The New York herald., 1922-01-08
TWO YEAR PROHIBITION
CUTS DRINKING so p. c.

Stotes az present ttat exports OF spirits
from Great Britain 20 this country and
TO Canada have increased enormously
within the last two years. In a similar
manner the exports OF wines from
France have increased. The details as
to these exports will be given later.
But even figuring practically all OF
the Increases exports OF Great Britain
and France as destined for eventual
consumntion in the United States, it is
impossible 70 arrive at figure that ma
teriaiIy increases the percentage already
gwen Considering all factors, 1t is only
possible to account actually for liquor
totaling about fifteen per cent. OF the
amount consumed IN the country before
prohibition.
There remains to be dealt with. then,
the illicitly made "hooch" and home
brew" Stllls have been found by officers
in all parts of the country and in all
sorts Of places There must be very
considerable quantity of liquor manu-
factured. sold and consumed, but now
much no one can say. Nor Is there any
way OF finding out how much moon
shine of the old sort is being made in
the Southern states. one guess Is al
most as good as another.
But r. in order TO be exceedingly lib
eral. one goes to the extreme and ar
hitrarily says that the illicitly manu-
featured HQuor is equal in amount 10
all of that released from the warehouses.
plus all of that which is exported 10 this
country by Great Britain, either direct
ly or through Canada, and all or that
exported TO this country by France. the
highest figure obtainable in another 15
per cent.
There can be no pretense that this
fnv Hcrltr
has the value of being liberal. And il
leads to this conclusion:
The total consumption OF liquor In the
United States to-day cannot bo more
than 80 per cent. of the consumption
prior to prohibition.
Judging from the reports sent in by
correspondents the success or failure
of prohibition in given localities de-
pends largely on the attitude of the
public in the particular locality. Pro-
hibition is neither popular nor unpopu-
lar In New York and in Chicago, for
instance, the ease with which the law
is violated and evaded is ascribed as
due, in part at least, to the general
apathy of the public. Prohibition is not
popular. On the other hand, in States
where the violations of the law are
not much more numerous than viola
tions of the homicide or similar laws,
it is reported that prohibition is popu-
lar; that enforcement has the active
support of the public and that officials
are responsive to the sentiment of the
ma iority.
1t appears, too. that there Is much
general interest just now in what pro-
hibition is costing the tax payers. This
is undoubtedly due to the interest
taken at present in all matters of taxa
tion. II is general knowledge that a
source OF much Government revenue was
shut off when the prohibition law be-
came effective. knowing that this loss
has to be made up, and is made up
many persons who are now more keenly
aware of their taxes than ever before,
want to know how costly to the tax
payers is the law against the manu-
facture. transportation and sale or in
toXicating liquors.
Heavy Loss I'm Taxes.
Prohibition costs the Federal Govern
ment more than $350.O00,000 a year in
loss Of taxes alone. There is, in addi-
ton, the heavy cost of enforcement and
the cost of the additional burden put on
the courts by reason of the activities of
the enforcement officers. The figures of
fiscal year before prohibition and the
last fiscal year follow:
| Year. Receipts.
I3lo ..s....s.ss N4li, ,SSS,'ii4
| lv@l ..................-... S-.623, i2s
-
decrease .-..s....-s....s.s... AOol ,-lOillo
These figures arc for fiscal years end
| Ing June 80. 1t is estimated that for
/ the calendar year 1921 the receipts Will
be about $70.00O.000.
Here is some furJner Information
about liquor taxes taken from a special
report Of the Washington prohibition
office:
Following the civil war the Govern
ment looked about for means Of raising
revenue. For the first time liquor was
taxed at the rate of 20 cents per gallon
and during the year 1868. S6.S05.4 AGA
was collected. Later the tax was in
creased TO 60 cents; still later to 81 a
gallon and in 1870 $61, ,925,221 was coll
lected. Production falling Off the Gov
ernmcnt reduced the tax to 90 cents a
gallon. then increased it to - cents.
on ronts at,d FINALLY n cf 10 al