Medicine

On the tenth anniversary of Prohibition (Jan. 16, 1930) U. S. distilleries will be steaming fragrantly in the legitimate production of whiskey. Their activities will be altogether legal and aboveboard, with no Dry raids, no protesting outcries from irate prohibitors.

Such a news forecast came out of Washington last week when the Treasury Department prepared to issue permits which would start distilleries making bourbon and rye whiskies to replenish fast-dwindling medicinal stocks. Distillers from Louisville and Baltimore went into conference with Prohibition Commissioner James M. Doran who will supervise the reopening of U. S. liquor factories. Throughout the land government gaugers measured the whiskey supply held in bonded warehouses, forwarded their reports to Washington.

Receiving the reports, Commissioner Doran announced: "The Bureau of Prohibition will proceed to act upon applications ... for permits to manufacture whiskey for medicinal use. . . . The amount of actual whiskey on hand July 1, 1929 is 9,549,017 gallons. If further manufacture is now permitted, it will be late fall or nearly Jan. 1, 1930 before actual production commences. . . . Extensive examinations have been made of the bonded whiskey stocks and I can state that they are in sound condition. Of the 300,000 barrels in bonded storage not in excess of 1,000 barrels are of questionable quality. . . . The withdrawal and consumption of whiskey for medicinal purposes [last year] was 1,616,924 gallons. . . . There will be on hand Jan. 1, 1930, five years' supply. ... To meet the non-beverage needs, it is proposed to authorize the manufacture of 2,000,000 gallons for the next permit year . . . 70% Bourbon and 30% Rye."