T make bold to say that in eighty per cent. of the clubs on the Pacific [Coasi—and from personal observation T know this to be true of New York—a recognized bootlegger 1s maintained by the members. member may telephone for a bot! land the bootlegger will deliver it wrapped up in the daily paper, and fas often as not the matter deliberately' winked at by the poi As an example of thi tion that 80 agents of the prohi tion force of the state of California fare earmarked for dismissal, and predictions are heard that the entire Personnel will be changed to carry out efforts for better results in the prevention of "booze" smug: gling and the open defiance of dry Haws. Chemists do a great trade with schools and universities in the. manufacture of a drink they' call in, and in many states this leet Christmas there were more drunken, people arrested than before prohibition, The saloon has gone, it true, But, no matter what may be said or hoped to the contrary, prohibition has not achieved what was expected.
Moreover, the death-rate from alcoholism is on the increase.
Figures just made available the "census bureau disclose that deaths from alcoholism were larger 1923 than for any year since 1917. Figures for 1924 are not possible to secure, but it is consider-fed that the general situation is no means improved. To the dry this is a great disappointment, 'The 1923 rate, however, is still Tower than in the pre-prohibition days, but fat the present rate of gain' will reach pre-prohibition figures" in another year or two.
During the first year of constitu. tional prohibition, in 1920, it was to be expected that the gain of alcoholism took a tumble. Boot-
Tegging—to-day a very definite and important calling—had not thy been organized, and there was 9 falling off in the consumption of all Kinds of liquor system is better organized than at ime in its existence, and the distribution is wider.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.