Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-09-07
LIQUOR MAKING
At AN END FOR
PERIOD Of WAR
SEVEN HUNDRED DISTILLEREES
CLOSE DOWN TOMORROW NIGHT
HARDEST BLOW EVER DEAGR
THE INDUSTRY.

WASHINGTON, D. c., September -
Manufacture of whiskey will cease
throughout the nation at IL o'clock to-
morrow night when the prohibitiYA
clause of the food control act becomes
effective.
Millions of bushels of grain shtetR
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 bever-
age purposes is so closely blended
with the production of alcohol for in
dustrial and medicinal purposes thae
there is no way of determining the ex-
act amount
OF the 00000,000 bushels of grain,
or thereabouts, which goes into the dis
tilleries each year, about forty per
cent, experts estimate, comes out IN
the form of whiskey and other distill-
ed beverage drinks. The remainder,
made into alcohol of exactly the sama
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 eyer-inereasing
quantities.
Approximately 11G00O,000 gallons
Of whisky is produced each year by
American distilleries. Production oE
alcohol by the same distilleries for
commercial and medicinal uses other
than BEVERAGES approximates 10000,
GOO gallons. The manufacture OF aleu-
hol for the latter purposes win con-
tinue' as usual, probably in greater
volume an few of the larger distiller-
les, if any, will have to shut down.
The class of distilleries which wifi be
put out of business is composed almost
wholly of small plants operated by
from one man to haf a dozen men, to
Gated in California, Ohio and New JeE-
sey, and producing brandy frnn
grapes, apples and peaches. These
produce annually approximately 2,00ns-
coo gallons a year Those in New Jer-
sey and Ohio. officials believe BIEA
suspend operations entirely. The CaIf-
fornia plants, it is thought, 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 United
States, with the exception of the fruit
brandy plants, producing whisky at the
present time Summer is the off-sea-
son for whiskey production, which is
confined almost wholly to the winter
months, the early spring and the late
fall The cessation Of active whisky
production, therefore, at this season OF
tie year, is largely theoretical, hUf the
operation of the law will prevent the
manufacture of whisky at the time il
usually starts on a large scale, the lat
ter part of September.
Stopping whisky manufacture, in
stead of curtailing the governments
revenues, will increase them for tae
next two years, officials believe. GoR-
ped with the operation of the pending
revenue bill the witsdrawal of whisky
from stock already accumulated WIZ
probably treble the revenues within the
next twelve months, as the present law
imposes a tax of $110 and the revenue
bill contemplates tax of $3.20 per
gallon. A stock of approximately 23@,-
100000 gallons has accumulated ia
the bonded warehouses and on the
shelves of wholesale and retail liquor
dealers. Approximately 190,Goo.9ea
gallons are in warehouses and upon
that quantity the government viii col
iect taves as it is wothdrawn-
Few men will be thrown out OF work
by the operation of the law. DistiE-
cries now running i'll continue to pro-
duce alcohol for commercial purposes
with little change in their forces. EpoG2
this class of alcohol with the excsp-
ton of alcohol for denaturization. she
revenue bill would impose a tax Na
$3.50, doubling the present income frSEEE
this source.
There are approximately 700 disttl
leries in the country, of which mars
than half are small fruit brandy pRxnrss
The amount of capital invested Tia fhs