The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-28
PERMITS TO USE LIQUOR ARE GIVEN WITH GREAT CARE
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liquors when the supply already man ufactured and stored in warehouses becomes insufficient for legitimate purposes. Mp to this time the supply in warehouses has been ample for all lawful purposes. A number of distil- leries have applied for permits, but they have been denied.
 Bonded wineries, however, are Cp- erating under permits to manufac- ture and furnish wine to the legiti- mate trade, bu; they must comply with strict regulations to prevent their product from passing into un- authorized hands The wineries now ope rating are mainly in California and western New York There are a few n Ohio and scattering ones elsewhere through the country.
 Tho occasional wine maker who, despite the hazard of losing his per init, may be disposed to divert his product to unlawful uses does not long succeed. A millionaire wine maker in California not long ago paid tlne of Sl,500 and was sen tenced 70 three months in jail
 The Few Licensed DistilIerIes.
 IndHstrial alcohol plants and bonded warehouses from which the entire supply of pure alcohol is ob- talned are also operated under per init. At the moment about 70 such permits are out though less than half of the distilleries holding them are active Of the active half, sev- eral are located in breweries engaged primarily in making cereal beVer- ages but recovering alcohol as a by product. The most important group Cf the active alcohol distilleries usinG cane molasses as the material from which the alcohol is distilled are located along the Atlantic sea board from Boston to Baltimore, and on the Cuff coast in the neighbor- hool If New Orleans. On the Pacific
 coast q group of distilleries are making alcohol from beet sugar mo- lasses. A third group is in the mid dle west, mainly in Illinois and In diana. These distilleries are off shoots of tEe old whisky plants and are making alcohol from corn. There is no essential difference between the product from mClasses and corn and all of it is classed as grain al 2ohol.
 While permits are issued from the office of the prohibition commits stoner at Washington, applications For permits must be made to the pro hlDltlon director of the state in which the applicant lives. The ini- tial decision IS to whether d permit shall be granted is thus made by an official who is in position to know the applicants personal standing in his community. After investigation thc stare director writes his recon mondat!on on the application and sends 1t to the prohibition commis- sloner in Washington. If the state directors recommendation is adverse the application usually is refused. Even if the director recommends that the permit be granted the com missioner may still refuse to issue it. and does refuse if additional facts in his possession justify it. Ordinarily, however, recommendations of state Girec tors are followed
 The IerEit when granted is not mailed to the applicant but to the state director If, since making his original recommendation the direc- tor has ascertained facts detrimen- tai to the applicants character, or if circumstances have arisen which make it appear probable that the a | ct hol miGh, be improperly used. the director may decline to deliver the