The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-12-29
Prohibition Cost Put At 34 Billion.
Portland Oregonian.)

Portland Oregonan)
 Prohibition has cost the United States some s34 GOO 00O 900 in the last 12 years computed by the Crusaders, militant repealists in survey The study, which deals satisfactorily with the cost lof the noble experiment" in money, men and material estimates that $2800000,OO0 has been the average yearly expense and wastage entaed by the Eighteenth Amendment since it became effective January 16, 1920. ttbs&&
 Prohibition as an important factor in the de- Ipression, the ping up of taxes upon the tax payer the mushroom growth of bureaucracy, the mounting cost of Government and the inroads upon National income weighed in the report The findings, without going into the breakdown of general law observance the effect of Prohibition upon American youth, the expansion of organized crime and racketeering financed by bootleg money and the baneful results upon temperance, deal es- pecialv with the economic phases of the experi- ment and the charges which passed on to the taxpayer directly or indirectly The report was prepared by Colonel Ira L. Reeves, Director, ana William T. Biesel statistical expert, Of the Cru- saders.
 It is almost IS years since the 18th Amendment went into effect but the survey deals roughly with 12 years up to the end of the last fiscal year TOT which official figures are available
 table showing the economic cost of "dry America" for those 12 years is set forth m the Reeves -Biesel computations follows:
 Appropriated by Congress for Prohibition bureaus S132 958,53o. Appropriated by States for enforcement
 (eight years figures only avalabe), S5,585,- $50.
 Assessed value of property seized, $780, 867,322.
 r Cost to taxpayers of merely keeping vio- lators in jai $128,000000. Cost of putting or trying to put Federal l violators in jail and then trying to keep ? them there sl11103870 Coast Guard appropriations by congress for enforcement, $152503464 Customs Service expenditures for enforce ment $93 232 230
 Cost of criminal justice to State, muni-
 cipal and local governments for Prohbi- tion cases, $2922 980. Loss in rentals to owners of padlocKeo
 property, $303,615,000.
 Loss in liquor to Federal Gov ernsnent, $l1 988 900. , Loss in liquor revenue to States, Coun-
 ties Cities, $6,540,620,000.
 Loss to consumer in excessive liquor bill,
 bootleg profits and protection, etc. Sl2-
 0OOOOO0OO.
 Total $34, ,565, o9,246.
 Based on official reports" says the Crusaders r study "the total cost of the 18th Amendment to the American public has been $34,565lo924o as t shown by the accompanying table The tremendous effect exerted by these huge sums upon the economic fabric of the United States almost staggers comprehension. The 12year cost IS more than twice the National debt Of Sl650O0O0,- loo. It is than two and half times the total amount owed the United States by foreign Govern Iments
 Tn 12 years, Prohibition has cost the United States nearly ten billion dollars more than the total net war cost of s26,361, ,O96o01 d917-1s2l) n Difficult as it is to believe. the cost of Pro- hibition in l2 years nearly equals the total con nuing cost to the United States of the war, which was $37, ,873 9O8, ,499 as of June, 1880. "The average annual cost of Prohibition to tht taxpayers is ten times the yearly payments sched uled to be received by the United States on toregl debts; it is more than one-half the Federal budge ' for 1882 During each of the last ten years th e cost of Prohibition has exceeded the amount O Federal income tax collected" $ The mortality lists which have been the ac compartment of enforcement with the gun, as com piled by the Crusaders show that in 13 years, 208 " citizens have been killed and 513 agents and aide n have met death