New-York tribune., 1919-07-05

ment of license fees. Yf these were
Misunderstanding drinks, they held,
there was no reason why heavy liquor
licenses should be paid for doing busi-
ness in such wares.
Although no representative Of the
Excise Department would state the
attitude CT that body officially. because
no saloonkeepcr had attempted to re-
turn his license while continuing bust
ness in war beer. one member of the
department readily announced that
there would be no "trifiing with liquor
dealers"
"The law is plain, ard the saloon
keepers know that if they want to sell
what is known as beer, even if it con-
tains only per cent of alcohol, they
will have to pay the license fee" said
this excise official. "There will be no
trifling with us, no matter how lenient
here to collect licenses from any dealer
tin beer or alcoholic liquors, and We'll
certainly prosecute the first man who
attempts to get around that situation.
GAS for selling 275 per cent beer to
soldiers on the ground that it is a nom
Intoxicating liquor, that is matter
for the Federal government to deal
with. l know what we would do if it
was a state matter, but .he Federal
along with the saloon interests and be
pretty generous"
Because of this attitude on the part
of the state excise officials all talk of
rebating licenses and doing business
on the same basis as soft drink dis
pensers were dropped during the day.
AS long as the public will buy war
beer and diluted wines it is considered
certain that the state will profit by the
privilege of dispensing them.
Although straight whiskey and cam
oufaged ginger ale highballs were OBJ
tanable at many bars throughout the
city, government evidence seekers did
not appear to obtain sufficient evidence
to warrant the making of arrests dur
ing the day. At any rate, nonc was re-
ported from the Office of the Depart
ment OF Justice, in the Federal Build
ing; The five cases now pending will be
called for trial early next week.
Hotels Discard 2.75 Beer
The Merry Boomer chain of hotels,
which includes the Waldorf-Astoria,
the McAlpin, the Clar;dge and other
big houses, stopped the sale of 2.75
beer yesterday. At bars in those
hotels "near-beer," compounded mostly
from grains and not Containing even
the scmbiance OF alcohol, was offered
instead
The Vanderbilt Hotel also stopped
the sale of 2.75 beer. Not even near
beer was offered for sale at the bar
there.
Receipts at many OF the hotel bars
yesterday were well below that of any
OF the three days since prohibition
came.
At the Commodore Hotel it was
learned that about dozen bartenders
had been relieved of their duties. In
addition twelve checkers were dropped.
Only three bartcnders were on duty
there, two at the service bar and one
at the lobby bar.
"a five-dollar bill would cover the
rcce pts for the day." said one of the
bartcnders.
At the Hotel Astor bar 275 beer is
bartcndsrs are no longer serving men
in service uniform. Twenty three dol
lars was all the cash register showed
ut the Astor Hotel at A clock. The
Claridgc had total Of SIS at the same
hour
Al the Knickcrbocker a bartender
So d six customers visited the bar dur
iag the afternoon. Eight had been
served at the Waldorf up to late
hour in the afternoon.
At the Pennsylvania Hotel officers
and enlisted men were drawing sodas
through straws, while other customers
sale at the Pennsylvania Hotel ycster-
day, though it was admitted that the
call for ice cream soda topped that for
'2.75" by several dollars. Chocolate
SODA is drawn from a tap adjoining the
2.15 beer tap at that bar.