Evening star., 1933-08-06
BEER MAY AWAIT
ACTION ON REPEAL
Special Session Will Be
Asked to Act First on
Referendum.
BY LESTER N. INSKEEP,

stan correspondent OF The Star.
ARLINGTON COURT HOUSE, Va,
August 5.-Thirsty Virginians will prob
ably have to wait until the machinery
is set up for vote on the repeal of
the eighteenth amendment before the
special session of the General Assembly,
August II, takes up the question Of
legalizing beer, it was learned today.
Beer advocates had hoped that amend
ment Of the Layman act would be con-
sidered first and beer placed on sale
throughout the State within a short
time after convening the special ses-
sion.
According to Delegate Hugh Reid Of
Arlington County, who has been giving
considerable study to the question. lead
ers in the Assembly believe that the re-
peal problem can be more quickly
solved than can a beer bill be agreed
upon, and are. therefore, planning to
ask first consideration of the former.
Present plans for repeal legislation,
he said, are for an election of delegates
October to convention october II.
To Be Elected at Large.
Because of the abolition Of congress
sional districts through ruling of the
State Supreme Court Of Appeals. declar-
ing the redistricting act of 1892 un-
constitutional, delegates to the repeal
convention will have to be elected at
large, 1t is said, hence it will be i'm
possible to handle the selection of the
delegates by congressional districts.
The plan that 1t now believed most
feasible is have the wet and dry Or
ganizations submit lists of names from
which a nominating committee. prob
ably consisting of the Governor and
the presiding officers Of both houses of
the General Assembly. would select 80
wet and 80 dry candidates to be voted
upon.
1t is proposed to cut the cost of the
election to about one-third of the cost
of regular elections by eliminating the
clerks and having only three judges in
each precinct. one of these to act as
clerk. 1t also is proposed to limit the
pay Of judges to 81, and it Is hoped
that many Of these will be willing to
work without pay.
OF the various methods for regulating
the issuance of licenses for the sale of
beer, the one receiving the most favor
able consideration at this time. the
Arlington County Delegate said, is for
their issuance by the commissioners OF
revenue Of the cities and counties.
Impartial Board Proposed.
1t Is proposed to provide for the pub
lication of the names and addresses Of
applicants for a reasonable length of
time. and II, there are no objections the
commissioner of revenue would auto
matically issue the license. In order
to care for objections it is proposed to
have an impartial board of simple set
up to hear complaints and then report
its findings to the commissioner of rev.
enue. Permits should not be denied
unless the objections are reasonable,
Reid believes
The "off sale" and "on sale" licenses
in effect in the District of Columbia, it
is believed. would not be practical for
the rural sections of Virginia, hence it
is proposed to have only "off sale" and
unlimited sale" in the rural sections,
with a possibility that the District Of
Columbia plan might be followed in the
urban and suburban communities.
1t is not anticipated that there will
be much trouble about the locations Of
places selling beer in Arlington County
because of the coming law. which con-
fines all types of business to various
areas set aside solely for this purpose
1t was believed, however, that some
steps should be taken to protect resi-
dental areas in counties like Fairfax,
which do not as yet have zoning.
RFFR GROJTp To MEET