The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-09-12
STOP WHIsKEY MAKING.
The PrOhibitive Clause of Food Con.
troll Law Effective.

when the prOhibitive clause of the
food control act becomes. effective.
Millions of bushels of grain which
would otherwise be ground up for
whiskey will thus be released for food.
How many millions, no one knows, for
the manufacture of alcohol for bev-
erage purposes is so closely blended
with the production of alcohol for in
dustrial and medicinal purposes that
there Is no way of determining the
exact amount
or the 100, OOO,O bushels of grain.
or thereabouts. which goes into the
distilleries each year, about forty per
cent, experts estimate, comes out in
the form Of whiskey and other distill-
ed beverage drinks. sThe remainder,
made into alcohol of exactly the same
characteristics as that used for whis-
key, eventually finds it's way into per-
fumes. toilet waters. bay rum. medi-
cines and to industries where denatur-
ed alcohol is used in ever increasing
quantities.
approximately 116,0OO,OOO gallons
of whiskey is produced each year by
American distilleries. Production Of
alcohol by the same distilleries for
commercial and medicinal uses other
than beverages approXimates 146.-
100000 gallons. The manufacture of
alcohol for the latter purpose will
continue as usual, ,iprobably in greater
volume, and few of the larger distiller-
les. If any. will have to shut down.
The class Of distilleries which will
be put out of business is composed al :.
most wholly of small plants operated
by from one man to half a dozen men,
located in California, Ohio and New
Jersey and. producing brandy from
grapes, apples and peaches. These
produce approximately 1000, ,0cn gal
Ions a year. Those in New Jersey
and Ohio, officials believe,swill sus-
pend operations entirely. The Cali
fornia plants, 1t is thOughf, will con-
tinue to operate. in part, for the man
ufacture of spirits for fortifying sweet
wine.
So far as officials here can learn,
there are few distilleries in the Unit
ed States. with the exception Of the
fruit brandy plants. producing wills
key at the present time. Summer is
the off season for whiskey produc-
tion. which is confined almost wholly
to the winter months. the early spring
and the late fall. The cessation of
active whiskey production. therefore,
at this season Of the year. IS largely
theoretical. but the Operation of the
law will prevent the manusa cture O:
whiskey at the time it usually starts on
a large scale. the latter part of Sep
tember. 81
Stopping whiskoy manufacture. in
stead Of curtailing the governments
revenues. will increase them for the
next two years. officials believe.
Coupled with the operation of the
pending revenue bill. the withdrawal
OF whiskey from the stock already ac-
cumulated will probably treble the
revenues within the next IL months
as the present law imposes tax Of
s1.10 and the revenue bill contem-
plates tax Of $500 a gallon. A stock
OF approximately 100000, 900 gallons
has accumulated in the bonded ware
houses and on the shelves of whole
sale and retail liquor dealers. Ap-
proximately 100000 gallons are in
warehouses and upon that quantity
the government will collect taxes as
1t Is withdrawn.
Few men will be thrown out of
work by the operation of the law.
Distilleries now running will continue
to produce alcohol for commercial
purposes with little change in their
FORCES. Upon this class of alcohol with
the exception of alcohol for denaturi
zation, the revenue bill would impose
tax OF $2.20. doubling the present
income from this source.
There are approximately 700 disti!-
ieries in the country. Of which more
than half are small fruit brandy
plants. The amount of capital invese-
Cd IN the latter class is not great in
the aggregate. The capital invested
in the big producing plants amounts
high into the millions. Officials here
believe that losses will be more than
wiped out by the greatly higher
prices distilleries will obtain for their
product. already manufactured. In
the opinion of some officials wh:slcv
xartlI hA