Evening star., 1926-11-17
RUM NEEDS MEAN
LITTLE TO INDUSTRY
Medicinal Supply Held Not
Sufficient to Attract
ii Old DistiIIers.

The proposal of Gen. Lincoln c. An
drews, prohibition chief, to have dis
tilleries resume the manufacture of
liquor for medicinal purposes means
little to the industry--or former in
dustry-in general, if conditions in
Maryland. once one of the principal
centers Of production, may be taken as
criterion.
To begin with. a survey in that
State shows that only two plants still
are equipped to get right down to busi-
ness and there is not an over amount
of enthusiasm 10 resume operations,
due to the financing that would of
necessity be involved, and the Govern
ment red tape that would be en-
countered.
Again, unless a tremendous amount
of liquor was allowed to be produced,
only n few distillericS would be re-
uuired to operate, and these not for
long.
Gen. Andrews estimated that the
needs of the country are about 3,0OO,-
900 gallons yearly. which would allow
for one-third leakage" by evapora-
tion and other causes. If production
Of even as much as 1o years supply
was permitted. II is held that some
of the larger plants could take care
Of this III relatively short time.
There were 38 distillerles IN oper-
alton in Maryland previous to the
passage Of the National prohibition
law, but now only two are in a con
dition to resume operations within
40 days. one located in Baltimore
CITY, and the other in Baltimore
County. just owe: the city line. The
Gwynn Brooke Distilling Co. and the
Hannis Distining Go. Of Baltimore are
the only two plants Of the 3S that
have not been d.smantled.
While these two dstIllerieS, the
former having a daily capacity of
800 gallons, and the latter of about
$4,000 gallons, could start operations
within 10 days, It is doubtful If either
would resume operations, it is said.
Practically al the rest Of the plants
of Maryland Cistilleries have been dis
mantied or sold and are now being
operated for other than GiStllllng pur-
poses. The Sherwood Distilling Co, the
Nelvale Distil.ing Co, the Baltimore
Distilling Co, and the Pikesvilie Dis
tilling Co, plants which are located in
Baltimore City, while having been dis
dismantled could be put into cond1-
ton to start operations againt within
30 to so days. Securing the necessary
capital to equip the plants, however,
ing to former distillers there.
'In the first place" said the presi-
dent of n former large distiliery com
pany, 1T is extremely doubtful If the
necessary capital could be secured 20
equip the plants and start o"eration,
as whisky could not be put on the
market under four years, and few
men with the necessary capital want
to have their money tied up that long
before realizing on It.
I'm addition the Government regu-
lations and red tape; in connection
with the manufacture of whisky make
it an extremely dangerous financial
proposition as far as operating legiti-
mately is concerned, and there IS no
guarantee from the Government that
permits issued today Will not be re-
voked within a short time should
there be a change of officials in the
prohibition bureau"
This appears to he the sentiment
among former distillers. The presi-
dent of one Of the distilleries which
are still intact declared that he could
start operations within 10 days,
but, said il was unlikely that he
would do SO under existing conditions
unless the Government would guaran-
tee that his permit would not be re
yoked within a period of at least five
years.
Former distillers estimate there are
about 500 000 gallons of liquor stored
in Government concentration ware
houses in Maryland. The Gwynn
Brooke Distilling Co. which was the
last distilery in the United States to
cease operations, still has 10.500 bar
rels of whisky in storage, which was
made during the year 1920-1921 under
a special permit from the Internal
Revenue Bureau.