Evening star., 1943-12-12
Holiday for Disti||ers
To Produce Liquor
Studied by Officials
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

High Government officials are
examining the possibility of
granting distilleries holiday"
from war production in the sec
ond quarter of next year to allow
them to make beverage alcohol
and halt the wave of bootleg
ging and racketeering develop
ing throughout the country.
Senator Kilgore, Democrat, of
West Virginia, meanwhile, proposed
Nationwide rationing of liquor from
distiller to consumer as a possible
solution Of the current whisky
shortage. A member of the Senate
Judiciary Subcommittee investigat-
ing the liquor shortage, the Sena-
tor said the Government should
tighten controls over supplies by
substituting national rationing for
the haphazard quota sales insti-
tuted voluntarily in many places
and applied by some States.
While there is little chance dis
tillers may be permitted immedi-
ately to make alcoholic beverages
because Of heavy demands of syn
thetic rubber and other war pro-
grams for industrial alcohol, officials
do not view the situation as hope
less. They are considering posi-
billty of a holiday" before next
July /.
Seek Alcohol Stocks.
Whether distilleries can be re-
leased from war work depends on
the success of the Government in
purchasing Caribbean molasses or
alcohol to augment industrial stocks
IN this country and on a possible
slackening in demand of synthetic
rubber plants for alcohol. An ap-
preciable increase in supply of al
cohol stocks from either possibility
would permit the holiday.
Rubber officials say it is not likely
that their requirements for alcohol
will diminish in the visible future.
1t is estimated that approximately
311 100000 gallons of alcohol will
be used in making rubber in 1914,
slightly more than half the expected
total output. The rubber-fr
alcohol plants have been pushed
ahead of petroleum plants so there
will be no interference with produc-
ton of aviation gasoline.
Including the huge quantity of
alcohol needed for rubber, it is
estimated that supply and war de-
mands in 1914 will just about be
balanced with the distilleries run
ming full-time on the industrial
product. This is assuming that i'm
ports Of molasses and industrial
alcohol from the Caribbean, Mexico
and South America cannot be in
creased from the currently small
trickle.
Supply Diverted to Rum.
Officials declare the Nations sup
ply of war alcohol can be increased
20 per cent If it can buy the normal
amount of molasses and alcohol
from Latin America. This normal |
supply has been diverted in the
southern area to the manufacture
of more profitable rum and gin,
which now fills American liquor
stores.
Unusual effort is now being made
through the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. to purchase the Latin Ameri-
can molasses crop. Bids already have
been raised from about six cents
gallon to II cents.
Under war powers transferred by
the President, the War Production
Board could restrict imports of rum
and gin and specify that products
of the countries could be brought
into this country only in the form
of molasses or high-test alcohol.
Consideration was given such ac-
ton. The plan was discarded, at
least temporary, because it was felt
1t was not the right way to handle