Evening star., 1933-12-13
Commission Considers Plan
to Determine Sentiment
of Sections.
MAJORITY OF OWNERS
COULD STOP LICENSES
Local Option Idea Is Abandoned.
Allen and Corporation Coun-
sci in Conference.

A new plan for determining the senti-
nlent of community on sale or con-
sumption of beverages was being de-
veloped today by the District Commits
sioners as they proceeded with study
Of their final draft of proposed meas
ure for the control of liquor in the
District.
Final decision has not been reached,
but the Commissioners now have in
mind a system under which licenses
could be granted to places in or near
residential communities, unless 81 per
cent of the property owners in such
areas signed and filed with the Com
missioners official petitions of protest.
Such plan, of course. would be sub
ject to the operation of Zonlng regula-
tions. Retail stores are not permitted
in areas restricted to residential use
under the coming regulations but this
does not apply in all cases to dining
rooms in hotels, apartment houses and
clubs.
1t was indicated clearly that the
Commissioners have abandoned their
original consideration OF system Of
''local option for areas of the District
other than the. downtown business
section, under which they had in mind
either a system of official balloting on
the question of sales of liquor in either
package or beverage form.
Details Being Studied.
Details of the modified form of as
certaining sentiment in communities
on the sale of liquor were being worked
out today at conferences between Com
missioner George E. Allen and Corpora
ton Counsel w. w. Bride and his
principal assistant, Vernon E. West.
Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen, presi-
dent of the Board of Commissioners,
also is active in the work.
Under the plan now being seriously
studied the District would prepare and
make available official petition forms.
. When an application would be made
for liquor license in section other
than the downtown business area,
residents of the neighborhood opposing
the license could circulate such petit
tions among property owners. If the
petitions of protest were signed by 81
per cent Of property owners in the vi
cinity, as the plan now is taking form,
1t would be mandatory on the Commits
sioners to refuse to grant the license.
II less than 81 per cent of the prop
erty owners signed the petition the
matter would be left to the discretion of
the Commissioners, who would pass
upon the question of the license with
due regard to the sentiment of the
neighborhood, the character of the ap-
plicant and his place of business and
other conditions.
Decision had not been reached at
noon today as to the size of the area
C1IrrOiIY1dir0 O T1rnnncnd 1inllOr lir,o
place in which the question of a petit
ton would be involved. The plan would
call. however, for a certain area, in
cluding definite distance for a pro-
posed establishment. One suggestion
has been for a radius of $50 feet and
another for 1000 feet.
1t was said the Commissioners were
considering applying such petitions only
to property owners, rather than resi-
dents, for the reason that there must
be some definite way of checking
against the signatures.
Local Option Out.
The Commissioners, it was indicated,
have discarded consideration of ballot
ing under a local option plan because
of the obvious difficulties of setting up
definite boundaries for the many differ
ent communities. Such a plan, it also
was found, would involve the question
of time needed for the development
of voting machinery.
Chairman King of the Senate District
Committee, in commenting on the plan
considered by the Commissioners, fol-
lowing their public hearings last week
said the balloting proposal involved some
difficult problems.
He said he believed the Commission
ers could ascertain the sentiment of a
community by other methods.
The Commissioners would be given
final authority in matters of regulations
and licensing of the liquor business here
under the plan now being considered.
An alcohol liquor control board, or q
director of liquor traffic, if set up, would
be subject to decisions by the Commits
fsioners
The Commissioners hope to complete
the draft of their liquor control meas
sre before the end of the week. Before
they act finally on it and send the pro-
posed measure to Senator King and to
Representative Mary T. Norton, chair
man of the House District Committee
they will make a study of all questions
raised at the public hearings last week