The Washington times., 1921-03-17
CANT LOCATE
FREED LIQUOR
U. S. Revenue Chiefs Puzzled by
Disappearance Of Huge
Supplies Withdrawn.

What has become Of the millions
of gallons of liquor removed from
bonded warehouses J by wholesale
and retail druggists before the ban
was placed against further with
drawals about month ago by the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue :?
PUZZLE TO KRAMER.
This is the question which is pug
zling the brains of Prohibition Com
missioner John F. Kramer and those
associated with him in the enforce
ment of the Volstead law. And these
officials have every reason to won
der, for they have not been able to
figure out that the number OF pa
tients" in need of medicine" con-
tanning a goodly percentage of alco-
hol has so increased as to wipe out
the visible supply Of intoxicants.
But although no explanation is
forthcoming for this seeming short
age in hard drinks" Commissioner
Kramer Is working upon regulations
which will once more open the doors
of the bonded containing
intoxicants OF various kinds, to the
pressing demands from retail drug
gists all over the country. who claim
that their supplies OF intoxicants
have become exhausted.
The best available information in
possession OF the prohibition authori-
ties in Washington Is that there
should be at the present time mil
lion and a half gallons of liquors
still in the hands of druggists, for
which no accounting has been made
to Washington.
WAREHOUSES TO OPEN.
whether this vast quantity has
fallen into the hands of bootleggers
or has found it's way into the private
cellars of the rich. has not been dis
closed by Mr.. Kramer or any OF his
band OF sleuths.
The Prohibition Commissioner has
directed a letter to all the Federal
prohibition directors stating that on
or about April /, 1921. the order
heretofore issued, to the effect that
no whiskey should Be withdrawn
from bonded warehouses, will be
modified to the extent of permitting
rtail druggists to make Withdrawals
Of whiskey from bonded warehouses
and from distillery free warehouses
This modification will not apply to
wholesale druggists, but merely to
retail druggists. The directors were
also informed that the new regula-
tions concerning the sale Of liquor at
Wholesale under the opinion of the
will, in all probabil-
ity. become effective about May Is,
at which time the applications of
Wholesale liquor dealers, as such. for
of their permits for the year
1921. will be disapproved.
1t will. therefore, be necessary for
the wholesale liquor dealers who have
the mselves in the light of this con-
action and legally dispose
Of said liquors between this time and
the 18th OF May. The said liquors
can be disposed of to a wholesale or
retail druggist holding permit au-
thorizing the purchase of liquor.
liquor dealers, however.
will not be permitted to obtain any
stocks of liquors.
On February I, 1921, there were
stored in the bonded warehouses
the country various kinds
Of intoxicants as follows:
whiskey. 4O,216,079 gallons: rum,
39S, 225 gallons; gin, s87.517 gallons;
high wines, 2,701 gallons; alcohol. s.
S14,64S gallons; neutral spirits. 463,-
731 gallons. and brandy. 663.143 gall
|ons
Coupled with this state of affairs
with which Commissioner Kramer has
10 wrestle, his force Of special
agents throughout the country has
been cut by $50, due to the lack Of
to continue their serv-
ces up to the end of the present fis-
al year. Mr.. Kramer must cut down
MS expenses by 5000, 900 between now
and July i. and he has been COM
oelled to drop from the pay rolls this
number of his agents.
UP to the present time, there have
been working throughout the country
Inder the supervision of Commits
,ioner Kramer a total of 1864 special
agents engaged in ferretjng out boot
eggers and other violators of the
dry" law. Until the new appropria-
ion of $7,1OO,O00 set aside by Con-
yress for the use Of the prohibition
unit becomes available
lfter July /. this number cannot be