The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-13
|KTERBt.- REVENUE
 MEN 10 THROTTLE
 HOME BREW CLAN
Report Insists Hops and Malt Sales to Individuals Will Be Placed Under the
 Dry" Ban
By Associated Press

| ternal revenue bureau. in formal state
 rnents today, confirmed reports that a
 crusade against home brewing of all coholic beverages is planned by the
 governments prohibition enforcement agencies. The bureau did not reveal,
 however, the methods it proposed to
 employ in the campaign nor admit that | 1t had approved preliminary instruc-
 tions by Prohibition Commissioner
 Kramer directing that sales of malt
 and hops be restricted to bakers and
 eonfectioners.
 "If malt extract hops, isinglass gelatin or other materials are so sold or advertised for sale in communities which show that they are advertised or 1 sold for use in the unlawful manu- faeture of intoxicating liquor" said a statement issued tonight by Commls- sioner. Williams of the internal rev enue bureau, it is the purpose of the l ing.
 "The so-called home brewed beer
 manufactured in the home for beyer- age purposes, even though for the sole use of the family and bona fide guests, l is, under the bureaus construction of the law, illegal and the sale of ma terials for the purpose of such manu- 1 fracture is likewise illt.Sal"
 RUMOR NOT DENIED Commissioner Kramer was still ab- sent from the city tonight and no au- thoritative statement in the nature of such instructions as he has already is- sued in the anti-home brew. campaign n was obtainabie. The statement of the federal prohibition director of Ohio, however, that he had received instruc- 1 tions from MT Kramer to prevent sales of malt and hops except to bakers and to confectioners has not been denied 1 by the internal revenue bureau, all though it is understood Commissioner Williams has not yet approved these specific orders.
 There was an apparent difference of opinion between. officials of the bu- reau of internal revenue and Comnis- : sioner Kramer's staff of advisers as to the powers granted under the Vol stead act with respect to prohibiting tue sale of articles employed in the | manufacture of beer at home. Com 1 missioner Williams conferred during the day with aides familiar with the
 act and this was followed by numerous other conferences in the bureau. the nature of which was not disclosed. OIIIllAf<o AfNE oIiIINl l officiais of the prohibitionsunits de- clined to dssepsls aYy phase ftha qsaosz I ton. Assistant sCommissioncr Biyes of the prolli bition staff was amond those who talked with Commissioner Will Hams. but neither would say what con clusions were reached.
 The only information obtsinable at prohibition headnuarters indicated that the order restricting the sale of malt and hops, to which the Ohio director referred, were in the form of confi- dential instructions sent to all enforce i ment officers. This method is com ,non1y employed by Commissioner Kramer in all orders issued, no pub iicity being given to them except in unusual cases.
 Commissioner Williams statement declared it had never been the pur pose of the internal revenue bureau to interfere with any legitimate bnsi- ness. but added that there appeared to have been a misunderstanding as to the right to manufacture malt liquors even for home consumption "In connection with the so called
 homo brewed beer the statement continued the impression seemssto pre- vail among some people that materials which ordinarily are or may be used fin the manufacture of intoxicating liquors may be sold freely and legally. even thop.sii sold for the purpose of making intoxicating liquors. When such materials are sold for the pur
 pose of being converted into lawfully manufactured intoxicating liquors, such transactions. of course, are legal ! if the law and regulations with refer ence to such manufacture are com piled with"
 HOME BREW SPREADS The commissioner cited provisions of the law which state specifically that
 articles and contrivances .intended' to
 be used for the manufacture of liquor cannot be sold except under permit It
 was indicated that prohibition officials
 believed fhey could restrict the sale of
 malt and hops under these provisions,
 Frequent proof has come to prohibi-
 ton headquarters of the rapidly in-
 creasing spread of home brewing
 among all communities. Officials have
 said 1t WIS becoming the hest method of circumvention of the law, but have felt powerless to check if. The at
 tempt now to control home brewing by
 restricting the sale of articles to be
 used in the home manufacture of in-
 toxicants was regarded as the most ex-
 ,treme> step yet taken by enforce ment
 officials.