Arizona republican., 1919-07-07
CHIEF CLAIM IF WET ADHERENT
 DIDN'T I PAN OUT
Distillery Employees Will Not Lose Work in Prohi- bition-Converted Plants to Hire More Labor Than Ever

One of the principal arguments of "wets'' for years, their great assertion in defense of booze-the claim that thousands of men employed in distille- ries would be thrown out of work by prohibition-has been exploded with resounding bang. Far from thousands of men being thrown out of jobs by the end of whiskey manufacturing, many more men than the distilleries were able to employ will be given jobs when the distilleries are converted into other fields of production.
 That is what a staff correspondent of the Kansas City Star found when he was sent to Peoria IL, a great whis- key manufacturing center, on the eve of the country's going dry. Instead of the old claim that thousands of men would lose their jobs with prohibition in effect an investigation brought him to the confusion that where the distil- leries Of Peoria formerly employed 800 men they will now employ double that number when they begin the manufac- ture of other products than w1iskey. The correspondent tells his story in The Star as follows:
 Prohibition Won't Bother Peoria
 Peoria is one of the whiskey manu- featuring centers of the United States.
 
 dustry of Peoria for years by those who figured only from the standpoint of the amount of liquor manufactured. Re- gently the revenue derived by the fed eral government on liquor manufactured here amounted to more than 20 millions annually, and the government has maintained a revenue department in this city for the collection of whiskey revenues.
 Yet the coming of prohibition will hardly be noticed in this city so far as it's effect upon the labor situation or the business interests of the state is concerned.
 The effect upon the labor situation is a myth, so far as it applies to the manufacture of whiskey for here in Peoria it is estimated that, with all the biz distiIleries in operation, only about 500 men were employed in it's manu- facture directly. This does not include the coopers engaged in the manufac- lure of barrels and kegs, which would add few hundred more
 Peoria will benefit, rather than suf- fer any loss. so far as the employment Of labor is concerned is the passing oi the whisl1ey industry. The distillerie: VIII all be turned into manufacturing establishments in other lines of indus try. and will give employment to double the number of men that have been en- Saged in the making of whiskey.
 Whiskey Plants Will Make Food One or two of the wiskey plants al feady have been converted into can. ning factories and jelly manufacturin. establishments. and in each case addi tional employment has been given t both and women
 Until prohibition became a settlet fact, and the distillers lost all hope O the ban being lifted, they were carefu to give out no statements as to wha the effect of the new order of thing would be on labor. week ago it wa admitted that the transformation of tn plants into other lines of industr would greatly increase the number O employees.
 ''But for the present" they said, "w do not care to give out any informatio on that subject"
 They were still hopeful that the ba against whiskey would be lifted, an they wanted to use the old argumen that thousands would be thrown ou of employment" by prohibition.
 Peoria is not disturbed by the situa ton. except as to the viewpoint of tn individual citizens who look with dis may upon the prospect of a dr country.
 So far as the old stock argument the -prohibitionists about "a army of employees being thrown ont jobs. Peoria smiles. It wonders how u distillers made the argument "go" $ long as they did in their fight again the day that will dawn tomorrow