New Britain herald., 1923-02-26
PR0HlBITlON CASES FAKE 70 P (.
 OF TIME OF CONN., DIST ATTORNEY
Number of Liquor Trials Pending Is Increasing Daily All Over Country, Records Show.
BY GEORGE IT. MANNING tMsshlnEisn Bureau af New Britain HsFsidl,


 Washington. D. C., Feb. ss.-Pro hihition eases occupy forty per eeni Of the time of the district attorney fol Connecticut, FoFty-fouf per cent ol the time of all the district attorney. of the s6 federal districts is taken UT 1by eases arising under the national Fdry law,
 In addition to the ss.s5o. .00e apnro, priation for the prohibition enforce ment bureau, one third Of the annual Appropriation for the activities of the department of justice goes for pay. ing the expenses of prosecuting via- iators of the volstead act. The total amount expended by the federal gov- ernment in enforcing prohibition is then in excess of tit.ooo.Oe0 ans nually.
 The number of liquor cases penf- ing and undisposed Of in the federal district courts of the country is in- ereasing daily. On July 1. 1929 there were is.so7 cases pending-7.o .ono more than at the same time In 1921. IL is estimated that at the present time between e5.ooo and 3o.oo0 booze cases are on the dockets waiting dis position.
 These and other startling facts re- garding the cost, in both time and money Of enforcing national prohi- bition, arc disclosed by the testimony of officials of the department Of jus tice before the house appropriations committee.
 Tn the hearings Of the sub-commit- tee in charge of the third deficiency bill. just reported io the house. members of the committee auizzed spokesmen for the judiciary department as to the responsibility for the vast increases in the expenditure of the department of justice.
 In 1916, the expenses of the de- partment were about $10.o0o, o,o00. Last year they were about $18,o0o,000. At least $5.000.000 of the increase is att | tributcd directly to the prohibition | avs. The deficiency bill just sub nitted carries about s1,700,o00 for the department of justice. additional Q the regular appropriation for the present fiscal year. Of this amount lbout half is due more or less direct- y to liquor cases. The total account by the government in fines md forfeitures in prohibition cases is bout S2,0O0,000 annually.
 As rule. the states that were dry ,efore the enactment of the Volstead aw furnish most of the prohibition york for district attorneys and their ,ssistants. In Maryland. wet state, the per- entage of time spent on prohibition ases is 50 per cent: in New York the ranges from 21.5 per cent n the southern district, which in- ludes New York city. to so per cent n the northern district. In Massa- husetts the percentage is 30.
 The southern Alabama district is lighest. with 90 per cent of the time f the district attorney devoted to rohibition enforcement. Kansas 1akes the best showing. with only CT cent. Minnesota, the home state f Mir. volstead. shows 60 per cent of he time of the attorney given to ooze cases. The table furnished the house com ], littee by MT. Kennard, administra- : ve accountant of the department of :, lstice, shows that prohibition in dis jet attorneys offices have forced all {. .her prosecuting business into the : ackground. For the entire country the time of : lch offices is spent as follows: Prohibition cases, A per cent; in 'rnal revenue cases, 10 per cent; :, ostal cases. II per cent; acts to regu- . te commerce. z per cent, and all :, her cases. 2S per cent. For Connecticut the figures are as 'llows: Prohibition cases. 40 per ' mt; internal revenue cases, 20 per ' mt; postal cases, per cent: acts to :, .gulate commerce, per cent, and :, other business, 33 per cent. u