. It is in fact necessity to most of us while hour is $16 per barrel and other supplies in like proportion. But why should not our government which hes the power. stop tho tremendous waste involved
 in the manufacture of beverages that lead directly to disease. disaster. and death. It is excellent advice to save pennies, but 1t avails us little if we throw away dollars
 We will gladly help our allies to the extent of our utmost endeaver. sharing our last loaf with them to re- lieve their hunger. if necessary. But now is the time to conserve our own resources and also ask them to do tho same, by eliminating this wanton destruction of feods, which if per- mitted to continue, may lose us the AA ASs xwA11 aSaA blister the lives of thousands of sol- diers, sailors, and civilian wOrkmen in every allied nation.
 | Senators talk of. the. loss of $3s0.- GOO, 900 of revenue. Where shall we raise this amount if we prohibit the manufacture of liquor?" Is the query. We'll if no other means of fered they might place . tax to that amount on the food stuffs saved. Better yet, considering the fact that for every, dollar of tax received from this trafnc by the government about four dollars additional tax is paid to that traffic by the consumer. he could well afford to pay the $060. .o0O, ,O00. He would then have left $1.200, ,0O0,- 900 to help finance future taxes and buy government bonds. That .is one way out. There are still others one Of which will be mentioned later.
 The senators who represent Mil- waukee. worry about .,connsoation of legitimate business and tho great number of men who will be thrown out of employment When we recol-s lect that . million mon per year, is . low estimate of those we expect to withdraw from active labor and send to the bsttle front, and that there arc thousands of acres of land wait ing for the necessary labor to pro- duce crops thereon. 1t would seem that the mon now employed in the themselves to their own personal bet of the entire nation.
 All these contingencies will bo met in . simpler way if tho Mquor manu- facturers will turn their attontion to the production of alcohol for govern ment uses, which, according to their own trade journals, is required in vast quantities for the manufacture of smokeless powder. The liquor now in bond, or on the shelves of the ro- tailers estimated at 00.O00, 900 oal- Ions, could be redistilled for the same purpose.
 There arc plenty o& wavs to meet any emergency. that woule aIase. through the enacting of . national prohibition law, provided ws wish to lind them. The trouble is, thoee who oppose, will not look for the things they do not wish to seo.
 To return for a moment to the argument of confiscation of legitimate business; we find upon examination. that this legitimate business is built up largely through the oonfiscation of the laboring mans wages. None the less confiscated because it has been permitted by law up to tho present time. Such being the case the con- f1scation argument does not carry ex-