Evening star., 1933-03-19
BEING MADE
FOR BEER PERMITS.
Red Tape Will Not Delay Dis
tributi0n When Brew
Becomes Legal.

Swift delivery Of beer is being planned
by the Roosevelt administration, to fol-
low quickly upon the enactment OF the
beer bill expected early this week.
Preliminary arrangements already
have been virtually completed for
handling permits, supervision and taxa
tion. The Government will be ready
to accelerate the flow Of beer on the
fifteenth day after the Presidents sig
nature is affixed to the legislation.
There will be no red tape tangling up
regulations and permits to delay the
situation, according to the best inforna-
ton available from official sources last
night.
Inquiries from brewers in all parts Of
the country have been flooding the offce
of DR.. James M. Doran, commissioner
of industrial alcohol, who will issue the
licenses to manufacture beer for sale.
Special Committee Busy.
A special committee consisting of rep
resentatives Of the Bureau OF Internal
Revenue, the Bureau Of Industrial Alco-
hol and the Bureau OF Prohibition has
been busy for several days setting up the
machinery to handle licenses, super.
vision and taxation.
Decision has been reached on the kind
Of stamps and labels to be placed on
bottles and kegs, and the nature OF su-
pervision to be placed on bottling fac
tories.
AS soon as the President signs the
beer bill, probably tomorrow or Tuesday,
it is expected the wheels will be set
swiftly into motion at both the Bureau
of Industrial Alcohol, and Bureau Of
Internal Revenue to prepare for beer
in Is days. ..'-
In the first place permits will be con-
sidered and granted to breweries found
qualified to manufacture beer. The first
permits will be issued, it is understood,
to the big breweries which have been
making ,near-beer and are prepared to
turn out beer of the alcoholic content
finally decided upon by Congress. The
Senate and House conferees still must
decide on a percentage. over which
there Is now a difference. ranging be-
tween sos and 80 per cent.
Only Near-Beer Plant Here.
Breweries which now hold licenses
to make near beer are scattered
throughout the United States and the
District of Columbia. There are 164 Of
them. including only one in this city.
the Abner-Drury Co., whose plant Is
at Twenty-fifth and G streets.
DR.. Doran estimates that In these
near-beer breweries there Is now a sup
ply of about q million gallons of real
beer already made and on storage,
awaiting legal permit to be sold in
bottles, kegs. glasses and stems.
This real beer has been made as part
Of the process Of making near-beer.
Real beer has to be made first in the
process, and then the alcohol Is taken
out.
Among the arrangements fer Gov
ernment supervision will be one which
will require presence Of Government
agent in breweries to supervise the
amount Of beer to be transferred for
sale, for the purpose Of obtaining the
exact tax. The Government plans to
the brewer.
Bottles to Be Labeled.
Each bottle leaving the breweries will
bear label, not over the neck and top
of the bottle. but on its face. It will be
small and Of the same color as the
manufacturers trade label It will
carry the name OF the manufacturer,
the Federal permit number. the alco-
holic content of the bottle and the
amount Of beer within. The bottles
will be of two sizes, IL ounces and "a
ounces. 1t is expected the small bottles
will retail from 10 to IS cents and the
larger bottles from 20 to so cents.
Beer in the kegs will be labeled with
stamp similar to that used IN pre-
prohibition days. 1t viii be green,
about 21a by 3ka inches in size and viii
so that when q spigot Is inserted to take
out the liquor, the stamp will be de-
stroyed. On this green revenue stamp
will be printed the number Of gallons
and the rate Of tax.
On top Of the Federal tax the Dis
trict of Columbia plans to exact q
further tax Of $1.20 barrel, under the
local beer bills now pending In Con-
Rress Plans are under way to rush the
local beer bill through Congress, II pos
sible, to make 1t effective at the same
time the national beer bill becomes
effective.
Beer from the keg, on drausht. prob
ably will be sold at cents . glass, or
10 or is cents stein, depending On the
size Of the container and the quality Of
the beer. according to indications.
State Legislatures Acting.
Under the legislation now pending
breweries may begin to bottle beer as
soon as the President Signs the beer bill,
but they may not sell 1t until 15 days
later, and then only " permit from the
Government.
But 1t Is expected many Of these per-
mits will be In the hands Of some o6 the
breweries long before the 1S-day period
has expired.
Not all Of the l04 uesr-beer plants
VIII ~ RFnttssa n my ~ ~