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Show EXCESSIVE COST OF ALCOHOL FOR INDUSTRY HIT Price Criticised by Manufacturers' Secretary Charges that exceseivs cost of grain alcohol in Utah Injur manufacturers manu-facturers in this state .because of competition from lower prices elsewhere else-where were msde Friday by S. J. Stephenson, executive secretary of the Utah Manufacturers' association. associa-tion. Mr. Stephenson told . junior chamber of commerce luncheon at the Beau Brummel cafe that Utah manufacturers f coametics and, other articles in which pure grsin alcohol is needed must pay $7.83 a gallon, "then try to compete with firms on the coast which ran buy it for 4.1T." Crltirier Price He also criticised a price differential differ-ential by which he aald alcohol Is sold to schools snd hospitals at 80 cents a gallon in Utah. Of the 7.92 cost, t3 M Is taken by Official Explains Price of Alcohol Explanation of the high mt f alcohol to I'tah concerns waa given Friday by t. W. Jnnre, arrretary to the liquor rommie-aton. rommie-aton. Actual roftt of grain alcohol la SI.4S per gallon and the federal tax la KM. Actual cost of the alcohol, then, before it l put on the market la S.VJS, .Mr. Jonre explained. Quoting from the liquor control act, he showed that the elate requires that prices on hard liquor shall be marked up not leas than 00 per cent and not Iras than 40 per cent on wines, which would bring the cost of alcohol up to the I7 price. "We have na disposition to penalise industry," Mr. Jonee aald. "But the legislature requirea ua to enforce those prices." the state. Mr. Stephenson aaid. That indicates what happens when a state is not alert to protect its industries." he asserted. "I think there is no objection to setting a high price on alcohol used for drinking, but it is a distorted practice to put the same penalty on manufacturing. "Alcohol prices were boosted 50 per cent by the last legislature, and since the liquor control commission is trying only to hold to ths lsw, no blame attaches to it." Mr. Stephenson said alcohol is used in many processes, including covering the backs of mirrors and making of cosmetics. The speaker also rapped fixing of minimum wages in Utah, asserting: assert-ing: "It doesn't make sense. All the diplomas in ths world that msy be given to Utah for progressive legislation legis-lation won't pay wages to men or women if business shrinks and jobs grow lea in number." |