The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-04-01
beer WILL GET
BY THE HOUSE
That Is What Poll Taken
by Interested Mem
bers Indicates
By J. c. BASKERVILL
The Tines-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, April II ne peer
bill will pass the house by large
majority when IL comes over
from the senate, according to a
poll of the house made yeSter-
day by several Interested house
members. A poll by one house
member showed 90 votes for the
beer bill and only 10 definitely
opposed TO it, the remainder DC
irg undecided. So if the mem-
bers who have said they vii vote
for the bill actually vote Tor II,
the bill will pass with a big ma
iority. Present plans are 10
move a suspension of the rules
and pass the bill as soon as y IS
passed by the senate over Inc
house.
Some are wondering what has
caused the tremendous change u
sentiment in the house, recalling
that the house defeated the Muir
phy drug store liquor bill ~ =
vote Of about 75 to 23 and that
the Cover bill 10 repeal the Iur-
lingtOn act was also defeated By
Il large majority, But it is po!n,-
et out that the Cover bill would
have repealed the states proh'-
bition law in full and thus thro"
the state wide open 10 bootleg
ying OF all sorts, while many
thought the Murphy drug store
LIQUOR bill would have done lit
tie more than make saloons "uJ
OF most of the drug stores. So
these bills were promptly and
emphatically defeated.
But the beer bill by Senator
Francis is very different pro-
poSal, most OF those who have
studied il now agree, since It
would merely permit the sale Of
81 per cent beer which congress
has held is notwithstanding and
at the same time will permit the
state TO impose and collect a tax
on this beer that is estimated to
yield about $l,500,0O0 q year IN
new revenue. The belief has also
been growing that the legal sale
OF 80 per cent beer will tend to
greatly decrease the Bookkeeping
of hard liquor and the drinking
of these stronger liquors. But
if the legal sale Of beer is not
permitted, many are convinced
that it will be bOotlegged every
where. and that bOOtlegging Of
all sorts will increase.
The realization that beer can
be purchased by residents Of
North Carolina for their own
personal use, regardless OF
whether the state legaliZeS its
general sale or not, has also mad
a good deal 20 do with the change
in sentiment with regard to beer,
it is agreed. For it is now gen
orally agreed that any person
who wanted 10 could go 20 Ten
neSSee. South Carolina or any
other state where beer can be
legally sold. buy kcg or case Of
beer and bring it on home, with
out violating any law. For since
congress has held 81 per cent
beer mountaineering, it can be
sold and transported in inter-
state commerce without vlOlat-
ing any federal laws. COnSe-
quently beer trucks from other
states can come into North Caro-
lima and sell beer in key and
case lots TO individuals for their
own use. AS a result, the opin-
ion has grown that the state
might as well permit the general
sale of beer and get the benefit
of the revenue from this sale.
Members of both houses have
also been impressed by the claims
made by r. r. Lawrence, preSi-
dent of the State Federation of
Labor, that at least 10000 men
will be given employment if beer
is legalized. Lawrence maintains
that between $50 and 500 new
motor trucks will be needed by
distributors at once and a new
field for employment opened up
as soon aS the sale of beer is
legalized. 4 large amount of
new business will also be sup
piled by both the railroads and
the established truck lines when
beer can be sold, Lawrence main
tains. He also thinks it will help
the business of the food and
grocery stores, since the use Of
beer will increase appeJitcS and
tend to make people eat more.
The report has been current
for several days that the bottlng
interests Of the state have had 4
big lobby here opposing the beer
bill, along with the bOOtleggerS
and professional prohibitioniSts,
but this is not true. The prin-
cipal representatives of the bot
tiers of the state stated en-
phaticalIy here Thursday that the
bottlers were not in the least OPP
posed to beer and that they were
doing nothing to oppose the beer
bill.
It is known, however, that the
hard liquor boOtleggers and dis
tillers are opposing the bill and
at least two members of the gen.
eral assembly, from counties not
ed for the amount of Illicit whis-
key distilled in them, have said
they would not vote for the beer
bill because the people in their
counties are opposed to it.
No~Eb Rlna p;Joo