Winner Mills

When, four months ago, William Crapo Durant, motorcar maker, announced that he would give $25,000 for the best plan submitted on Prohibition enforcement, no fewer than 23,230 competitors rushed forward with suggestions. Came a plan from a general in the Brazilian army. Came plans from African, Asiatic, Oceanic missionaries; from Connecticut tobacco-chewers, from Pittsburgh gin-millers. Came plans from "sorrowing mother," "drunkard's widow," "rum runner's deserted wife." Came also a plan from Major Chester Paddock Mills, onetime (1926-27) Prohibition Administrator for the New York City district. Last week the awarding committee, headed by President-Emeritus William Oxley Thompson of Ohio State, University,*finished its judging, announced its decision. The winner was Major Mills.

Largely ignoring smugglers and moonshiners, Major Mills maintained that 98% of bootleggers' supplies came from the diversion of industrial alcohol. Suppose, for example, that a manufacturer of perfumes has a permit to possess large quantities of denatured alcohol. Were he dishonest, he might sell this alcohol, labelled as "perfume," to an equally dishonest wholesaler. Then the wholesaler sells the "perfume" to a bootlegger, who re-distills the alcohol and uses it, sparingly, in the making of intoxicants. Seeing in such diversion of industrial alcohol the major source of bootleggers' supplies, Major Mills recommended closer inspection of permit holders and closer supervision of their activities.

Pleased with the Mills plan, pleased with additional thousands of suggestions brought forward by his contest, Mr. Durant sent his check to Major Mills with a letter of congratulation. Federal prohibition authorities, however, saw in the Mills plan no millennium. James M. Doran, chief U. S. prohibiter, disagreed with the major premise concerning diverted alcohol as the source of "98%" of bootleggers' supplies. He said that the chief source of illegal liquor is the distillation of corn sugar. He added that measures advocated by Major Mills are now "routine practices" in the Prohibition Bureau, described the Mills plan as "old stuff, exchanged for good money."

Observers recalled that Major Mills resigned from the Prohibition service after his transfer from New York Administrator to Eastern Zone Supervisor, and that this transfer followed charges of third-degree method used by Major Mills' subordinates. Resigning, Major Mills complained of political interventions and described his office as "the most difficult and thankless position in the Federal service."

The Durant contest also included a special School Prize of $5,000, won by Malcolm D. Almack, Palo Alto high school student. To Hoover Townsboy Almack goes $1,000; to the high school $4,000. The Almack plan dealt chiefly with the necessity for educating the U. S. public to a fuller appreciation of the Prohibition law, its terms, its meaning, its sanctity.

An unsuccessful competitor in the Durant contest was Gifford Pinchot, dust-dry onetime (1923-27) Governor of Pennsylvania. Mr. Pinchot denounced the practice of allowing foreign diplomats to import liquor for diplomacy. Mr. Pinchot said also that only the influence of an ardently dry President can bring about national dryness. He considers President-Elect Hoover satisfactorily dry. He considers that Presidents Wilson, Harding & Coolidge were "apathetic."

*Among other committee members: William H. Allen, Jane Addams, Senator William E. Borah, Bruce Barton, Dr. S. Parkes Cadman, Senator Carter Glass, William G. McAdoo, Rabbi Stephen S, Wise.