Norwich bulletin., 1919-12-30
LEGAL QUESTIONS CONFRONT
 ENFORCEMENT. OFFICER


 Enforcement of the national prohi- bition amendment to the constitution is not a task to be taken lightly, a fact most strikingly evident upon close perusal of the laws text.
 Julius Stremlau, labor leader and prohibition director for the state of Connecticut, has received his official al continent to the latter office, if was learned today. He will go to Wash | fngton Monday for a conference as to the future policy of the department | he is to organize.
 | The appointment arrived on Christ l | mas Eve. and MT. Stren1lau imsnedi- | ately left his home in Meriden for l New Haven where the oath. of office ! was administered. He said today that I he did not believe the new depart | | ment would be large. as his duties 1 would not necessitate complicated ! or extensive force. | MT. Stremlau was appointed in 1 September. 1918, as superintendent of I the New London office of the United l States employment service by State Superintendent Leo A. Korper. When l this office was discontinued he was l transferred to the office in the capitol and remained there until the failure 1 of congress to pass the necessary ap-l propriation caused a dissolution of | the service.
 He represented Meriden in the gen.
 era1 assembly of 1913. During. the
 war he was member of the Conuec- ticut state council for defense anG has been president of the state fed
 eration of labor.
 There is a clause in that part Of the act having to do with enforcement O. wartime prohibition which specifies
 that "the commissioner of internal revenue, his assistants, agents and
 inspectors, shall investigate and re- port violations of the war prohibition
 act to the United States attorney for
 the district in which committed, who
 shall be charged with the duty of
 prosecuting, subject to the direc.io1 ) of the attorney general the offenders ' against the laws of the United States 3' The same specifications. are rereat- ; ed with regard to the national proni- l bition act.
 One of the most formidable of Mir. 7 Stremlaus duties will be the legal de , fnition, in compliance with. law. of the term Intoxicating liquor." The : act defines 1t thus: 'The word 1iquor,' or the phrase,
 Intoxicating liquor shall be construed to include alcohol. brandy. whiskey 2 gin, rum, beer, ale porter and wine and in addition thereto any. spirit :,
 uous, vinous, malt or fermenteI li- |, quor, liquids, and compounds, wherh+ . CT medicated, proprietary, patented, or not, and by whatever name called
 | containing one-haf of 1 per centum
 or more of alcohol by volume which
 are fit for use for beverage purposes = The act further provides however : that the foregoing definition shall !. not extend to dealcoholized wine moi k to any beverage or liquid produced by q the process by which beer ale, portei : or wine is produced, if it contains les. n than one-half of 1 per centIm If cl.
 l Cohol by volume, and is made as DIG. e cribed in section 37 of this tile, ant e is otherwise denominated tban I; e beer ale or porter .and is ecnt%:net q fsslo sold in, or from, such seased aEt $ labeled bottles, casks or con aatTcrs a h. tip commissioner may by regulation [ precribe."
 lsi MT Strenfau is charged with th e following duties of his office prot d1a ! of course he accepts the delayed ap pointment: He shall see that no per p son, "on or after the date when tn 9t 1seigi1teenth amendment to the consti E tuition of the United States goes int
 leffect," shall. manufact cture, barter. sel 'H transport, import, export, deliver, fur 1s nish or possess any intoxicating Ii it quor except as authorized in the na s' tional prohibition act.
 ofi There are exceptions, of course ln Wine for sacramental purposes d permitted: also liquor for non -bever rh age purposes. And the act does nc ly prohibit the purchase or sale of ware n. house receipts covering distilled spin of its on deposit in government bonde k warehouses.
 E. Other exceptions are. denatured a od cohol or denatured rum, produced ar " used in conformity with the law w medicinal preparations unfit for be, an craze purposes: patent and propri,
 tary medicines; toilet, medicinal ar n. antiseptic preparations and solution
 unfit for beverage purposes; f1ayorir
 extracts and sirups unfit for beveras ID purposes; vinegar and preserve = sweet cider
 nf The penalty. which Mir. SIremlau of authorized under the law to impose ( of Violators, is heavy. A fine of not mo o :a than s1000: imprisonment for n H more than six months. is provided oa :es for second or subsequent offense II, there is a fine of not less than S2 GU nor more than s20Oo, with imprisol ., ment of not less than one month, n H. more than two years.
 MT. Stremlau must go further tn; ,f merely satisfying himself that liqu nd is not being sold or consumed in d
 fiance of the law. For the "dry
 have included in their deyastatil
 legislation a clause covering the pl -- vate still. made, say, out of the far fly teakettle and length of rubb las hose. The still itself may f1onri ell. and quench desert of thirst. but t of products thereof may not be suid ar anyone. ion Physicians, who may issue perm N for the consumption and sale of 1iqu
 for medicinal purposes, must ha
 permits themselves. And no pers Frs. can procure liquors for this purpe rho without permit rom the collector in internal revenue. probably MT. Stre mel lau when he is appointed.
 the The act specifies that nothing sh cen prevent the storage in the Unit ar States bonded warehouses of all -st- quor manufactured prior to the ts 'dy, ing effect of the law, or prevent [ on- transportation of such liquor to su ing warehouses or to any wholesale irl yer gist for sale to such druggist for p1 poses not prohibited when the tax .- paid and permits may be fsst
 therefor" .sa' nts So much for beverage alcohol Tn be is another side to the law, which ct ynS. cerns Mir. Stremlau, but with wh lis- the public is not so familiar. T will has to do with the industrial phase ing production. It is specified that ''s are person now producing alcohol sh lme within thirty days after the pass; her of this act, make application to T tion commissioner commissioner of ria. terrtai revenue1 for registration of