In a “Dry” Brewery.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1922, Page 4

In a “Dry” Brewery.

Before the United States legislated herself dry, three of tlie great breweries of the i oiinlry—one of them, in fact, reputed to lie the largest brewery in the world—were located ill St Louis the big commercial metropolis of tin .Mississippi valley. To-day only one of these breweries is miming,mid it is running on a “dry” bus’s. It was tlie chief owner of this lingo c.s'nluishmenl, .Mi August Miiseli, "head of the A iilioiiser-liuseh Company, who slurred me his establishment in its new r 1" as a iniiiiufaetiuer of wlnit is termed in America “Near beer.”

In a single building oil which nearly ‘JJ millions sterling had been expended to bring Leer production up to it point of the greatest effic iency. only “near,” or 1 p r cent, beer was being turned otic when I inspected this vast plant. “Before prohibition we employed .“>,(Kiff people,*’ said Mr Busch; “to-day we.'have'"i’mly about -KV). “But to understand what this really naans to industry,” he added, “cine must consider the effect on nil the subsidiary industries. For instance, in the neighbourhood of our plant many s' opkeepers leave lead to close their places because of the falling off' in trade. But it reaches even farther than that. What of the farmers and tlieir •barley ? We must wait. Some day America will letiirn to light wines and

.Mr Busch prides himself on having manufactured no h er since prohibit ion went into effect which does not come wilhin the law. J it one need only look at the number of his employees to-day and coni pare them wide the small ai'my employed in this one brewery before prohibition to show luiiv unpopular “near beer” really is The Aiiheiiser-Busch plant covers several score of acres of ground, and there is a lingo railway and dock terminus connected with it. Before prohibition tlie railway yards were busy night and day, whereas now the rail facilities are all out of proportion to the requirements. In the immediate neighbourhood arc the other two huge brewing plants. But both I have mentioned of these have been completely knocked out by prohibition . They are not in the “near beer” business. All the big vats of pure alcohol on the Busch premises, as indeed they are in all breweries, are scaled. Only a certain percentage of this alcohol is taken out monthly, and then in the presence of excise officials.