Evening star., 1928-12-08
Legislation Would Be Com.
parable to That in
Various States.
SUBCOMMITTEE STUDIES
D0RAN'S ANNUAL REPORT
Dry Convictions Here Far Below
Average for Nation, Documents
Figures Reveal.

Enactment of a separate prohibition
law for the District of Columbia COM
parable with the State laws, in order
to facilitate padlocking and Injunction
proceedings. will be urged upon Con-
gress by Chairman Gibson of the spe-
cial House subcommittee that has been
making an economic efficiency survey
of the National Capital
This was indicated today following
an executive session attended by Chair
man Gibson, the ranking minority
member; Representative Gilbert of
Kentucky and Representative Bowman
OF West Virginia. DR.. James M, Doran.
the prohibition commissioner, was the
only witness before the subcommittee.
This development was coincidental
with the publication of DR.. Dorans
annual report, which showed that con-
victions in the courts of the District In
the fiscal year 1928 for violations of
the prohibition law were far below the
average for the Federal courts of the
country and that the number of arrests
jumped to 1,26l in 1923, compared with
879 in 1927.
Mr.. Gibson explained that after the
meeting that he had been called be-
cause the subcommittee wanted to find
out how prohibition is enforced in the
District of Columbia. The hearing was
principally on the question of co-opera-
ton between the Federal enforcement
omcers and the metropolitan police
force of the District The testimony
conceded to large extent with that
previously given by District officials.
First of Conferences.
Mr.. Gibson said that this was the 1rs,
OF series of conferences with kew men
regarding various phases of suggested
remedial legislation for the District. He
emphasized that the subcommittee Is
not prosecuting police inquisition and
tnat It Is interested more in measures
than in men.
Another session is to be held early
next week to get information. Mr.. Glib
son said. ON which to base measures tn
oetter conditions in the National Capital.
Dr. Dorans report showed the Dis
trlct below the average in the percent
aSe OF convictions in cases tried, In
conviction and in average penalties
The result of prosecutions for the
nScal year 1927 in the local courts
was as follows: Total terminations
I,o93; dismissals, So: nolle prosed. 4l6:
acqulttals. 43; verdicts guilty So: plead
guilty. LOLA; total convictions, / .O76
The percentage of Jail sentences in
the courts here stood at 9.4. as COM
pared to national average of 2S.S ner
cent National convictions in cases
Drought to trial averaged 75.5 per cent
and the District 542 per cent. THE
average jail sentence in the District was
only 6.2 days. as compared to the ma
tional average of 34.4 days In Federal
courts and 34.S days in State and local
courts. N -OO"'
In the District also the AVERAGE 6,.
was $91.57. as compared to the national
average of $l2O.
Dig increase was shown. however
Dy Federal prohibition agents in their
actlvitles OF making arrests and seizure
of illicit liquor W 'e-N"ie
Inc increase in the District was in
line with more activity throughout the
Nation, where the total arrests for the
country were shown to have risen also
rom o4,986 to 75,307 during the same
Police of the District. however fell
~ ine also with State enforcement
number of prohibition arrests for ti,o
same period. during which the Federal
omcers showed an increase.
Arrests Fall on.
Washington police arrests for VIOLA
uon OF the liquor laws fell off from
SOl In the fiscal year 1927 to 755 in
1928. -" Ii
The value of property seized and
destroyed In the District by Federal
prohibition officers rose from 1894 in
1927 to $500 in the fiscal year 1925.
according to the report.
Ihe amount OF property seized but
not destroyed by prohibition agents fell
on from $2l4,006 in 1927 to Sl27,3S5
IN 1928 The amount of proceeds from
the sale of seized property rose anlaz-
lngly during the same period from
$S74.56 to $3,47750, while the expense
Incidental to the sale and turning over
OF such proceeds to the collector of
internal revenue rose only from SS14.SO
10 $835.25. Two agents we're injured in
1927, only one in 1928.
The report shows that l04 arrests
were made by local police in 1927, from
information furnished by Federal agents,
but the same column in the 1923 report
is blank.
While the number Of automobiles
seized for violation of the law rose from
AT to SAB in the year their total value
fell off from S211 300 to $209, $50.
A few items of seizures of illicit LIQUOR
and its manufacturing paraphernalia
show decreases in 1928 as compared to
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