The Cordova daily times., 1921-09-22
America Wih Booze Ls Fast BecOn7inQ
 Great Mexican Industry

(By International News Service)
 MEXICO CITY. Sept. While i other sources of revenue of the Mexican treasury have been dwindl ing because of the closing of mines, the bad crops, suspension of opera tions in the oil fields, John Barley corn continues to be a pillar of the | financial structure of the nation. Mcxico's income taxes on alcoholic beverages is steadily increasing. During the past year the receipts were 15,0O0,0OO pesos, but they will be much greater this year as there is now what migAt be called an export" demand for beverages man, ufactured in Mexico.
 The liquors are chiefly "exprt- ed' across the border but without the knowledge of Mir. Harding or General Obregon Bootleggers and smugglers handle teQuila chiefly. be- cause this fiery liquor is acceptable to American taste. in the absence of anything else. while mescal and pulque do not appeal to the thirsty across the border except among the members of the Mexican colo. nies.
 U. S. Market Is Supplied
 As some of the border cities have large Mexican elements there is, of course, some smuggling of mes cal and pulque. but the real profit for the border runners is in tequila
 The prices obtained by bootleggers and other traffickers in "hootch vary according to the geographical conditions. Tequila Is lower at Fl Paso than in San Antonio. because the smuggler has only to wade across the river at Fl Paso to reach the market, while he must face the perils of q trip of a hundred miles or so 10 get to San Antonio.
 At Fl Paso quart of Tequila can be obtained easily for $3. while the price is $G and $7 a quart in San Antonio. In Mexico tequila made by distilers of reputation ranges in price from fifty to sevcnty-fve cents a quart. But there are even cheap er kinds.
 Some of the Mexican smugglers are as deft as magicians of vaudc- vile. A story is told of an Amari- can in a border city whose stock of beverages became exhausted He drove in his motor car to the shop of a captain of bootlegging in dustry.
 "I want a botu eof tequila." he said
 You already have it." replied the other. "I wouldn't be here if had a quart of anything"
 Look under the cushion" return ed the bootlcggcr.
 X corner af the cushion was lifted. Underneath was a bottle of tequilq.
 The smuggler had diyined the wis itor's wants and had thrust the bot tie under the cushion so swiftly that not one of the two or three men in the car saw him do it.
 DstIIeries Are Enlarged
 When he received payment he caused the money to disappear into his pocket with a swift motion which would have done credit to any magician of the stage
 When the United States lost it's revenue of about $SoO00O,O0O a year from distllers and rrewers. through the establishment of prohibition, there were wcavers of figures who predicted that Mexicos income from beverages would increase enormous ly. with the possibility that the increase would be great enough to pay all of MeXico's debts. with surplus for financing of the country This has not happened. It is a far cry from fifteen million pesos. or about $75OOO0O. to $500, ,OOO. .OOO. But there have been substantial gains. been enlarged. and new plants have been cnlorged. and new plants have been built, giving the Government | greater returns from these sources than in the past.
 While John Barleycorn's contribu- tion to the Mexican treasury is i'm portant in this time of depression, it probably never will reach the pro- portions predicted by anti.prohibition | propagandists