Evening star., 1933-11-29
A Plan for Liquor Control.

/ The liquor control measure proposed
by the corporation counsers office Will
serve the immediate purpose Of giving
the Commissioners and the many cit1-
tEens who are interested in obtaining
suitable control legislation for the Dis
.trict something tangible to work on.
Nhe hearings on the bill by the Com
Anissioners will provide opportunity to
fiiscover its defects or those Of its fea-
lures which seem Objectionable, so that
there may be some agreement on gen.
eral principles, at least, in advance of
the formal congressional hearings on
this bill or one like it later on.
The bill as drawn seems to follow
generally the pattern OF the more strict
&tate control measures which are based
on the licensing principle. The point Of
greatest general interest, perhaps, Is the
Safeguards it attempts to establish
against return of the saloon. That
point will probably receive more atten-
ton than any other. For, while every
body, generally speaking, has been op-
posed to the return Of the saloon, ex-
perience in framing control measures
that in reality will prevent the return
Of the saloon, or OF the evils which the
word symbolizes, suggests new problems.
There Is the matter of defining sa-
loon. for instance. Some of those who
believe that there must be q degree OF
tolerance in furnishing the man who
wants a quick drink with the place to
get it. say that they are opposed to the
"old-fashioned saloon,' while those who
believe that any public drinking estab-
1ishment will become a saloon under
another name are anxious for highly
restrictive provisions to prevent any
public drinking.
The corporation counsel's bill permits
public drinking in hotels, restaurants
clubs, dining cars and vessels. The res
taurant must be engaged principally in
the preparation and serving Of food.
The club must be non-profit- making
undertaking. But food need not be
served with the drinks, although drinks
may be consumed only at tables. Such
regulations would presumably lead to
the establishment, at hotels and pos
sibly at restaurants. of tap rooms for
serving drinks. If restaurants must de-
rive their principal revenue from the
sale Of food before being considered
eligible for licensing under the law. it
will be interesting to learn whether
restaurant may later become ineligible
If the principal source Of revenue should
become liquors, and not food.
1t has been said, however, that un-
der a licensing system the important
thing is the determination by the
licensing authority to enforce regu-
lations with the aim of promoting tenn
perance and eliminating the abuses
usually associated with the liquor traf-
fic. This is considered even more i'm
portant than the wording of general
regulations. For the strictest regula-
tions ever devised are meaningless if
there is not proper enforcement. And
in this connection the corporation
counsers bill vests broad powers with
the District Commissioners to promul-
gate proper rules and regulations re-
lating, not only to the sale Of liquors,
but to the location of sales establish
ments. The District Commissioners
also would possess the important power
OF appointing the personnel Of the Al
coholic Beverage Control Board.
As any liquor control act must be
viewed largely as experimental, it would
seem that the authority vested in the
Commissioners to make regulations for
enforcement is extremely important.
They should be given a maximum OF
discretionary power, not only to change
regulations that are found injudicious or
ineffective, but to make new ones when
the occasion arises. As there is no
local option in the District OF Colum-
bia, and as there is a distinct senti-
ment in some sections of the city to
prevent the sale of liquor In those sec
tions, the suggested power of the Com
missioners to withhold licenses in some
parts of the city is valuable feature
Of the bill, which, it is to be hoped,
will be preserved. Even the radical
drys, who will approve only prohibition
and will not on principle participate in
framing regulations for effective con-
the prohibited areas in which liquor
may not be sold at all as extensive as
possible