1,115.000,000 DOLLARS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17154, 2 October 1926, Page 5

1,115.000,000 DOLLARS

COST OF BEING “DRY” AMERICA’S EXPERIENCE NEW GOVERNMENT STATISTICS (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.! WASHINGTON, Oct. 1. Prohibition enforcement has-cost the United States nearly 1,115,000,000 dollars to date, also 325 lives in the war between the Federal Government agents and the bootleggers, according to statistics in the Government reports. The cost of operation of prohibition, not including the 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 52,151,300 dollars. It is also stated that millions were spent by the Department of Justice in prosecuting liquor cases, in addition to which much money for the Federal Courts is chargeable to prohibition officials. It was said that 50 prohibition agents, 135 coastguardsmeu, and over 150 violators of the law have been killed since the adoption of the Volstead Act. Fines amounted to 20,000,000 dollars. Property confiscated was valued at SO,000,1)00 dollars. ' The seizures were sold and money put in the Treasury, the liquor being destroyed. Air. Pickett, secretary of the Methodist Board of Temperance and Public Morals, declares that prohibition saves ten billion dollars annually, and the loss of lives is compensated tor by decreased death rate following on the passage of the dry law.