Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-28

constitute them judges for life and
would equip them with court clerks.
| adding greatly to the cost. Another
| plan is 10 establish 70 or 10 extra
| judges, unassigned to any district.
giving power to the Department Of
| Justice to send them where most
needed from time TO time. Still an
other plan is TO appoint in the Gus
tomary way such additional judges as
appear to be required to handle the
business. This is the problem which
only Congress can solve.
x X = X
What progress has really been
achieved since the beginning of the
Volstead law? Mr.. Wheeler is author
ity for the following figures:
THE records show that prior to pro-
| hibition we consumed 10000. 900 gal
| Ions of pure alcohol annually in beer,
| So 900 900 gallons of pure alcohol in
whisky and distilled spirits. over
| 5000 600 gallons Of pure alcohol IN
| wine-a total of 1874, 900 600 gallons Of
pure alcohol.
Under prohibition 5000. 600 gallons
| Of specially denatured alcohol has been
| diverted to beverage use and about
| 10 900. 900 gallons of alcohol made or
consumed in struggled liquor, moon
shine and home brew. This is less
| than 10 per cent OF the former con-
sumption"
The gallons of pure alcohol must not
| be confused with the number of gal
| Ions of liquor-dry wines ranging
| from T. to II per cent of alcohol. Mr..
Wheeler accounts for vast quantities
of denatured alcohol used in automo-
| bileS for anti-freeZing mixtures.
| The increased consumption OF com
pletely denatured alcohol" said Mr..
Wheeler. has kept pace with the in
/ creased registration of motor yehi-
| cles." This accounts for 46,9S3,9G9
gallons.
Before prohibition the per capita
| average of liquors was 1857 gallons
per year.
III the 10000. 600 former drinkers
are still unreformed, the 10000, GEO
gallons Of possible liquor made from
diverted alcohol, plus an unveritied
100000 gallons from snuegled sup
| plies or moonshine sources, would
give each of the oldtime drinkers 3
quarts per year in place of the 1857
! gallons. If, on the other hand, there
are remaining today only 2.500,0e0
drinkers. occasional as we'll as steady,
there would be 10 gallons apiece for
them each year, or little over a pint
and a half week"
| When Gen. Andrews took over the
| enforcement he authorized district
managers to add to their forces and
the total sleuth force was quickly in
| creased from 1000 to about 1900.
Controller McCarl has warned that
| the expense is exceeding the appro-
priation, and at present there is in
| process a clearing out of about 1000
| of the least efficient men.
Mr.. Buckner. the New York district
attorney, challenges the Prohibition
/ Bureau to make known the "stupen-
| dous cost" of enforcement of the Vol
! stead law. Under the secrecy of the
bureau the statistics are not available
| from official sources, but Mr.. Wheeler
presents the following:
1.-The total expenditure through
the prohibition unit last year was $9,-
! EOS, 3S4.45.
1.-The total income from fines and
I 'orfeitures under the Federal act was
$3.50 .09116. The total of fines I'm
,osed was approximately Ss.o00,o00;
| ore of this will be collected.
! I'm many States 80 to 80 per cent
! If the cases were tried in State
| courts and fines collected there. even
y, hough the cases were brought by
| 'ederal agents
The maintenance of the Coast
;uard last year was s7,642,10 and
I his covered prohibition, narcotics
| nd alien smuggling. OF course, the
Coast Guard would have to be kept
| Up whether we had prohibition or
| lot. The additional cost in the De
| nartlnent of Justice was provided for
! Nv a special appropriation of $780,
! 900, but this was not all used.
I'm the States with prohibition en-
| forcement codes we have a better
| est of cost. In Ohio, State enforce
| ment cost S105,702; the fines and
| fcrfeitures amounted to $4,000
764''
Mr.. Wheeler adds: Even IL it cost
| $50 900, 900 a year, it would be a good
| investment to have this part Of
the Constitution, adopted by the
! largest majority Of any part of that
| instrument, fully enforced. 1t now
| pays back billions in increa sed eff
cheney and productivity, and this
would be still further increased If
| the law We're better enforced"
Copyright. 1926. by Paul V. CoLlns.l