The Washington times., 1928-12-26
WINS
$4,000
ON HIS
Plan

NE
NEW YORK, Dec. 26 tI.N.S.).-
Starve the bootlegger by curbine
the diversion of industrial alcohol
That, in a nutshell, is the key
to the prohibition enforcement rid
die as advanced by Major Chester
p. Mills, winner of the $4,000 prize
offered by W. C. Durant for the
best and most practical plan for
making effective the prohibition
amendment
Mills would suppress Independent
denaturing plants and inaugurate q
closer scrutiny of permits issued to
perfumers, manufacturing chem
lists and other large users of legally
manufactured industrial alcohol.
Major Mills put his plan into op-
Grafton wren he was Federal pro
hibition administrator for the New
York district in 1925 and 1927
Removed from office after a tenure
OF 16 months, he asserted at the
time that he had been hampered
by politicians and had not had a
chance to consummate his planl
Student Wins $1,000
The plan of Malcolm ID. Almack,
Palo Alto, Calf, high school stu
dent who won the $4,000 school
prize. will be made public on Janu.
ary g. He will receive 81 900 and
the school 81 900. Checks have been
mailed to Major Mills, Almack and
the Pa1o Alto school.
Major Mills passed lightly over
the problem of importations. de-
claring the Coast Guard was hand
ling it as well as could be expected.
Nor did he propose a campaign
against the individual retailer or
drinker.
Diversion of Industrial alcohol
and liquor under cover of indis-
criminately granted permits co. :
troIled by unreliable persons" Mills
asserted. provides the majority of
liquor consumed today. The task OF
reducing and restricting permit
holders to those reliable persons or
corporations conducting legitimate
business is main problem in en-
forcement"
Through control of the diversions
of specially denatured alcohol.
largely concealed by the use Of
cover houses" Major Mills believes
that the diminished supply of alcohol
can be made so expensive to boot
leggers they can no longer afford to
operate.
Cites Own Experience
He cited his own experience as
Federal prohibition administrator in
New York. where he cut the with
drawals of specially denatured al
cohoI in half AS a result. he says.
the cost of this class Of alcohol to the
booflegger rose from a price of $1.1O
to .S5 20 a gallon.
Durant declared that the publica-
tion of Major Mills plan is only the
first step in making available TO the
Government and to the people the
rich material accumulated as the re-
suit of this contest. The automobile
manufacturer and financier added:
'tEIis plan in itself is great con-
fribution to the solution of the pro-
hibition problem. He emphasizes the
essentials of presidential leadership,
e1irnination of politics in appoint
ment to the prohibition service, con.
troll of permits and wide publicity or
records of performance in enforce
ment offices. Thus, he contends. re-
sponsible officials ana citizen or.
ranizatfons can have the facts and
check the progress of law enforce
ment.
1--WE have plans of equal value
suggesting changes in penalties and
improvements in legal procedure,
submitted by Federal judges, dis
trict attorneys, ex-Cabinet officers,
Senators and Representatives.
MANY of these plans we intend
to publish in full others in part
We are going to let the public au-
tl1orities and the public itself have
tional referendum on what to do TO
make prohibition effective"
23,23O Participated
The Durant competition which
began on August q, 1928, resulted
in the participation of 1920 per
sons. Half the contestants were
women. Prize plans were received
from every State in the Union, the
district of Columbia, every terri
torial possession OF the United
States and Canada.
Several hundred essays came from
abroad. One was from general in
the Brazilian army. Another was
written by an official in China. A
number of Japanese competed. Paris
was well represented Plans were
sent from England, Germany, Italy,
Holland, Sweden, Norway, Den
mark and Rumania. Many were
written in foreign languages.
Missionaries in Africa. Asia and
Cceania contributed
The members of the committee
which selected the prize winning
plan were:
Chairman w. o. Thompson, Presi.
dent Emuritus Ohio State Univer-
sity.
Secretary William Fl. Allen, direc-
tor Institute for Public Service,
New York.
Jane Adams. Hull House social
settlement, Chicago.
u. S. Senator William e. Borah.
Idaho.
Bruce Barton, advertising special
ist, New York.
George Gordon Battle, attorney,
New York
DIR. S. Parkes Cadman, minister,
editor. radio preacher, Brooklyn.
u. S. Senator Carter Glass, Vir.
ginia.
Maj.-Gen. II rbord, president
Radio Corporation of America.
William G. McAdoo, former Secre-
tary of the Treasury.
Robert L. Owen. former u. S.