AMERICA IN EARNEST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1756, 6 September 1917, Page 1

AMERICA IN EARNEST.

NO WHISKY DURING THE WAR

The Bth of this month is the date fixed by Air Hoover, the Chief Food Controller of the United States, for the distillation of spirits to cease throughout the country. This is, of course, the result of the amendment to the Food Bill, passed on July 7th, by which the Senate, by 45 votes to 30, resolved to forbid the manufacture and importation of all distilled liquors, and to direct the President to take over all the liquors in bond at a defined price.

That from and after thirty days from the date of the approval of this Act no person shall

use any foods, fruits, food materials, or feeds in the production of distilled liquors, except for Governmental, industrial, manufacturing, scientific, or medical purposes, nor shall there be imported into the United States during said war any distilled liquors, provided that the President of the United States be and is hereby directed to take over for and on behalf of the Government of the United Slates all distilled liquors that arc held in bond at the time this Act goes into effect, and he is hereby authorised to pay to the owners of such liquors the actual cost of the same plus a profit not exceeding 10 per centum.' And provided, further, that the collection of all excise tax on distilled spirits in bond at the time of the passage of this Act shall be suspended so long as this Act is in force and the distiller, in event, that said distilled spirits shall be taken over by the Gov-

eminent as herein provided, shall be discharged from all obligations for any and all taxes levied and assessed against said distilled spirits shall not withdraw any part thereof without the payment of the excise tax in force.

Conviction for a breach of this section of the Act is punishable by

a fine not exceeding £I,OOO, or by imprisonment for not more than two years, or by both.

AN UNEXPECTED DECISION,

The action of the Senate was a general surprise. The struggle between the parlies known as the “bone dry” section and the “wots” had boon long and severe, and though the defeat of the “hone dry” forces was regarded as a certainly, few people thought that the Senate in view-of the staggering cost of the war, would vote to purchase the spirits in bond. The action of the Senate will cost the country an enormous sum. The purchase of the bonded spirits might make the Government responsible for the expenditure of some forty millions sterling. There will also be a loss of revenue on that liquor of about the same amount, and the elimination of the proposed super-tax- will add another similar sum to the total, which will stand at about £124,000,000. As against this, there would he the money paid to withdraw liquor from bond before the days of grace expired. It was not known to what extent this would he done, hut a Washington correspondent said it was believed that those interested in the business would go to work at once to liquidate all their available assets and invest the proceeds in these bonded liquors, in preparation for the tremendous advance in prices that was anticipated. Also some of the money expended by the Government in buying this liquor would be got back by redistilling the liquor for the manufacture of munitions.

BEER NOT TOUGHED,

The Act further gave the President power to stop the manufacture of beers and wines at his discretion. It was stated that the President did not think that the manufacture of beer and light; wines should he cut off at this time, nor that there was any justification in the first place for dragging the prohibition issue into the food control problem at this Time, though he approved of cutting out spirits. Many of the President’s advisers believed that there would be very serious results throughout the country if at one swoop the brewing industry, representing an investment of two hundred millions sterling and employing more than 100,000 men, were suddenly put out of business. The psychological effect on other business might also be such as to cause a panic of apprehension to spread throughout the industries of the country at the very time that the Government was calling for expansion of industrial facilities. Furthermore, it.'was feared that to suddenly shut off from the millions of working-men their customary supply of beer at a time when the Government was asking big sacrifices of these men in the way of long hours might cause dissatisfaction and resentment,