The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-09-11
MILLIONS OF BUSHELS
OF GRAIN RELEASED
Small Distilleries To Be Elm
mated, Especially
In Ohio

WASHINGTON. Sept. 7--Manutac
ture of whislIey will cease throughout
the nation at II o'clock tonight when
the prohibitiye clause of the food con
troll act becomes effective.
Millions of bushels of grain which
would otherwise be ground up for
How many millions, no one knows, for
the manufacture of alcohol for bever-
age 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.
OF the 100000,000 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 distil-
led beverage drinks. The remainder,
made into alcohol of exactly the same
characteristics as that used for whis-
key eventually finds its way into per-
fumes, toilet waters, bay rum, medi-
cines and to industries where dena
tured alcohol is used in ever increaS-
ing quantities
Approximately 11G,O00,O0O gallons
of whskey is produced each year by
American distilleries. Production of
alcohol by the same distilleries for
commercial and medicinal uses other
than beverages approXimates 1460OO,-
900 gallons. The manufacture of al
cohol for the latter purposes will con
tinue, as usual, probably in greater
volume and few of the larger distil-
leries, 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 100000 gal
Ions a year. Those in New Jersey and
Ohio, officials believe, will suspend
operations entirely. The California
plants, it is thought, will continue to
operate, in part, for the manufacture
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 whis-
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 manufacture of
whislicy at the time it usually starts
on large scale, the latter part of
September.
Stopping whiskey manufacture, in
stead of curtailing the governments
revenues, will increase them for the
next two years, officials believe. Coup
led with the operation Of the pending
revenue bill, the withdrawal of whis-
key from the stock already accumu-
lated win probably treble the rcvcn-
ues within the next twelve months,
as the present law imposes tax of
S1.1O and the revenue bill cOntcm-
plates a tax of $500 gallon. A stock
of approximately 230 100000 gallons
has accumulated in the bonded ware
houses and on the shelves of whole
sale and retail liquor dealers. APP
proXimately 19O,000,O00 gallons are in
warehouses and upon that quantity
the government will collect taxes as
it is withdrawn.
Few men will be thrown out of work
by the operation of the law. Distil-
leries now running will continue to
produce alcohol for commercial pur-
poses with little change in their fore
es. Upon this class of alcohol with
the exception OF alcohol for denatur-
ization, the revenue bill would i'm
pose tax of $2,20, doubling the pres
ent income from this source.
There are approximately 700 distil-
leries in the country, of which more
than half are small fruit brandy
plants The amount of capital invest
ed in the latter class is not great in