Evening star., 1932-02-04
BAY RUM DRINKERS
VIOLATE DRY LAW,
D. c. STORES TOLD
As a Lotion, However, It's
Legal Article, Inspectors
Notify Merchants.
EMPTY BOTTLES TESTIFY
TO ALLEY CONSUMPTION
Doran Declares Liquid, as at Pres
ent Denatured, Is Unfit
Beverage.

Inspectors of the Bureau OF In
dustrial Alcohol have notified Wash
ington merchants that bay rum as
lotion is a legal article, but that for
beverage purposes it Is illegal.
Enforcement Of this phase Of the
it was admitted by DR.. James M.
Doran, commissioner of industrial alco-
hol Protests against the continued
drinking Of bay rum in the Capital
have come to him. he said, from various
dry sources. And plenty Of evidence
exists in Washington that bay rum is
sold in considerable quantity, and that
if it is being used in strictly legal
fashion the alleys of the city have
become suddenly popular places for
shaving and the treatment Of the scalp.
Flock Of Empties Found.
A survey of alleys in one downtown
section disclosed large numbers Of
empty bay rum bottles which gave every
evidence Of having been emptied re-
Gently. From one Government source
it was learned today that laborerS are
under orders to clean up one certain
alley frequently and to gather up all
the empty bottles. Most of the emptieS
were found to be bay rum bottles.
The article is sold in most drug stores
and in many and 10 cent stores, and
questioning of customers appears to be
perfunctory in cases where it is re-
sorted to at all. In one store a Gus
toner making an investigation looked
all over the display counter, but found
no bay rum in sight
Bay rum?" asked the customer.
Certainly" the clerk replied and
drew a small bottle from a storage
place beneath the counter. She put
the bottle in bag and handed it over
the counter in exchange for 10 cents.
Conviction Difficult.
Government officials admit it would
be exceedingly difficult for a clerk TO
tell whether customer wanted the bay
rum to soothe a singing face after a
close shave, to rub on his head, or to
pour into his stomach. To prove case
in court for conviction of such a clerk
selling the article would also be difficult,
it is admitted.
Warnings have been circulated, how
ever, through official inspectors, that
selling bay rum for beverage" is an
offense against the prohibition act.
Il claim bay rum now on sale is ab-
solutely unfit to drink" declared DR..
Doran. ITO load it up with any further
denaturants not only would ruin the
bay rum industry of the Virgin Islands,
but would probably make it unfit for
lotion purposes, and thus deprive the
American people Of staple article TO
which they have been accustomed for
many years"
~ -
rum, and see if he likes it." said DR..
Doran. "If the country's going to take
to that stuff you might as well give the
country back to the Indians"
The present formula which denatures
bay rum, DR.. Doran considers to be
sufficient to make 1t UNIT to drink
The formula is known as No. 40 and
contains as one Of its most active in
gradients a substance known as
"brucine," which DR.. Doran charac-
terized as one of the bitterest things
known to taste.
Samples Investigated.
Careful investigation has been made
Of samples Of bay rum sold over the
counters here in the Capital, DR.. Doran
comply with the Government reguls-
tions The liquid contains "oil of bay"
which comes from the West Indian Is
lands and is high in percentage Of alco-
hol. Most Of it analyZes about ST per
cent alcohol, DR.. Doran said. 1t Is
properly denatured.
The bay rum industry in the Virgin
Islands has formally asked the Gov
ernment here to put no more "medica-
ments" or adulteration into bay rum.
Through Trade Commissioner Taylor
the Virgin Islands government recently
made formal representations to the
Treasury Department, fearing that
some more adulteration would be added
to this staple product of the islands.
Statistics show that more than 3d.
900 gallons of bay rum were imported
from the Virgin Islands last fiscal year.
Some imports also came from other
West Indian islands.