Evening star., 1933-12-25
LIQUOR HEARINGS
FOR D. c. TO BEGIN
Congressional Committees to
Get to Work on Control in
Week or 10 Days.

Congressional committees within the
next week or 10 days will begin work NJ
on the problem of liquor control in the
District of Columbia, with indications
that the discussion will center largely
around the question of whether there
should be private license system, the
municipal dispensary plan, or some
combination OF the two.
District officials have drafted a pri-
vate license plan, which is awaiting
final action by the Commissioners be-
fore being transmitted to the House
and Senate District Committees. Sew
eral members of the Senate Committee
including Chairman King, have made
known, however, that they are giving
pensary method of distribution. which
was advocated in varying degrees by
some local organizations at the recent
hearings at the District Building.
Proposals to Be Heard.
Senator King plans to hold hearings,
probably next week, at which the rec
concentrations of the Commissioners
and various other methods of control
will be analysed
One of the important provisions in
the bill drafted at the District Building
is the section designed to give property
owners voice in determining whether
licenses should be granted in their
neighborhoods. The plan recommended
is that If the owners of 81 per cent OF
the property within certain radius
object. a license could not be granted.
Commenting on this plan, Mrs
Harvey w. Wiley suggested that the
licenSe-Seeker should be required to
ascertain the attitude of the surround
ing property owners. rather than put
the burden of proof on the property
the representatives OF the District OF
Columbia Federation of Women's Clubs
at the recent hearing before the Com
ganization favored the municipal store
plan Of distribution, and recommended
that in hotels and restaurants liquor
be sold only with meals and for cash
Edwin s. Hege of the Chevy Chase
Citizens Association also expressed the
view that the burden of proof should
be placed on the applicant for Ii
cenSe, rather than on those opposed
to the granting Of licenses in neigh
borhood.
In the House everything is set to
rush through the liquor control law.
Speaker Rainey has promised Chair
man Norton of the House District
Committee to recognize her on the Sec
ond day of the session to call up this
measure, for enactment of which the
Speaker says there is imperative
need" House Leader Byrns has placed
lation. Minority Leader Smell also has
declared his belief that it should be
disposed OF at once, and a big majority
on each side of the House-both Re-
publicans and Democrats-have voiced
their hope that early action on model
control bill for the District will help
States and local communities in franz
ing their legislation for control of the
liquor traffic and be a guide in the
taxation of legal liquor.
Meeting Opening Day.
Mrs. Norton has called all members
Of the House District Committee to a
meeting on the opening day and has
supplied them with copies of the bill
as drafted so that they may be pre-
pared to approve it or to offer amend
ments. All members of the District
Committee who could be reached. con-
Stituting more than a ma jority, de-
CIdleO UIlelr DelleI llldL IIle Dill Will De
favorably reported at the first meeting
Of the committee, that few, if any,
amendments will be made, and that
the important thing is to get the bill
through the House ahead Of any ap-
preparation bill. Under this plan with
the Senate prepared to hold hearings
the House Committee would be in a
better position later to consider what
ever changes the Senate may suggest
as result of hearings. This also would
allow the House members to attend the
Senate hearings and thus prepare
themselves to vote more intelligently
upon any changes the Senate Com
mittee may decide to make.
Chairman Norton said today: u
would like to see model law enacted
for the District of Columbia. but ]
think that the earliest possible action
is most imperative to get control law
through. so that the District people can
have legal liquor and not be penalized
as compared with other States It is
important also that the District should
be able to derive revenue from the
local consumption rather than to have
the revenue go to neighboring States.
I feel very certain that We will be able
to report the liquor control bill from
committee on the opening day and that
the House will take it up the second
day."