The Washington times., 1932-12-07
WOULD EMPLOY
fTHOUSANDSOF
WORKMEN
Reasonable Levy Would Aid
Fight on BootleggerS,
/ House Group Told
(Continued from Page ~

(Continucd from Page ~
power to fix reasonably the alco-
holic content of beer, adding:
"AlcOhOl is a mere incident
in beer"
He cited the malt and other
elements which he said makes a
good product.
y Asks For Good Beer"
Cooke appealed to Congress to
authorize "a good beer" and keep
the tax low to stop bootlegging.
He said:
"If taxes are too high it is
doubtful il the brewers will
invest the hundreds of millions
they propose to put in this
business. The industry will die
abOrning. -
"Then, if it is too high,
wildcat breweries and SNUG
Cling will continue and the
brewers will have a hard time
preventing the illicit prOduc-
ton of a bad, heavy beer.
:. Hundreds of millions in
profits have been made in this
Illicit beer business which has
financed gang activities which
are the shame of this genera
<tiOn."
e. Opposes Sc Tax
! Cooke opposed the Sc tax now
on the statute books. After the
brewers have had a chance to
fehabilitate their business, they
will be glad to consider the high
est tax that will produce the
most revenue, he said.
Asked to state the attitude Of
The brewers on the return of the
saloon, he said that problem
should be left to the States. He
said:
"After you have had expert
ence, then you can consider
whether further regulation is
needed to carry out your pur-
post"
He warned against having
thousands of inspectors" follow
ing this Notwithstanding prod
uct" and likewise spoke against
restricting sale of beer to bot
tiers. He said this question can
be covered in. regulations.
r. j. Huber, of st. Louis, vice
president of the United States
Brewers Association and the An
heuser-Busch Company, tr a ce d
the production and revenue from
pre-prohibition beer.
Taxes To Be Heavy
Huber also asked Congress not
to make the tax too high. He
said if Congress re-enacts the Sc
wartime tax, the brewery must
figure also on State and local
taxes, He said:
"If we have the $6 tax and
local taxes, we might sell a
glass of beer for cents but it
would be very Small-prObably
SOnly swallow.
He also warned of the" boot
logging and home brew industries,
saying:
"There is no reason to assume
that the. alley brewer or boot
logger will obey this law any
more than the present one"
Made at Sc Barrel
Breweries, at so per cent ca
pacity, could make beer at $6 a
barrel, he said. He estimated
that 40,O00,0O0 barrels of beer
would be manufactured in the
first two years of legalized beer,
declaring:
"ThiS is based upon the fact
that-in 1917 the country used
6O,0OO,OOO barrels of beer, an in
crease in population which
would make normal cOnSump-
tiOn 8O,OOO,OOO barrels.
'It would mean the reemplOy-
ment of 100000 men connected
with the industry, and this does
not include the other thousands
that would be employed in the
coal mines, by the railroads, on
the farms, or in similar indus
tries providing materials"
The estimate, he said, was
based upon production of 49,
100000 barrels of beer a year
Tor the next two years, which
would be about twothirds of the
1915 consumption.
Must Fight BOOtleggers
In estimating the investment
and employment, Huber said that
the tax must be low enough to
put the ALLEY brewers and boot
leggerS' out of business.
He estimated that the brewers
would require new capital in
vestment of $175,0OO, 900.
In addition, he said, $75, ,000, 900
would be spent Immediately for
materials, $12,000.0OO for new
cases, sl5,000,OOO for bottles, S..
100000 for labels, $40,O00,0 900 to
$50 100000 for barrels and cooper.
age, $l5,000,000 for auto trucks,
and $16,000,000 to $4,000, 900 for
advertising, and several million
dollars for miscellaneous items.
In 1914, he said, $858,861, ,OOC
was invested in breweries in this
country.
Presses as to Price
Representative Bacharach (RO
OF New Jersey, pressed Huber
with Questions On the oroha hIe