The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-20
WILSON MAY ASK
BONE DRY LAW
Members of Defense Board
Urge Nation Wide Ban on
Beer and Whiskey
TO INCREASE
FOOD STOCK
Brewers and Distillers Use
Millions Of Bushels of
Grain Every Year

Washington, April 20.--President vii
son, according to high administration
official, is favorabIy considering a rec,
ommendation made to him by members
of the National Council of Defense that
Congress be asked to pass an emergency
bill prohibiting the manufacture and sale
of whiskey and beer during the period
of the war.
! The recommendation, it is stated, is
being considered by the president in the
| light OF the saving of grain which legis.
| lation of this kind would effect,
as well as the effect which such action
would have in strengthening the morale
of the nation and increasing its produc-
tive efficiency.
| Should the president recommend such
bill to Congress, well posted leaders
OF the House and Senate admit, it would
probably pass.
Representative Howard of Georgia in
PRODUCED in the House yesterday reso-
luton demanding that the manufacture
of malt and spirituous liquors be pro.
hibited during the war, so as to conserve
for food purposes millions of bushels OF
grain annually made into liquor He
asked immediate consideration by the
Judiciary committee.
In the Senate, it is known, Chairman
Gore of the committee on agriculture, has
drawn up in tentative form drastic
prohibition bill. Leaders among the
"drys" in both Houses hail the proposal
as involving a golden opportunity to es-
tablish nationwide prohibition without
resort to the cumbersome processes of a
constitutional amendment. Few men in
Congress doubt that if such law was
passed as war measure it would never
be repealed once peace was declared
Friends of the administration and the
Council of National Defense, however,
make it plain that the proposal now nm
der eonsiderati ton is not for a moment
to be linked up with the prohibition
fight which has been waged for years by
the Anti.Saloon league.
Figures compiled by the brewers show
that they used 67,000,00O bushels OF grain
last year. The prohibitionists figure.
however, that 640,000,000 bushels of
grain go annually into the production of
whiskey and beer. While much of that
used in beer making is conserved in the
production OF by-product foodstuffs, that
entering into the manufacture OF whis-
key, it is stated, is a total waste.
So strong has grown the sentiment in
Congress for the enactment of such leg |
islation that recently committee of |
distillers and brewers appeared before |
the Senate agricultural committee and /
offered to indorse bill
the production of whiskey and
beer during the period of the war in
order that grain might be saved for
food.
From the standpoint of members of
.he National Council of Defense the
problem is an economic one, the seri.
BUSINESS of which has been increased by
he shortage In the wheat crop and the
act that extraordinary demands have
,ot to be made upon the grain resources
If the United States in order TO prevent
serious famine among the entente ma
ions.
Brewers OF the United States in the
asst fiscal year used 67,000,000 bushels
i grain. according to a statement is
ued yesterday afternoon by the United
states Brewers association,
The statement. put out in view of the
ublic interest in food conservation,
lists the grain used as follows: Barley,
8 100000 bushels; corn, 100000 bush |
Is, and rice, 100000 bushels.
This is about one per cent of all the I
rain produced in the United States"
he statement says, "and half of it is |
eturned to the farms for cattle feed
nd in the form of dried grain and by |
roducts.'
Another statement issued by the /
rewers, based on the United States in
ernal revenue reports, gave the amount /
t grain used in 1916 in the production
t distilled liquors as 20,74S,s92 bushels /
nd the quantity used in 1915 as l0,52s,-
30 bushels. The quantity of grain used
/ 1916 for the making of beer and other S
liquors was placed at $1,000.
No bushels