The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-09-03
PEORIA Will NOT
BE STILL CITY
after SEPT, 8
Whiskey-M Making Center of
United States To Lose
Greatest Industry.


duration Of the war. On Sept. s at II
p M. the five great distilleries located
here, the largest In the world. will!
cease grinding corn for whiskey max
ing purposes.
The big plants. which have been
making 35 percent of the whiskey In
the country, are to close under the
National Food Administration law and
orders from Washington to Edward D
McCabe, internal revenue collector
here, are that all tubs in the distiller.
les must be empty Of beer as the
whiskey brew is called, by the ho.f
named.
Employ 1875 Men.
The five big distilleries recently
gave the following statistics of their
capacities:
Atlas-1o,oo0 bushels of corn daily.
200 tons of coal daily, 275 workmen,
100000 invested.
Clarke Bros. G. Co.-S,500 bushels OF
corn daily. 200 tons Of coal daily. 200
workmen, $3.50, 1000 invested
Corning Distilling Co.-10.000 bush.
els OF corn daily 225 tons Of coal daily,
$50 worken. $1.000,000 invested.
Great Western-16.000 bushels OF
workmen, $1.500.o00 invested.
Woolrer's-10,000 bushels Of corn
daily, 225 tons Of coal daily, $50 work
men, $1,000,000 invested.
Clarke Bros. & Co., will go out OF
business and Woolner's Distilling Co.,
and the Corning Distilling Co., will
close down. All three are Peoria in
stitutions. The Great Western Dis
tillery will continue to operate at a
small fraction Of its normal capacity
while the Atlas distillery will continue
as usual. as 1t Is not at present pro-
ducing beverage liquors. Both the
Great Western and Atlans plants are
part OF the so-called ''whiskey trust"
They will continue to grind corn for
spirits to be used for commercial pur-
poses under present plans.
Reports Are Denied.
The Peoria distiIleries manufacture
some alcohol for scientific and com.
mercial purposes" W. e. Hull, gee
eral manager for Clarke Bros. & Co.,
said. "but whiskey is the main product
A distillery Of large capacity cannot
operate on small scale at q profit
There haven't been enough war orders
from the United States or the allies
to keep more than one Of the distill-
cries busy and no new ones are In
prospect. Hence the distilleries must
close"
One August %. Robert D. Clarke,
vice president and principal stockhold-
or In Clarke Bros & Co.. announced the
company's distillery for sale.
I'VE are preparing to liquidate in
the shortest possible time" Mr.. Clarke
said I'VE have reduced our capital
stock and in order to liquidate in the
easiest way. have formed five smaller
corporations, each to take over some
part of the business and each capital.
lied at 100000"
Allied Orders OF.
Should the government require large
amounts Of alcohol for powder manu-
facture the distilleries will Immediate
ly reopen, but the owners are not ex-
pectIng any government contracts
Orders from the Allies have dropped
off in the last two years.
For several months the distilleries
have been running at full capacitcy
and using more than $4,000 bushels
of corn daily, so much interest centers
in the effect the closing of the big
plants will have on the corn market.
Farmers of Central Illinois probably
will feel the effect of the closing more
than others. for Peoria's market has
been an outlet for them for all their
soft corn. which distillers readily
bought up and which is not very useful
for purposes other than making whis-
key. Distillers say the farmers will
suffer dead loss on this corn
Labor does not appear to be in any
particular danger as a result of the
coming shut down, although more than
1900 men are employed in the distil.
leries. Older employees will be retain
ed by the two distilleries which will
continue to operate and some may be
kept to look after the upkeep OF plants
that will be closed. Even if ninty per.
cent OF the men. employed in the whis-
key making industry here lost their
Jobs there will still be room for them
In other big plants here.
War Jobs'll Get EN-.
Companies which manufacture farm
machinery and tractors are advertis-
Ing for men and concern which has
government contracts for caterpillar
engines, Is planning extensions which
will absorb every man forced out of
position by the closing OF the distil. |
leries.
Government gaugers and store-keep- |
ers probably will suffer most keenly. |
More than hundred of them are en- |
rloyed at the distilleries and many Of |
these have been in the work twenty |
years or more. A few are to go into |
other branches of government work, |
NUT most Of them expect to seek 9TH
er Jobs or else remain idle while the
distilleries are closed.
The local coal situation may be re-
1ieved by closing of the big plants |
which consume on an average Of 900 |
tons Of coal day, most of which is
supplied by local mines.
Uncle Sam Will Lose.
In money Uncle Sam probably will |
be the biggest loser, for he will be out
some S3O,000,000 year in internal
revenue taxes. Some idea Of what the
have been paying and the /
amount of whiskey they have been
making may be obtained from the fol-
lowing revenue figures for the past
five years, ending June 80. 1917:
Year Gallons Tax
1928 3O,35O,S4O $33,396. 923. 06
l913-14 29.S16,250 32,797.sSl16
l914-15 21,451,sO 1885, S9.Ss