Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-07

lNoW II HloAos
future 49,
phu.deiphia bankers have given the~
ar.t indication o. a weakening fath III ln'
future Of the liquor business as see"' ~
for loana Many bankers have e'''e'
fused TO lend money to brewers 10 De p'a., -,.
back OF saloon, bottllng ana
licenses without irst-ciAss security OF NV
advised the brewers not TO back the l'ce''''
At alt ..,,,,
This information came out as a roSui'
~ an investigation conducted. oy un0
rrvrstSo LEDGER as TO the reason LOT ''o
tapurs Of so many saloons TO renew licenses
.his year Il was learned that the "1''o"
dated back to the advice Of banks that 'ne
..,veak sisters" as they are referred 10 J"
,he liouor business. be allowed to ole lot
lack Of money nourishment
EYES ON WASHINGTON
mi. elton &c due TO uncertainty as 70
What attitude the Government is lFely 10
take toward the use Of grain ior Iquor'
II Is regarded as outspoken evidenc" oil lhe
fear of bankers that the closing OF ue
heoweries and distilleres may be matter
for early consideration
The action OF the banks, and through
them. of the brewers iebulteu III tu' N'''''s
ef sixteen saloons two bottling places anu
siKht wholesale places Most Of these were
.closed because the breweries failed TINS
time to lend the owners sufficient money 10
take out their licenses on June l. q le"'
bovgeyer were closed for other reasons
one because the owner was going to leave
Philadelphia and one or two because the
owners had decided 20 cling to the money
they had gained from the business rather
than risk its being swept away In the
nlA 81 hntP MI Il In
Of the manufacture OF beer and whisky.
sink SWIM -oR-DIE" PLAN
Several bankers admitted to the EVENING
LEDGER that they considered this year that
the future Of the saloon was poor loan Sc
curty, not only for the banks but also for
the breweries which contemplated borrow
ing from the banks and lending to the saloon
men. Their advice was needed by the brew
ers and an agreement was made that the
saloon men who were unable to finance
their business themselves this year would
de dropped. II cannot be said that every
brewer agreed TO this, but most Of them
did. II is their intention 20 make the busi-
ness "sink-swim- -or-die" proposition from
this time on Several of the brewers admit
that this course decided upon. but that
some breweries have failed 10 live up to
their promise
AT least $50 saloons would have closed
II all OF the breweres that promised had
lived up TO their plan not to lend money 10
saloon men who are not making enough
money to pay their licenses said J.. r.
Hoffman, secretary Of the George EsslinEer
a Son brewery. There is no more logic IN
keeping a saloon going at a loss than there
Is in keeping any other place Of business
going. Why should the brewer pay the
losses of the saloon any more than any other
manufacturer should pay the loss of his
retailers?"
TELLS OF OLD POLICY
When Mr.. Hoffman was asked II the
banks had actually refused to lend money
with which 10 back the saloon men, he said
that his brewery could have secured an
abundance Of money on its collateral, but
that collateral had actually been asked this
time, whereas in the past collateral usually |
was not demanded.
our bank advised us not TO put cont |
back Of the saloons which were not making |
money" he said, "and we decided to take |
the advice. Local breweries have made It |
a practice to assist the retailers to buy |
presents for their families and otherwise 10 !
conciliate them, in order to keep their trade |
but the time has come when every mans |
product will have to stand and hold his |
business for him"
SALOON MEN BITTER
Edward c. Schmidheiser. president Of the !
Louis Bergdoll Brewing Company, said that |
his brewery had been forced to allow some |
care to tie up further money with them.
There is much bitterness among the men !
who failed and also among saloonkeepers
IN general toward the breweres for their !
action this year in allowing some Of their |
fellows TO go under The principal crti'-
cism is on the ground that the breweries
did not keep faith with the saloon |
keepers. This hinged, in most cases,
on the fact that It has been the habit Of
brewers for so many years to help the |
aa1n tsyI,gr bpI TOugppuautly
the saloon men fully expected help this
year and did not get out after money or
their own account early enough to secure
the necessary loans. The men who closed
their doors think the brewers should have
notified them some time ahead that they
were not going to give them backing.
BAD FAITH CHARGED
Joseph A. White, of lO2 South Second
street who is we'll known as a baseball
player. having played with Chattanooga in
the Southern League and with the Col
, legians, Of Atlantic City, asserts that the
Bergdoll brewery did not back him as II
promised
White says he was promised help up TO
$500 and that he raised the balance Of the
< money up to $1100 needed for the license,
but at the last minute did not get help from
the brewery.
Edward c. Schmdhcser president Of
Bergdolls, says that the brewery did
he promised to help him he would have
done so. He explained that in the past he
ha always taken the list Of saloon mon
whom he had decided TO help before the
board of directors at one Of their meetings
and asked them to make a loan. And he
says he would have cone this In Whites
case had he promised TO help him. Berg
dolls did not help losing saloons this year,
he said.
WILL APPEAL IN COURT
white is probably the only one Of the
entire list of men who lost licenses who
will make an effort TO have the court ex-
y tend his time and allow him TO pay his fee
now and reopen his place. He says he will
have no trouble getting the money. His
uiea TO court probably will be founded
Principally upon the fact that he had con.
f.derable difficulty In his family due TO the
continued illness OF hiS wife and the death
of his three.year-old daughter on Thursday,
May 81. the day on which he was supposed
70 meet the payment for his new license.
During the course Of the five or six
months ne has bee, liz he saloon business
White has had some strenuous fights with
the brewery interests In the first place