The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-21
LOOK FOR WAR TIME BAN
 TO BE RAISED October Contests to See "Wet" and "Dry" Advo- cates Locking Horns. ELECTIONS HELD
 IN MANY TOWNS Victory For "Wets" May Give Chance For Short
 Time Cleanup.

Hartford, Aug. 21-Hhe office of the secretary of the state is making plans to send out to the 155 towns in Connecticut which will hold their annual town meetings the first Mon
 day in October. the official ballot required for the election, where the towns do not use voting machines. Incidentally Deputy Secretary Rich ard J. Dwyer said yesterday that he intends to send the license and mo- license ballots. too, even though no intoxicating liquor is being legally sold in the state at present. It is ex- pected, however, that rne wart1mo proh .bition ba will be lifted by a proclamatio from President Wilson. in time to give the nquor dealers an opportunity to cater to the holiday trade in November and December.
 Just how many towne in the state will vote on the license question this year is problematical Some will, and some won't. It all depends on how the voters feel about it. It is known that in some towns the question will make one of the hottest fights in years, because if the towns go wet the saloons may open until Janu- ary 16, 1920, anyway, and reap cleanup harvest and, even though they do pay their $T50 license fee, part of that money will be refunded to them, in the event of their clos ing in January. The prohibitionists in many of the towns want a vote on the question, too, as they say that the voting will show the majority of the people favor prohibition, and will show it at the polls.
 The wet" advocates on the other hand, also want a test vote, as their contention is that the majority favor the opening of the saloons and will so voice their feelings at the polls. Undoubtedly there will be several towns where a vote will be taken on this important question at this time. The "wets" ca one hand, have every thing to win and but little to lose, as they have lost practically every
 thing now. If they win. it means that
 they will have a chance toI make a
 cleanup" for a couple of months
 anyway from present indications.
 The majority of the towns hold
 town elections every year, on the first Monday in October. Of the 16S towns
 in the state, 143 hold annual town
 elections on that date, and this year
 the biennial elections will be held on
 the same day in Beth1e. Cromwell,
 Danbury, Meriden, Milford, Norwalk,
 Norwich, Orange, Voluntown, Water
 bury, Wilimantic and Winchester.
 Some of these towns, however, rare ly vote on the license question.
 Chapter 16 of the Public Acts of 1919, makes provision for a refund
 of money due to saloonkeepers, pro viding the sale of liquor is stopped, in the following worlds
 within sixty days from the date when it shall become unlawful to en- gage in the sale of spiritual and in tOxicating liquors, the county com missioners in each county shall certi- fly to the comptroller the amount of
 money due to the licenses and to holders of club certificates in their respectice counties, from the date when it shall become unlawful to en- gage in the sale of such liquors to the end of the license year, and the amount so to be certified shall bear such proportion to the total amount paid by such commissioners in each
 county to the comptroller as the un- | expired portion of the license year bears to the entire license period A like certification shall be made by the | commissioners to the treasurer of
 each town where any license shall have been granted during the current license year and the comptroller and | each such treasurer shall pay to the | commissioners the amount so shown | to be due.
 Upon the surrender of his license | by any licensee or by the holder of a club certificate Uoon determination | by the attorney general that the sale
 or dispensing liquor Sy the authority i of such liceT-e or club certificate has | become unlawful the commissioners shall reimburse such licensees, or hold CT, in an amount bearing such pro- portion to the total license fee paid as the unexpired portion of the license var bars to tn total priod fore year bears to the total period for
 which such licenses or certificates
 was granted. The county commission CTS of any county may borrow such amount of money as may be necessary to reimburse such licensees, or certi- f:cate holders. in the amount due to
 them respectively under the provi- SiOnS of this act