Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-07-05

Great Lakes plant ~ aer,.rcn
with prohibition in Detroit cenv!nSeSSH
him that prohibition was not harmful
but immensely benehcia! and even IS
sential to the success OF the war snip-
Mr.. Hurley. do you, publish the the
Emergency Fleet News Z! asked oen-
ator Kenyon.
..Then statements therein are relia-
"rhey should be-"
Il want to read from some issues OF
that paper" continued I . senator xo, to re-
member that the PACIFIC Coast snip
building yards are practically all under
prohibition. Here is the issue Tor
March H. It says no,h s1i' issue ses has
the head, Workers on Coast Show Fine
Spirit The April 18th issue says, IA
cine Riveters Lead in averages. Inc
May 9Th issue has table showlns Is
/ find that the records were held py
skinner & Eddy in the prohibition state
Of Washington. and by the Union Iron
Works. also out that way;
Mr.. Hurley admitted that emciency
in the dry states was at top notch. but
said that the workmen in those YARDS
were Americans. 1t was revealed that
o65 ship workers are in dry territory
and as,l57 in wet.
Again Mr.. Hurley was questioned;
Isn't Mr. Piez at the head OF your
Emergency Fleet Corporation?
He is the Vice-President.'
Testimony by Mr.. Piez before the
Appropriations Committee of the
House of Representatives was read.
This was to the effect that on the
Pacific Coast, under prohibition, the
workers have shown q ton output OF
twenty as compared with sixteen for
the wet Eastern yards and ten for
England.
Again Mr.. Hurley impressed the
fact that he was only stating an
opinion. There is no doubt of the
efficiency of workmen in dry terri
tory" he said. 1t was also brought
out that many ex-bartenders and
saloonkeepers were now building
ships in dry territory and getting top
wages. Mr.. Hurley said that many
of the men were making from $50 to
s75 per week. and yet you still
think that they would be disaffeced if
heir beer were taken away from
them" remarked a Senator.
Postmaster General Burleson testi-
fed only because he had been
smoked out" He had been working
against the measure behind the
scenes, and it was demanded that he
come out into the open. His testi-
mony hurt the wet case greatly
Mr.. Colby, of the Shipping Board,
expressed great regret because his
testimony for the vets appeared in
the Washington papers as an adj
vertisement. He said that the Wash
ington Post had informed him that
the Washington Times had sent the
ad over and that it had been paid for
by Bob" Grain. The Times is vio-
lent pro-beer organ, and Grain is
brewery attorney.
All in all. the hearing before the
\ Senate committee was a damning
! demonstration of the manner in
which the booze interests get to"
government officials and those in
\ position to influence legislation-and
VOTES.
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels gave
! straight, clean cut, well wra pped- up
I testimony in regard to actual facts
within his personal knowledge. At
no time did he express All opinion
without citing the place where that
detail the circumstances that shaped
it.
The so-called dry order in the
navy has improved efficiency in every
particular and is now approved al
most unanimously by the naval Of
ficers. even those who resented it at
first" he said. And l make no dis
tinction between the men who are
building our fighting ships and those
who man them. The ship workers
are just as patriotic as the fighting
men. Most Of the workers are sober
men, but in every case where a ship
building community has gone dry
we have noted increased efficiency.
Two notable cases were Mare
ISlanO, California, anu new pOIt,
Rhode Island. Conditions at these
places were deplorable until they
were made dry by zone order.
They are very important yards in
deed When the order was issued at
Mare Island there We're many pro-
tests and predictions that the work.
ing output would be decreased. The
men who objected at first now ap-
prove the dry order, and efficiency
! has steadily improved, with the re-
suit that we have secured an in
creased output. Recently, since the
dry order, the Mare Island yard es
tablished worlds record in the time
required to launch a destroyer.
ALSO, | want TO say that not a
single workman has shewn disaffec-
ton because Of prohibition. They
have shown themselves just as
patriotic as the soldiers and sailors.