Evening star., 1932-12-08
Anti-Prohibitionists Laud 80
Per Cent Beverage as
Misunderstanding.
COLLIER WILL INTRODUCE
MEASURE WITHOUT DELAY
Witnesses Allowed but 10 Minutes
Each to Hasten Necessary
Action of Committee.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
-prohibitionist members of the
House lauded 80 per cent beer as q
Notwithstanding and healthful bever-
age in testimony today before the House
Ways and Means Committee
Efforts were made to speed the hear
ings so the committee can get to work
by Tuesday on bill to submit for
passage by the end of next week This
is in line with the Democratic program
for action by Christmas, if possible.
Representatives Stafford of wiscon-
sin and Dyer of Missouri, Republicans,
and Boland, Democrat, of Pennsylvania,
led of in favor Of Vclstead modifica-
ton. They were followed by YAM
dell Henderson, professor of applied
physiology at Yale University.
Expert on Poisons.
The tall gray-haired professor said
he wanted 1t understood that / am
an expert on poisons that include al
cohol." With that, he declared, beer
Of about per cent is not appreciably
more intoxicating than an equal VOL
ume of coffee"
BY committee consent, 20 minutes
was allowed Henderson, although the
committee earlier had stipulated that
witnesses would be limited to 10 min
utes apiece in the interest of speed.
Chairman Collier, before today's meet
ing, announced the plan for getting
some form of bill before the House
proper without delay. One after an
other, the witnesses for and against
the legislation are to be paraded before
the committee, so that early next week
it can go into executive session to de-
eide on the alcoholic content and tax
to be recommended. Advocates Of
modification are being heard first.
Subsequently prohibitionists viii give
their objections.
Says People for Change.
At the outset Of the second days
hearing, Representative Stafford, the
first witness, said the people had ap-
proved the Democratic platform for
modification of the Volstead act. adding
that this profoundly influenced the
vote in Wisconsin
There Is no need for me to dwell on
the economic advantages which would
come from the return Of beer" he said.
If the bill legalizes wines, Stafford
felt there should be q saving clause
| so that If wines were held unconstitu-
tional, the beer clause might still stand.
Nearly all committee members were
present, but the audience was small.
compared with that which janmed the
huge COMMITTEES room yesterday.
Stafford said II Congress passes law
legalizing 80 per cent beer, 1t would 'in
no way Supersede State laws which de-
clare such brew intoxicating"
In other words, States which are
strongly dry would not have beer forced
upon them" he declared.
AIes and Porter Intoxicating.
Pacing up and down before the COM
mittee, he said decision by Justice
Brandeis of the Supreme Court had de-
clared ''all ales and porter" intoxicat-
| ing.
"Ales and porters are heavy beers'
he said.
Some of them contain 10 and u
per cent Of alcohol. In my opinion,
beer of 6 per cent is intoxicating.
But nowhere do we find any decision
| that beer of more than one-half OF j
per cent is intoxicating. as beer, say,
with a content as high as 2.75."
He held the opinion that the average
beer sold in Milwaukee before prohibi-
! ton was not intoxicating.
4 hGQIeS6IlLdIlNG ~ 1Ol4iiOA, A(SiiiONA os
| OF New York, has bill calling for beer
with a 80 alcoholic content by weight,
a percentage described as non-intoM-
eating by Stafford The bill by Chair
man Collier fixes the alcoholic content
at 2.75.
Questioned by Representative Tread
way, Republican of Massachusetts,
about the revenue phase OF the bill,
/ Stafford said:
You don't want to put premium
on alley brewers. People in my State
want cheap beer. I believe that with
! the S5-a-barrel tax as provided in this
/ (Collier) bill,, it will permit them to
sell beer at 10 cents a bottle and 5
cents a glass"
He said that at SIS a barrel of 81
gallons, the tax would be ~ cents q
| bottle of II ounces.
Representative Dyer also urged speedy
| Continued on Page 2, Column So