Evening star., 1933-12-07
HEARINGS TO OPEN
ON LIQUOR BILL
First Session to Be Held
Tomorrow at 10 in Dis
trict Building.

Washingtonians will have their first
opportunity to express their views on
proposed liquor control legislation for
! the District when the Commissioners
begin public hearings in the board room
of the District Building at 10 o'clock
| tomorrow morning on the tentative
draft of license bill prepared in the
corporation counsePs office.
Although only a few organizations
had filed advance notice at the District
Building thus far of desire to be
heard. numerous neigrfborhood and
city-wide groups have had committees
studying the problem for several weeks,
and most of them are expected to take
part in the hearings.
Rainey Favors Haste.
Meanwhile, Speaker Of the House
Rainey expressed himself in favor OF
putting liquor control law into opera
| ton in the District without delay to
discourage bootlegging. The tentative
draft of the license measure prepared
at the District Building would allow Is
| days following passage of the bill or
appointment of the control board, and
a period of 60 days for the board to
consider applications for licenses. The
Speaker said he favored having the law
60 into operation promptly following
passage of bill by Congress. He re-
peated the announcement made some
time ago that he hoped to have a Dis
trict liquor control bill taken up in the
House under a rule on January 4, the
second day of the session. With this
thought in view, Chairman Norton OF
the House District Committee, has ar
ranged to ask members of the House
committee to study the proposed local
control bill individually between now
and the converting Of Congress.
Chairman King of the Senate District
Committee also is following the subject
closely and plans to hold Senate hear
ingS the latter part of this month, after
the Commissioners complete their hear
ings and transmit a bill to the Capitol.
Bride Offers Basic Plan.
Corporation Counsel Bride, who pre-
pared the tentative draft of the license
bill in consultation with Vernon E.
West, his principal assistant, has en-
phasized that this draft is being put
| forward merely as a working basis, to
be studied and discussed by civic Or
ganizations.
The bill would confer broad powers
on the Commissioners to make regula-
tions for the carrying out of the pro-
posed license system, and sets forth in
Octdu Iilc lcoGA GAlCIlOlo bildt WOulO SUI :.
round each type of license. One type Of
license would permit sale of liquor by
the drank at tables in hotels, restau-
rants and clubs, but the liquors could
not be kept or displayed in the same
room where served. There would be
separate licenses for establishments
selling liquor in package form, not to
be consumed on the premises, and spe-
cial licenses for manufacturers and
wholesalers.
First on the list to be heard tomor-
row Is DR.. F. w Buck. executive sec
retary of the Federal Dispensary Tax
| Reduction League. Inc. DR.. Buck
asked for 80 minutes.
The others were James P. Cochran
business manager Of the Night Watch
mans Association; Mortimer L. Rich
mond of Cathedral Mansions. George
w. Offutt, representing the Special
Committee of the Washington Board of
Trade on Liquor Control Measures. and
Edwin S. Hege, representing the Chevy
Chase Citizens Association.
| In his statement, urging drinkers