Beer Immediately

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7106, 15 March 1933, Page 7

Beer Immediately

Revenue Measure in United States

ROOSEVELT BRINGS DOWN SURPRISE MESSAGE

United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. WASHINGTON, Mar. 13.

President Roosevelt, in a surprise message to Congress to-day, asked for the immediate enactment of legislation authorising the sale and use of beer.

In a message of two sentences the President said: “I recommend to Congress the passage of legislation for the immediate modification of the Volstead Act in order to legalise the manufacture and sale of beer and other beverages of such alcoholic content as is permissablo under the Constitution,

and to provide, through such manufacture and sale, by substantial taxes, a proper and much milder rovenue for the Government. “I deem action at this time of the highest importance.”

The President considers the revenue fjom the beer taxos very important to the Budget balancing programme.

Official estimates of the amount expected run to more than 125 million Jollars annually. Apparently the decision to propose the measure at this time was reached when it was realised that the House was standing by without any business while the Senate takes up the Roosevelt economy measures.

Tho Volstead Act is the legislative machinery which gives force to the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The Amendment was ratified by 36 States in January, 1919, and declared that “after one year from the ratification of : this article, the manufacture, sale, or transportaion of intoxicating liquors within the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States . for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.” The Volstead Act came into effect in January, 1920, and contained all the .details necessary for the implementing of the Eighteenth Amendment. Its chief operative provision was the definition of thß word “liquor” as contained in the 18th Amendment. This was defined as including any beverage containing one-half of ono por cent, of alcohol. The framers of tho Act thus used a definition of alcoholic liquor that had been supplied some years before by American distillers and brewers for Customs purposes. The quickest and simplest way to legalise beer for revenue purposes will therefore be to alter the definition of alcoholic liquor as contained in the Volstead Act by increasing the alcoholic contont permissable.