Evening star., 1932-04-25
V|NEYARD|STS ASK
| DRY LAW REVISION
kCaIifornians Charge Reversal
of Enforcement Policy
Threatens Industry.
BY the Associated Press.

BY TIE Associated FTeSS.
SAN FRANCISCO. April p5.-Re-
vision of the eighteenth amendment
to permit the sale Of naturally fer
mented beverages was advocated here
today as a new policy Of the California
Vineyardists' Association by Donald d.
Conn, managing director Of the asso-
ciation.
In a report summarizing his admin
istration for the last five years, Conn
charged a reversal of governmental
prohibition enforcement policies threat
ened disaster to the grape industry and
made legalization OF wlne-making i'm
perative.
He charged that for IL years the
Government, by liberal rulings and in
terpretations of the Volstead act,
approved and assisted the growing and
sale of juice grapes for home wine
making" only to "betray" the grape
growers later by complete reversal
Of prohibition enforcement policy.
THE Government, from the begin
ming. has been party to the increased
volume of wine-grape production" his
report set forth. Both Federal and
State authorities not only permitted
these additional paintings (after the
prohibition act was passed., hut did
much TO encourage wine-grape market
ing and sale.
Program Understood"
Fruit Industries. Ltd, had its
! genesis as a result of conference be-
| tween the Department of Jusice, the
Treasury and the Department Of Agri-
culture in Washington. It's program
was fully understood from the begin
ming"
The prohibition portion of Conn's
l Mt tn Mt
leaders of the industry. He explained
he has been a dry advocate the last
| FIVE years.
Bitterly criticizing the prohibition en-
forcement departments acceptance Of
a decision last October by Federal Judge
Merrill E. Otis of Kansas City as the
basis for its enforcement policy, Conn
stated:
ITO put into the Interpretation of the
| law now the views of one Judge, who
has never dealt with the vineyard agri-
cultural problem and who did not even
have it presented to him at the time he
wrote his decision, means from the
grape industry standpoint nothing less
than to morally outlaw the vast vine
yard industry Of the State of Cali
| fornia.
Judge Otis decision hinged on section
| - VI titlC q VI tic ndllOkldl pEOlliDlb4OIl
act. reading as follows:
"' The penalties provided in this
1 chapter against the manufacture of
| liquor without permit shall not apply
to person manufacturing non-intoxi-
eating cider and fruit juices exclusively
for use in his home, but such cider and
/ fruit juices shall not be sold or delivered
except to persons having permits to
manufacture vinegar"
Forecasts S500, ,000, 900 Tax.
| In lieu of the Volstead act, Conn urged
advocacy of national liquor plan" to
be enacted by Congress after the eight
enth amendment has been repealed or
modified, He offered his plan as a part
Of longtime program of rehabilita-
| ton" of the grape industry.
It would permit the restricted manu-
facture of wines for use in homes and
hotels. Sales to domestic trade would be
by coupon. by bonded stores operated
under manufacturers permits. issued by
the United States whose laws are not
Incompatible herewith Beverages
would be of only such alcoholic strength
as can be produced by natural fermenta-
| ton.
Unlimited fermentation or distillation
OF surplus agricultural crops and the
expectation Of the resultant products to
foreign countries would be permitted
Conn estimated his plan would pro-
vide about S500,000,6 zoo Of tax receipts
to the Federal Government annually.