PROHIBITION

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 6, 2 October 1926, Page 9

PROHIBITION

ENFORCEMENT IN UNITED

STATES

IK LIVES AND DOLLARS

ENORMOUS SAVING CLAIMED

1.415,000,000 dotlarn. 325 human lives.

This is the cost of enforcing prohibition, so far, in the Uni£ ed States of America.

Bf Tbl&gbaph.—Press Assootahox, Copyright.

(Rec. October 1, 8.15 p.m.)

Washington, September 30.

Prohibition enforcement has cost the United States nearly 1,115,000,090 dollars to date, also 325 lives, in the war between Federal Government agents and bootleggers, according to statistics in Government reports. The cost of operation of the prohibition unit, including outlay provided to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1927, totals 12,902,514 dollars. The coastguard cost is set down at 52,151,360 dollars. It is also estimated that millions have been spent by the Department of Justice in prosecuting in liquor cases, in addition to which much money for Federal Courts is chargeable to prohibition officials.

It is said that 50 prohibition agents, 135 coastguard men, and over 150 violators of the law have been killed since the adoption of the Volstead Act.

Fines imposed amount to over '22,000,000 dollars. Property confiscated was valued at 80,000,000 dollars. The seizures were sold and the money put in the Treasury, liquor being destroyed. Mr. Pickett, secretary of the Methodist Board of Temperance and Public Morals, declares that prohibition saves ten billion dollars annually, aud that the loss of lives is compensated for by the decreased death-rate following on the passage of the “dry” law.