Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-17
NEW MOVE BLOCKS
BREWERS EFFORTS
Can Get No Revenue Stamps
for Beer With Kick" Made
Since December I
FORCE MALTSTERS' HAND

The United States Internal Revenue
Office is refusing to sell revenue stamps
to brewers who attempt TO sell beer
manufactured since December |. 1918.
which contains more than - Of | per
cent alcoholic content. according to Col
lector Ephraim I.cderer.
ANY efforts by the brewers to put
ont beer Of greater alcoholic content
without the stamps attached to the bar
rels and which is received and sold by
the retailers will BE- q violation of tho
law and will be reported to the United
States attorneys office for immediate
action" he said today.
Big Social Center Scheme
simultaneously with tho announce
meut of the method Of forcing the
brewers to obey the wartime prihibi-
ton law, comes the announcement from
the federal boards of the Episcopal
Church that $50 900 900 is to be raised
in the next three years, the greater
part of which will be used to provide
substitute social centcrs 10 take the
place of the saloons.
Bishop Rhinclandcr and John s.
Newbold. of this city, are members
of the executive committee of the
boards.
Mr.. Ledercr's action followed receipt
Of n telegram from Commissioner of
Internal Revenue Daniel G. Roper.
ordering him to report any violations
of the law to the federal attorneys for
immediate action.
Can Make. But Can't Sell
Under the Presidents proclamation
of March 4. 1919" Mr.. Lederer said,
'thc brewers have the right to make
beer in any strength, SO long as the
alcoholic content is reduced to require
ments before being sold. There is no
restriction on the brewing of the beer.
The restriction is only on the selling"
There are fifty three brewercs in the
Philadelphia district. five in Bcrks
county. five in LchiGh. eight in Schuyl-
kill and thirty five in Philadelphia
county.
Mr.. Roper's telegram follows:
Report to the United States dis
trict attorneys Office at once for prose-
cution all brewers who have been SELL
ing more than one half of l per cent
of alcohol which was made after De-
cmeber 1 Of last year
Niolators of this ruling face two
year Jail sentence and $4,000 fine.
All Face Prosecution
Virtually every brewer in the city
faces prosecution. according to G. w.
Bergner. president of the Philadelphia
Lager Beer Brewers Association.
This is certainly news to me-" he
said when informed of the action of Mr..
Roper. He said that the brewers have
taken the advice of Elihu Root and Will
liam D. Guthrie that beer containing
30 per cent alcohol is nonintoxicat-
ing. The laws do not define the amount
of alcohol necessary to make q drink
Intoxicating, he added. and the question
will have to be decided in the courts.
"Nirtually every brewer in the CITY
has been selling beer containing more
alcohol than the government stipulates.
The only ones that haven't are those
who had a. sufficient amount on hand,
brcwed before December I ~
Harry A. Poth, of the Frank \. Poth
Brewing Company, declared that the
brewers will welcome a test case.
Commissioner Roper reversed himself
in Louisville. Ky, in speech last
night. when he expressed the opinion
that Congress will pass an enabling act
for the enforcement Of prohibition, ef-
fective July /. Last week he attempted
to shift responsibility for the enforce
ment Of war time prohibition to the
United States attorneys. saying that it
was not up to the Internal Revenue De
partment or any other government
agency.
Relief for WOrkinsman
The action of the federal boards of