Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-18
LIQUOR LEGISLATION

to have the liquor traffic with US we
have some very pronounced ideas con-
cerning its regulation which are the
outgrowth of a good deal of careful
study and observation of the liquor
business during the past, and especially
during the past year.
First, The Herald would like to see
a divorce between the wholesale ana
retail liquor licenses. The maintenance
of a retail liquor business where liquor
is dispensed by the drink in an estah-
lishment which proposes 70 carry on a
wholesale or family trade is not, in
our opinion, advisable. We believe that
the wholesale and retail liquor busi-
ness should not be permitted to be car
ried on in the same premises, and il
any change in the regulation of the
liquor business is to be brought up
we recommend to the careful consider
alton of the police commission and the
city council the divorcing of the whole
sale liquor business from the retail
liquor business in the city. We are in
formed that there are some six or
eight places in the city where they are
now carried on jointly.
There has also been some discussion
upon the question of the sale by whole
sale, or family, liquor stores of liquor
in quantities not less than the CONNER
eial quart, which is now the minimum
quantity that these establishments
are permitted to dispense.
As the matter now stands, when any
family in the city desires to secure a
small quantity of alcoholic liquor.
whether wine, beer brandy or whisky,
they must patronize a retail liquor
establishment or salooh. We believe
that a regulation which forces an in
tended purchaser of pint of liquor
to enter a place where liquor is re-
tailed, or in other words, a saloon, IS
not for the best interest of the public
generally. In other words If a person
desires to obtain a commercial pint
of liquor we would prefer that such
person should have an opportunity of
purchasing such liquor in a store
where liquor is not retailed by the
be forced to enter a saloon for the
purpose of securing a small amount of
liquor for household or culinary use.
We think that in the interest of the
public the wholesale, or family. liquor
store would better be permitted to sell
liquor in quantities as small as a pint
rather than that people desiring TO
make such purchase should be forced
to patronize a saloon.
There has also been some talk of eX-
tending the zone In which the whole
sale, or family, liquor stores are per-
mitted to exist This discussion now
seems reduced to proposition to ex-
tend the wholesale zone along Main
and San Pedro streets and Central ave-
nue. to Twenty-first street, upon the
theory that these streets are now busi-
ness streets. And also to extend the
zone along East Main street so that
the brewers now upon that thorough
fare may be included.
We are informed that in the terri
tories along these streets which it is
proposed to include in the wholesale
liquor zone, there now exist eleven re-
tail liquor establishments, or saloons.
If this is true, then these establish
ments are probably doing the business
which would be done by family liquor
stores located in this territory-busi-
ness which, If it must be conducted,
can much better be conducted by es-
Establishments which do not retail liquor
by the drink.
The Herald can see no objection to
extending the wholesale liquor zone in
territory which is already extensively
occupied by retail establishments. On
the contrary, if the liquor business is
to be carried on in any territory, ac-
cording to our way of thinking, it is
better that it should be carried on by
a wholesale, or family, store than by
a retail store or saloon.
One regulation of the wholesale liquor
business which appears to have been
overlooked IS the limitation of the num-
ber of these establishments which may
be licensed in the city. The limitation
of the number of retail licenses in the
city certainly has been productive of
great good, and we see no reason why
the same thing should not apply to the
wholesale establishments.
While we see no objection to extend
ing the wholesale liquor zone into any
part of the city where retail liquor es-
adjustments are located in consider
able numbers, there is certainly every
reason for the limitation of the total
number of wholesale establishments,
and we would suggest to the police
commission and the city council the
advisabnity of establishing very close
limitation upon the issuance of whole
sale licenses, so that no considerable
increase can ever be made in such
establishments in the city.
We believe that the number of whole
sale licenses now issued and held in
the city is a little less than a hun
dred, and certainly that number should
never be exceeded, if it is permitted to
reach it.
Also, there has been considerable
complaint and it seems to us not un-
founded, that the present law requir-
ing the consent of rs per cent of the
holders of property fronting upon a
block shall be obtained before the loca-
changed is being used by landlords to
hold up liquor dealers by forcing them
to pay excessive rentals. We have