Milford chronicle., 1927-02-25
SENATOR HARRY DEPUTY
INTRODUCES LIQUOR BILL
continued from first page)

state board would then turn in an
order for the amount thought neces-
sary to the Secretary of State who
would order the liquors and be Gus
todian of it, but the measure does
not specify where these various
kinds of liquors would be secured.
The bill would allow the State
Board of Health to designate two
agencies in each county and five in
Wilmington, which agencies may be
public hospitals but could not be
drug stores, for the distribution of
the liquors. The Secretary of State
could not secure the liquor for dis
tributiOn to the agencies only un-
der an order signed by at least two
members and the executive officer
of the State Board of Health. Hos
pitfalls would be required to keep
records to show to whom liquor had
been prescribed and for what dis
ease, etc.
No physician under the Deputy
bill could prescribe liquor unless the
prescription is approved by another
physician and then the name of the
{ patient must be given. Not more
than a pint could be prescribed at
any time and no physician could
have more than one quart of liquor
in his possession in any one month.
Heavy penalties in both fines and
imprisonment are provided for vio-
lations.
Senator Deputy states that he had
the bill prepared at the suggestion
of some of his constituents including
physicians who desire to meet the
demand of physicians to be able to
prescribe liquor for medicinal pur-
poses.
Immediately upon the appearance
of the bill there was a great buzzing
of excitement throughout the State
House. News of its introduction
seemed to spread like wildfre, and
there was displayed an interest IN
the proposed act that was far great
er than shown in any other bill that
has been introduced at this session
of the General Assembly.
The preamble to the bill reads as
follows:
/ ''Whereas, the present laws of the
State provide no lawful means
whereby a physician may secure
for his patients intoxicating liquors
+ Except pure grain or ethyl aIcohol)
when the same are needed for medl-
cinal purposes; and
Whereas, a large majority OF the
practicing physicians in the State
are convinced that the present AS
sembly provide some lawful means
whereby they might be able to Sc
cure a reasonable supply OF such
Iiouors for such medicinal purposes
without opening the door to the
abuse of our prohibition laws; now
therefore" etc.
It speciies that after survey OF
the State to determine the amount
and kinds of liquors which could be
properly used for medicinal purpos-
es for tkc year beginning July l.
1871. and ending June 80, 1928, the
State Board of Health would sub
nit to the Secretary of State an
itemized list of such liquors ana
the probable cost thereof. The sec
retary would then procure at the
least possible cost" the Whskey
snecifed and all of it would be de-
Iivered to him at Dover. He would
have TO submit to the State Board OF
Health the names and addresses OF
all those from whom he had pur- |
chased the liquor. The State would
pay for all the liquor the Secretary
of State would purchase.
The Secretary could not allow any
of this liquor to leave his possession
without a written order signed by at
least two members of the State
BOARD of Health and the executive
secretary of that department Whlch
order would have to show the quan-
titv embraced in the order and the
name and address of the person to
whom the liquor was to be delivered.
He would have to keep an account OF
all such orders received, how much
Iinuor was delivered to them and to
whom it went and these accounts
would be open at all times to public
inspection and it would be permls-
sibIe for any newspaper in the state
TO publish the lists of those who get
liouor whenever they saw fit to do
so.
AS soon as the Secretary Of State
had bought a supply of liquor II
would be the duty Of the State Board
of Health, by the unanimous vote OF
the executive secretary OF the
BOARD. to ascertain what hospitals
or other agencies were the proper
agencies to receive the liquor from
the Secretary and the health board
would determine from time to time
the quantities which each agency
should legitimately need for dlstrl-
button. Such agencies would be re-
0uired to keep a strict account of all
the whiskey they received and the
bill specifies that they could us
pense it in the following manner:
every hospital operated as a
general public hospital and not as a
private hospital shall have the right
TO apply from time to time to any
such agency for such quantity and
kinds of such intoxicating liquors as
said hospital or hospitals shall have
need of for the next 80 days which
hospital application shall be signed
bv the president of the board OF
trustees and by at least two ply
sicians who practice in connection
WlJQ Sdlu uOSplIdA anu sum ASS
shall keep an accurate account OF
the use it makes of such intox1cat-
ing liquors showing the persons for
whom the same were prescribed and
the reasons why such prescriptions
we're necessary which records shall
be at all times open to the public
and subject to publication"
The bill then goes on to specify
that any practicing physician may
procure from any such agency any
of the liuuor provided he shall fur