The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1935-04-12

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lectors are not offering to share the
loss. They insist on their 81 to 50 tax
on each gallon regardless Of quality or
marketability.
Tried for Cleanup
This big undigested stock of Scotch,
much Of which is in New York, Boston
and Baltimore, is the result Of two at
tempts at speculation when the pro-
hibition ban was first lifted. In the
first rush, a great many foreigners saw
a good chance to make q cleanup.
They knew that Americans had been
buying-from bootleggers-all possible
sorts Of liquor with apparently very
little concern as to brands Or varie-
ties, And at very high prices. So they
thought they could buy up a lot Of
whisky cheap in Scotland. ship 1t to
this country on consignment, and take
their profits.
Meanwhile an equal number of specu-
latively inclined persons in this
try, who had never been in the liquor
distributing business and knew little,
If anything, about its ramifications,
took out importers permits, and ap-
piled for large quotas. Then they pro-
ceeded to buy large quantities Of IL
quor, sometimes in bottles and some
times having it bottled. All went nice
ly until the liquor arrived in the ports
Of entry.
Then came the problem Of selling it.
And there were no offers. The drink
ers, who. during prohibition, had taken
anything that was wet, inside a good
looking package, were imbued with the
idea that they wanted particular
brands. The ordinary liquor trade
knew how to handle the well-adver-
tised brands, and had no idea Of tying
up a lot of money in brands that might
not move, and at any rate would have
to be pushed. The real murder, Of
course, lies in the fact that so large
a percentage Of the total cost Of a bot
tie of imported whisky is tax, and
therefore not susceptible Of being
shaved. A severe cut on the part Of the
price exclusive of tax would not appear
to the customer such a big reduction!
It would not deter him from taking his
favorite brand.
Unpleasant Surprises
President Roosevelt has had a num-
Der Of unpleasant surprises in his at
tempt to swat the utilities-particular-
ly on the Wheeler ayburn holding
company bill.
It is no secret that one Of the sur
prises has made one Of the bills "au-
thors"-Senator Burton X. Wheeler Of
Montana-just a little sorry that he
sponsored 1t. Then the local yelps!
For instance, Preston 8. Arkwright,
president Of the Georgia Power COM
pany. who expressed the opinion that
the bill would "hurt Georgia more than
New York"
Perhaps the Senator Wheeler case is
the most interesting Of the surprises.
As soon as the utility crowd realized
what was happening, they got very
busy, indeed, In Montana. The stu
alton Is something like this: The util-
ity interests, alone, are not very i'm
portant in numbers or influence in
Montana, but they r allied with, If
not controlled by, the same interests
that control Anaconda copper.
Now Anaconda is very influential, in
deed, in Montana. In fact, they say
that Anaconda generally gets precisely
what it wants, eve IN election day.
And it 70 happens that, as these gen.
tlemen want not only that their utility
interests should do well, but their cop
per interests also. they have seen to
1t that their utility interests buy all
their copper for wires, ETC., from Mon
tana copper mines.
Now it happens further that the ram
ifications Of the holding company in
terests involved stretch to many far
distant states. So that on the whole
it is a very beneficial thing-to the
Montana copper miners-that this hold
ing company situation is as it is.
If the proposed legislation should
break up the holding companies, and
all the operating companies should be
Independent, presumably, 1t has been
carefully pointed out to mine workers
Of Senator Wheeler's state that the
operating companies not in Montana
would buy their copper in the cheap
est market. 1t is also pointed out with
much force that the cheapest copper
to be obtained, despite the tariff, is
not Montana mined metal, but import
ed, whether from Africa or Chile.
Brings Many Protests
All Of which has brought a remark
able deluge Of protests against the
holding company bill from Montana,
the copper miners joining the share
holders and bondholders. Montana Is
not a large state in population, though
the third largest in the union in area.
but enough people became excited