The Alaska daily empire., 1921-01-18

900 gallons of distilled spirits were withdrawn tax paid from bonded warehouses. On this basis. it was officially estimated that withdrawais for the year ending last Saturday night would exceed 43,000,00 gallons.
 Withdrawals Heavy.
 Such withdrawals are permitted for non-beverage purposes and pro- hibition officials are unable to check directly on the amount which finally is diverted to beverage use. MT. Kramer said, however, that large quantities are thus consumed and it is one of the problems of the bureau to restrain this transfer.
 InterLal revenue records show that for the fiscal year ended June 3O 1919, the last full year before prohibition, withdrawals for all pur- poses aggregated 81 ,600,000 gallons The records also show that with drawals for non- beverage uses dur ing tho months of that year aver aged. only about one fourth of the amount taken out of bonded storage fer drinking purposes.
 One of the principal problems en- cJuntered in the enforcement work Mr., Kramer said, is the variation l in the points of view of Federal at 1 torneys and courts. It has been diff 1 fcult to obtained interpretations ot 1 the law that are similar, he con tinued, while the infiction of penal 1 ties likewise has varied. Unite< States attorneys have differed as tC 1 the powers and duties of agents ant where there has not been majority of citizens favoring prohibition, Fed eral courts have dealt lightly with offenders
 Improvement Seen. 1 MT. Kramer believes, however that the second year will show i'm l provement in this connection also He said uniform plans of court pro cedure were certain to come and that as a result prosecutions would be better handled.
 Enforcement officials have struck | l snag and continually are confront ed with problems concerning the manufacture and sale of industrial alcohol. It has been q source oi daily trouble for the agents, the Commissioner declared. Rules ant regulations governing it's production end handling have been promul gat- ed from time to time, but in every instance, according to the bureau head there comes new flood oi complaints. These always require I new determination of what or what is not product that can be used as a beverage.
 "The bureau fully comprehends hol," MT Kramer asserted. It does not desire to hamper or hinder its legitimate use but there are so many persons who will drink any concoc- tion that has a kick that~we just have to be strict"
 Medicine with Kick.
 MT. Kramer said many manu- lecturers of patent medicines refuse to believe their prodnct has become popular prohibition beverage. They attribute the increase in sales tC an awakening of the people to the formulae's medicinal value
 But we know differently here, the Commissioner declares. ''Tho alcohol and not the medical portion contained in those bottles is the reason for their popularity So the kick must be taken out of such preparations or they must be medi- cated to point where the taste will not be pleasant.
 Our men have compelled manu- lecturers of some such medicines tC correct their products already ant the others will be taken care of as fast as we can get to them"
 The eonsuption of patent medi cines with a kick in them. how ever. has convinced enforcement of ficials, MT Kramer said, that the drinking done now is simply the satisfaction of the hangover" ap- petite He believes 1t is proof that social drinkings. the have-another- one-on-me kind of consumption, has