Milford chronicle., 1963-12-13

les, and $5.2 billion In wages
and salaries to industry employ
ees, including their personal in
come taxes"
Repeal did not make the sale
! of alcoholic beverages legal ir
fevery state at the beginning
however. Certain states, counties
and individual communities con-
/, tinued to ban the sale Of these
!. products. It was not until l949,
for example, that Kansas Joined
the ranks Of f'wet" states.
: AT the present time and
for the first time In our history :
there IS only one state, the fulfil
ity of attempting to legislate
"dryness" is given official
recognition In the form of a
black market tax on the sale OF
distilled spirits. This tax plus
other leYies on alcoholic bever-
ages contribute approximately
So, ,550,000 annually In revenues
to that state.
Currently, 88 per cent of the
entire U. S. population lives In
areas where alcoholic beverages
may be legally purchased in pri-
vately-owned or state owned re-
tail liquor stores, or over the
bar. During 1862 alone, an ad-
dItional $4,000 persons became
eligible to purchase liquor In
their home communities as a
result of local option elections.
An enlightened public of mod
crate consumers has grown up
and matured during the past 80
years, and are more knowledge
able about the tr effects of
alcoholic beverages ~ and the
differences between proper use
and Incorporate abuse.
While misinformation and half
truths about the physical and
moral dangers Of the proper use
OF distilled spirits still are cir
culated, unbiased medical re-
search has done much to bring
forth the real facts.
Many men Of science, like DR..
Giorgio Lolli, former director
OF the Yale Plan Clinic for Alco-
holtcS and currently director Of
the International Center for
Psycho-Dietetics, today assert :
"m q sense, modern man Is re-
discovering what some ancient
cultures knew centuries ago =
used In moderation and knowing
its assets and liabilities, alco-
hol can be useful. 1t should be
evident that the effect Of alcohol
depends primarily on who drinks
It, and when, why, how much,
and IN what FORM"
h 1862, the sale of distilled
spirits hit an all-time high for
the nation ~ 1887 million GAL
Ions. But even with that record
sales figure, Americans contin-
ued to be a nation of moderate
drinkers. Per capita consump-
tion In the U. S. since Prohi-
bition has averaged less than at
anytime In our nation's history :
and In 1862, 1t was 1877 gallons
per capita = 1913 per cent be-
low that Of Prohibition days.
Social scientists account for
this phenomenon by pointing to
the ever-expanding number of
adults in our population. There
are many indications that more
people are using beer, wine and
spirits on more occasions thanl
ever before - but they are
drinking less per occasion. And
some Of the credit for this fact
must go to the industry itself,
which, since Repeal, has been a
consistent leader In urging mod
eration on the part of the con-
SumerS.
Repeal in 1893 came at time
when the nation had been stripped
OF its economic vitality and was
languishing In the depths of a
great depression. Within two
years, the reborn alcoholic bev-
erage industry was employing
some 400, 900 people and had an
annual payroll of $3.50 million.
The demands Of the firms and
people within the alcoholic bev-
erage industry for the goods and
services Of other industries,
totalling 81 billion multiplied its
effect on the nation's economy
many times. In addition, public
revenues from these beverages
totalled $3.50 million by 1895.
From these humble begin
nings, the alcoholic beverage in
dustry has grown into a busi-
ness representing $40 billion in
investments - 1889 producing
firms, l2,799 wholesale houses
and AL ,792 retail outlets. It cur
rently employs l.3 million
people one out of every So
,uo~I.a-