The Coolidge examiner., 1944-09-08
Senators Are
After Liquor
MOnOpOlists
Fine Four Largest
Distilleries Seek To
Control All Drinks

The senate liquor shortage inves-
tigating committee accuses four big
distillery groups of moving to
monopolize the production of all
alcoholic beverages, including wine
whiskey and beer.
The report, made public in Wash
ington by Pat McCarran, Demo-
crat, Nevada, chairman, said that
together, the National Distillers
Products Corporation, Schenley
Distillers Corporation, Distillers
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, and Hiram
Walker Gooderham and Worst
have in their possession today
about 20 per cent of the nations
supply of whiskey."
This possession has reached 1910
as compared with an ownership of
of 49 per cent in 1889, the report
declared, despite the fact that since
October 1912, there has been no
whiskey distilled and there has
been a constant drain upon the in
ventories of the big four"
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The committee is aware of the
fact that the department of justice
has a voluminous amount of mate
rial concerning the activities and
the operations of each of the big
four with respect to possible viola
tions of the Sherman antitrust and
Clayton acts," said the report.
1T is not within the province OF
this committee to determine wheth-
er any or all members of the big
four are subject to prosecution for
violation of the above-named acts,
or to civil suits for divesture. How
ever, the committee believes that it
is incumbent upon the department
of justice to take the necessary
steps to prevent the formation of a
monopoly in the liquor industry and
recommends that the department of
justice to take the necessary steps
to prevent the formation of
monopoly in the liquor industry and
recommends that the department OF
justice do so at an early date"
The report asserted that during
the four-year period the big four
acquired "a registered distilleries
and 127,066,629 proof gallons of
whiskey from outside sources.
The committee expressed concern
over a tendency of the big four"
to remove small distilleries from
competition, because when the act
of monopolizing the liquor industry
has been completed, it will then be
too late to remedy the harmful ef-
feet it will have had upon the pub
lic."
Probe Wine Industry .
The report said the committee is
continuing ITS investigation into
what is called "the tie-ups between
each of the big four through stock
ownership and connections of the
officers and directors of each OF
these companies" as well as into
evidence indicating, it said, that
certain members of the big four
control, or attempt to control, the
purchase and sale of the beverage
spirits of their distributors"
McCarran said the committee
would renew its inquiry into the
wine industry, with hearings in
California "in the near future" on
what is described as reported at
tempts of the big four" distillers
to monopolize both the wine indus
try and the grape crops in that
state.
The report said the storage ca
pacity of the bonded wineries ac-
quired by the big four, as of De-
cember 10, 1943, was 49,S6O, ,4So gal
Ions out of state total wine stor-
age capacity of 215, ,493,637 gallons.
On December 10, 1943, there were
395 active bonded wineries in Cali
fornia of which the big four owned
II, the report said.
The committee is now engaged
in bringing the statistics up to date
believing, it said, late facts will
show the big four's holdings have
increased substantially.
Asserting it received complaints