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Show mm shoi IN ALCOHOL TOLL CHURCH REPORT DISCLOSES AN INCREASE OF DEATH FROM POISON LIQUOR Exhaustive Study Is Made By Leader And Findings Are Placed Before Council For Their Careful Consideration Washington A collection of varied information as to the effect of prohibition prohi-bition on economic conditions and health was made public by the Re-xearch Re-xearch and Education department of the Federal Council of Churches as part of its report on the prohibition question. No definite conclusions were stated but it was remarked in the report that in nencral the number of deaths' from diseases that prow out of liquor drinking showed a drop in 1920, early in the prohibition regime, but an increase in-crease in the years thereafter. This was one of the tabulations on which the first section of the report, made public, suggested that the trend of social consequences' of prohibition since 1920 had been "disturbing." On the economic side of the question, ques-tion, the report contained these observations: ob-servations: "Probably no careful observer will say that the abolition of the saloon has not affected a very substantial amelioration of large numbers of tho working class. "At the same time the appeal to specific economic data increased business activity, growing bank deposits, de-posits, etc., to prove the effects of prohibition must be made very guardedly. guard-edly. All attempts to meat-Tire this increase in quantitative terms are fraught with danger because of ths great increase in prosperity since 1921, due to other causes. In addition addi-tion to the increase in money wages, must consider the extensive thrift campaign carried on throughout the country. But it would be idle to dispute dis-pute the assumption that prohibition has been a factor, and an important factor, in keeping savings deposits on a high level. "Good authority can also be found for ' the statement that industr,.' has profited very materially through heightened morale . . . "It is notew'or1;;' y that a questionnaire question-naire sent as part of this investigation investi-gation to a thousand of more business busi-ness men, directors in important corporations, cor-porations, selected at random, asking their opinion as business men upon prohibition, yielded a predominantly 'wet' result not, apparently so much because of observed effects upon business busi-ness or industry as because of strong personal prejudice and dissatisfaction with the social and political results of prohibition as they saw them." Various' sources were drawn upon for the health statistics jpresented in the report. The census bureau figures were quoted on deaths from alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver, and the report observed that they showed a drop in 1920 and a rise thereafter, except for a drop for cir-hosis cir-hosis in 1923. |