Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-11-03
TOO STRICT
INJURIES LABOR
SAYS A. +. F. OF l..
Firm Stand Taken Against VOlstead
Act the Enforcement of Which is
Detrimental to Interest of
the Working People
By Thomas McCort

DY HOIIldS NlCSOII
Since the Denver Convention of the
American Federation of Labor, which
adopted resolution calling for modi-
fication of the Volstead Enforcement
Law, the officers and Executive Coun-
Gil of the Federation made an eX-
haustive investigation of the effects
prohibition has had on our country.
Prior to the enactment of prohibition
there were 1,347 breweries and malt
houses in operation. On January,
1922, there were only 297 in all, work
ing short time, from one to two days
a week.
There were approximately $4,000
union building tradesmen employed
the year aaround as maintenance men,
composed of bricklayers, carpenters,
cement fnishers, painters, plumbers,
plumbers helpers, steamitters, steam
filters helpers, electrical workers and
sheet-metal workers.
In order to give an idea as to the
extent of building operations by
breweries, we quote herewith the
amount of money expended on build
ing contract by one New York brewer
for a period covering one year and a
half, which amounted to $1,604,000
This work was done by outside con-
tractors, although the brewery proper
had 48 building tradesmen employed
the year around as maintenance men.
Today this same brewery has but
three building trades maintenance
men employed. In addition there were
thousands of union men engaged in
the manufacture of beer boxes and
fixtures.
The number of machinists, black
smiths, coppersmiths, and brasswork-
ers employed in breweries as main
tenance men amounted to several
thousands. Hundreds of union boiler
makers and helpers were employed in
replacing of flues and other repairs
necessary on boilers.
Billions of labels were used an
nually in breweries on bottle beer,
which were printed exclusively in
union establishments, affording en-
ployment to thousands of printing
tradesmen. In 1917 four breweries in
the United States used 549,733, 200
labels, costing $154, ,652.00. This does
not include printing of stationery,
shipping labels, etc. In addition to
this approximately $2,500,000 were
spent annually in printing of adver-
tising matters by breweries.
Over 100000 tons of coal per year
were used in breweries prior to the
enactment of prohibition, which gave
employment to many miners and to
all classes of railroad workers in it's
transportation. Estimates of the
United States Fuel Administration
gave the tonnage per car at fifty tons,
which would mean approximately
fifty thousand carloads of coal, moved
by the railroads from the mines to
their destination.
Approximately $110,000,000 worth
of farm products, such as barley,
corn, wheat, rice, hops, and rye, were
consumed by breweries annually, and
there were 133, ,666 cars used in trans
portation of materials used in brew
cries and in the shipping of finished
products. Today the use of materials
necessary to manufacture the little
near beer, amounts to almost nothing
in the way of transportation.
Prior to the enforcement of prohibi-
tion all contracts of Brewery local
unions with the employers contained
the following clause "Only union
made machinery and materials shall
be used"
This clause was rigidly enforced
and give protection to all other trades
unionists. In all there are forty-fve
industries manufacturing some artic-
les or materials used in breweries,
that were affected by prohibition.
The Executive Council emphasizes
that it seeks no violation of the
Eighteenth Amendment, but is trying
to obtain "a reasonable Interpretation
of that amendment, that the law may
be enforceable and enforced, and that
the citizens of our country may not
suffer from an unjust and fantical
Interpretation of the Constitution"