Evening star., 1933-12-29
Measure Providing so Cents
a Gallon Maximum Tax Is
0. KID by Commissioners.
LICENSE FEE is SET
AT $1,000 FOR HOTELS
Restaurants to Get $500 Rate.
Measure Is Attacked and Faces
Congress Delay.

Providing maximum tax Of so cents
gallon and retail license fees of $1,000
for hotels and $500 for restaurants, the
proposed liquor control law for the Dis
trict was approved by the Commission
erS today.
In the final draft, which is expected
to be sent to the Capitol today. the
Commissioners also set at 800 feet the
radius to he employed in the modified
form of local option IN communities
OF general residential character under
which the proposed control board would
not be permitted to grant a license if
the owners OF 81 per cent CT the prop
erty within the area protest.
The sales tax Of SO cents a gallon IS
believed by the Commissioners to repre-
sent the ideas Of President Roosevelt,
IL was said.
The tax scale adopted by the Com
misSionerS calls for the following sched-
ule Of District sales taxes:
Spirits. so cents a gallon: wines Of
an alcoholic content of IA per cent or
more, so cents gallon; champagne and
other carbOnated wines even though
having less than IA per cent alcoholic
content, so cents a gallon: light wines
Of less than IA per cent alcoholic con-
tent, 20 cents a gallon, and alcohol.
Sll0 a gallon.
There is to be no sales tax on beer
under the proposed system.
License Fees Enumerated.
The scale of license fees is Distillers
and rectiflers, $4,000 a year: wineries,
$500; distillers of alcohol, where more
than so per cent of the product IS
used for non-beverage purposes, $1,000;
manufacturers of beer, $500; whole
salers of all classes of alcoholic bever-
ages, 81 500; wholesalers of beer, $3.50;
retailers of packaged liquors. $3.50: re-
tailers Of beer, SIS; hotels, licensed for
on-sale consumption, $1,000; incorpo-
rated clubs. $3.50; bona flde restaurants,
$500; marine vessels serving meals, $50
a month, or $500 a year; railroad din
ing cars or club cars, SIS a month; tav-
erns, to be licensed to sell beer for
consumption on the premises, $3.50 a
year: retail pharmacists railing spirits
on prescription, S25 year, and daily
permit for special occasions. such as
banuuets, S. day; solicitors, 81 year.
The licenses are to be effective from
February l. There is to be charge OF
SIS for a transfer of license from one
party to another.
The Commissioners said that the
LIQUOR bill would contain a new pro-
vision stating that if Congress adopts
an inclusive Federal sales tax, part OF
which would be returned to States hav-
ing no sales taxes of their own on the
sale of alcoholic beverages. the scale
proposed by the Commissioners would
be made void.
Adoption by the Commissioners of the
proposed sales tax scale followed a series
Of conferences between District officials
and Treasury Department officials, in
cluding Acting Secretary Of the Treas
ury Morgenthau.
The new provisions were to be written
into the liquor control measure which
the Commissioners expected to place
in the hands of the chairmen of the
Senate and House District Committees
before late this afternoon.
It was planned to include in the
bill also a schedule Of license fees to
be paid by establishments which may
be licensed under the proposed
measure.
Delay Is Likely.
Meanwhile, opposition developed at
the Capitol to the announced plan OF
rushing the bill before the House
"Wednesday, and there were indica-
tons that the District Committee
might conduct hearings on the meas
ure. Previously Speaker Rainey and
Chairman Norton of the committee
had promised that the measure would
be reported out promptly Wednesday.
Representative Everett NJ. Dirksen.
one of the most active Republican
members of the committee. today at
tackled the bill as everything that
liquor bill should not be-"
Representative O'Connor, Democrat
of New York, urged Speaker Rainey
today to alter his plans for calling the
bill up for consideration Wednesday,
on the ground there is no necessity for
hasty action.
Representative O'Connor pointed out
it would be impossible for the House
District Committee to meet before
Congress convenes Wednesday. and it
could not, in a few hours, give ample
consideration to the measure.
Suggestion Being Considered.
Speaker Rainey promised to take
MIR. O'Connor'S suggestion under ad-
vlsement, but announced later, at a
press conference, that if the District
Committee had the bill in shape for
consideration Wednesday, he would not
change his original program.
O'Connor told the Speaker he knew
Of no reason why the bill should be
damned" through the House in view
of a prospective delay in Senate action.
in view of plans of the Senate District
Committee to hold extensive hearings
on the measure.
Nobody has seen this bill that the
Commissioners prepared" O'Connor
said. Even if it should reach the
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