The Washington herald., 1918-07-11
Fuel Heads Order Curtail-
ment Of Supply, as
Nonessential.
BEER FOR 6 MONTHS ?
Beverage May Be Manufac-
tured Till Materials on
Hand Run Out.


facture of beer has been struck in
the United States, not by prohi-
bition action in Congress but by
an order from the Fuel Admins
tration, acting with the Food Ad-
ministration and the War Indus
tries Board.
There may be beer in the coun-
try for six months to year
longer, but after that none until
the fuel, situation improves, prob
ably none until the close of the
war. After that it will be up to
Congress.
And with the passing of beer
will go all the near beer, the malt
extracts and other limitations made
from cereals. The order is not a
prohibition measure in any way.
A Conservation Measure.
1t Is a conservation proposition. and
the first 100 per cent restriction on
a nonessential industry. 1t will free
the great stocks of coal used bv re
cereal beverage people for war in
dustries, the huge r. Titles of their
cereals for strictly food uses and
their employees for work in essential
Industries.
1t will be followed by other 100 per
cent restrictions from the Fuel Ad.
ministration against nonessentiaI in
dustries, in each case with the CO.
operation of the War Industries
Board and, where food materials are
concerned. of the Food Administrs-
ton. And in each case the u. s.
Employment Service will step in to
direct the future employment of the
men thrown out of work by the
shut down.
How Brewers are Hit.
The brewers had recently completed
a voluntary agreement with the Fuel
Administration by which they would
operate on a so per cent basis, getting
half their normal supply of coal.
BY the new order they will be per-
mitted to operate on this basis until
they have used the materials in pro-
already MANUFACTURED. Aftr this is
cess of manufacture. including malt
already manufactured. After this is
exhausted no more coal for them,
which means no more beer nor near.
beer.
Estimates on their present sup
ply of manufactured malt run from
six months supply to ten months.
The cereal supplies of the near
beers will not last so long, and the
dry states where near ber Is per-
mitted will be out of that beverage
before the wet states are out of
beers.
This Is merely another step In
the program Of curtailment of non
war industries" said Fuel Admin
istrator Garfield. THE program was
begun several months ago and is
necessary in order that coal may be
Immediately delivered to war indus
tries and to sections of the country
remote from the mines"
The brewery industry consumes
about 100000 tons of coal a year
Much Of this will be detected to
New England, which gets most of its
coal by water and whose water ship
ments are at this time far behind
schedule.
A reorganization Of the Newport
News -shipbuilding methods will per.
init the handling OF an additional
100000 tons a month, DR.. Garfield an
nounced this week. This coal will
take up part of that slack, and the
Railroad Administration reports thai
30 more cars a day can be passed
through the New England gateway
Much Of this will come from the coal
freed from the breweries. The New
England waterways are closed By
winter and the supply must be forced
in there before the heavy frosts.
Auto Making Reduced.
Investigation of other non-essential
Industries Is being made with a view
TO their coal. material and labor cur
tailment. The automobile industry
has been put on a 4 per cent basis
by % per cent coal curtailment
and committee composed of C, II.
Woolley, Edward Chambers Pierre.
pone B. Noyes. Theodore F. Whit.
marsh, and Edwin B. Parker. of the
Priorities Board, and Prof. Edwin F.
Gay, statistcian, is to report further
surtailment of othe non-essential in.
dustries to the Priorities Board. whict
viii advise the various administrators
who viii issue the curtailment orders
in their dena rfrno1f,