Evening star., 1933-08-26
Corporation Counsel Cites
Haste in Which Beer
Act Was Written.
WANTS AIDE RELIEVED
FROM BEVERAGE BOARD
Official, in Annual Report, Also
Asks That Bacon Davis Regu-
lation Be Strengthened.

Taking notice of the rapid spread o
sentiment against the eighteenth amend
ment, as witnessed by wet votes in g
States, Corporation Counsel William w
Bride today recommended in his an
nual report early determination of th
policy of the District toward the sa.t
OF hard liquor, and early preparation
OF bill to deal with this problem wher
Congress convenes next January.
The beer law, he pointed out, wa
prepared with feverish activity which
kept this Office at work late into tn,
night and into the early morning hours
We have found many things in thi
law that need amendment and addi
tions are necessary. Legislation of thi
character should be prepared for pres
entation with much more examination
and consideration, particularly shoult
the whole field Of Intoxicating beverage.
be covered"
Mr.. Bride joined Assessor William p
Richards in the latter's. request tina
money be. appropriated for the work o
issuing and controlling beer permits. HI
especially sought the removal of hi
principal assistant, Vernon E. West
from the work of membership on tn,
Beverage Permits Board. Pointing on
that the beer revenues will be abou
$35O,O00 year, he suggested appropria
ton of not more than 10 per cent o.
that amount for beer permit work.
Works Under Strain.
Speaking of Mr.. Vests work, he said
With so many of my assistants as
signed to work outside the norma
routine duties of their Offices, there is
a serious threat to its efficiency. Mer
cannot keep up the heavy grind-ano
there is a severe grind in this Office
OF their daily work and have other
heavy duties placed upon them This
is severely true of my principal essist-
ant who is conscientiously doing his
work in all capacities at most severe
strain upon his nervous system"
Mr.. Bride once more recommended
that teeth be put in the Bacon-Davis
act, which calls for payment of the pre-
valling scale of wages to workmen on
public construction jobs, SO that it may
be enforced with better success than
has attended its existence so far.
His suggestion was that another law
be passed giving the District and Gov
ernment contracting officers the power
to require contractors. to file sworr
statements of the work done by all
workers and their rates of pay. A false
statement would then be prosecuted a;
perjury
Under present conditions Mr.
Bride said, the bidder who is ready
and willing to obey the law is sacri.
feed to the contractor who sets out Il
disobey the law for his bid mus
necessarily be higher than that of the
contractor who intends to make hi:
profits secretly out of the wages of hi.
employees. The Government suffers a.
well under that condition, for the mar
who would cheat his employees of theil
legal wage might likewise defraud tbs
Government in the performance of hi.
contract. The perjury statute is mos
effective weapon in the premises if the
statement above suggested under oatl
should be authorized by law"
Traffic Fines Decrease.
The report, which occupies 80 type
written pages. is a mine of statistics
1t shows that 50,430 informations were
filed in the District branch of Police
Court in the year and that S147,155.9
in fines and forfeitures was collected
exclusive of s74891 collected at police
stations, as collateral for minor offenses
The number of court information
filed was 1882 less than the numbel
filed the preceding year and the trafh,
fines represented decrease of $45, $40
Among the offenses was a Slight in
crease shown in intoXication from Is,
1872 to 1884 and an increase in entic
ing prostitution from 300 to 72l. Mos
of the other offenses showed a decrease
Mr. Bride suggested an increase il
the penalty for enticing prostitutio.
as an assistance to the Justice De
partment in its efforts to stop the in
f1uX of white slave traffic here.
Lamp posts must have had a hare
year in the District as the report re
cords the collection of S83930 for dam
ages to them.