Bisbee daily review., 1917-10-23
D|F FERENCE OF
 OPINION EXISTS
 OVER FOOD LAW
Argument Over Distilled Spir- its Section of Two Bills Re- suits in One Order and Re voking Within Few Hours.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-Instruc. tions to all customs collectors throughout the country to admit to entry distilled spirits produced abroad prior to October 3, last, either for beverage purposes or other than bev- craze purposes" were made public and recalled within the space of few shours today by the treasury depart ment. The issuance of the instruc- tions, which were sent out by Assist ant Secretary Rowe last Saturday, was based upon an interpretation of the food and revenue laws given by Lawrence Becker. solicitor of the treasury department, an official of the ! department of justice. Mir Becker ruled that the revenue law approved October 3 repealed provisions of tho previously enacted food control law which fiatly prohibited the importa. ton of any distilled spirits. Now the question has been placed before the attorney general, however, for a de- cision, and in the meantime the food law prohibition remains in effect.
 That section of the food law, passed August 10. after prohibiting the manu- facture of distilled beverages in this country, says:
 Nor shall there be imported into the United States any distilled spir- it's"
 Section 301 of the revenue law, passed nearly two months later, pro- vides:
 That no distilled spirits produced after the passage of this act shall be imported into the United States from any foreign country or from the West Indian islands recently acquired from Denmark (unless produced from prod ucts the growth of such islands, and not then into any state or territory or district of the United States in which the manufacture or sale of in toxicating liquor is prohibited), or from Porto Rico or the Philippines"
 MT. Becker held that the words pro duced after the passage of this act" in the revenue law, in effect, per mitted the admission to entry of spir- it's distilled prior to the enactment of the act Instructions consequently were addressed to all collectors ad- vising them to permit the importa' tion of distilled spirits produced abroad prior to October 8.
 Today these instructions were re- called, high officials of the depart ment taking the stand that the ques- ton was one of such magnitude that Attorney General Gregory should pass upon it.
 The effect of the decision of the solicitor would be to make available for importation and consumption here the great store of whisky, cordials, lioours and other distilled beverages produced aborad prior to the enact ment of the revenue law.
 How far MT. Becker's interpretation of the law became operative before the recall of instructions is not known. The instructions were AS hours old when recalled. The collector at New York, for example, had all of today in which to permit the entry of distilled spirits into the country.
 Such admission applied not only to importations arriving today, but also to shipments reaching the United States after the enactment of the food control law and seized by customs of ficials to await final disposition by the department
 If acted upon today, the effect of these instructions will have been to admit into the country large stores of such importations.