Evening star., 1934-06-21
SERVICE BAR PLAN
IS TURNED down
BYD|STR|CTHEADS
A. B. c. Boards Move to
Reveal Mixing of Drinks
Loses.
FORMAL ACTION WILL
BE TAKEN BY GROUP
Allen "Unalterably Opposed" to
Amending Liquor Regu-
lations.
The move of the Alcoholic Beverage

The move of the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board to amend the liquor
regulations to permit operation OF
service" bars in licensed liquor places
was stopped today by Commissioners
Hazen and Allen, who ruled that the
present restrictions must remain IN
effect.
The rule prohibits the mixing OF
drinks or the drawing OF beer In the
sight of customers, and was inserted
in the regulations to prevent return
of the atmosphere of the old-time
saloon. Formal action on the recon-
mendation made by the A. B. C..
Board will be taken later, but the
announced attitude of two of the
three Commissioners means that the
proposal will be rejected.
Allen declared ne was "unalterably
opposed" to permitting service bars.
Gotwals' Attitude Unknown.
The attitude of Maj. John C. Got
walls, engineer commissioner, has not
been made known.
The A. B. C. Board reports it has
received numerous petitions from
dealers for a change in the rule
against public mixing Of drinks. There
have been complaints that present
conditions lead to insanitary practices
and that the customers now have no
way of knowing what grade of liquor
they are buying and paying for. The
boards main point was that without
an adequate staff of inspectors. it
would be unable to obtain reasonable
compliance with the present rule.
Allen said ne saw no advantage that
would result from change in the
rule He said customers would learn
what establishments they could trust
to serve the kind and grade of liquor
that was ordered.
1T seems to me-" said Allen, sit
would be just as reasonable to require
restaurants to display ham and eggs
before their customers to show that
they were proper products before they
were served up in the form of sand
wiches.
A. B. C. Board officials emphasized
their proposal would not permit drink
ing of liquor at bars. but only that
drinks might be mixed in view of the
customers.
La Roe Hits A. B. C. Board.
The Capital would not be much
wetter even if the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board should resign, Wilbur
La Roe, jr, chairman of the Commit
tee on Civic Affairs of the Washing
ton Federation of Church, said in
statement, meanwhile uring the board
not to weaken liquor regulations.
"One thing the A. B. c. Board
overlooks," the statement said, is
that if liquor conditions become much
worse here the board will be out OF
a Job. What need will there be for
any board if liquor can be sold at any
time and at any place, and II the
old d-time bars are to be restored?
Even now the average citizen is
asking what useful function the
board performs. With saloons in
modern guise in almost every block,
it is difficult to picture much wetter
Capital. even if the distinguished
members of the board should resign.
In any event, the boards function is
to regulate and control. and not to
broadcast liquor, encourage saloons or
weaken the regulations.
The problem of whether Takoma,
D. c., should be set aside as a dry
area was laid before the commission
ers today for decision by the A. B. c.
Board. This question, heatedly de-
bated by opposing groups in Takoma,
has been before the A. B. G. Board
for three months. The board did not
submit any recommendations to the
commissioners, but merely cited facts
developed at a series of hearings and
a polling of sentiment in the COM
munity. If the commissioners decline
to act in the matter. the A. B. G.
Board then will proceed to render
decisions in the individual appllca-
tions pending. 1t was considered
probable today that the commission
ers would let the Liquor Board handle
the question.
Takoma Vote Dry.
The board found from a tabulation
of a series of petitions signed by resi-
dents of the community that l ,092 had
favored keeping Takoma, D. c.. COM
pletely dry and that $40 were in
favor of granting licenses of some
Character. The board reported also
1t had sent inspectors to the area to
poll sentiment and had found 1913 were
opposed to granting licenses for sale
of hard liquor, either on sale or of
sale; 1913 we're recorded in favor OF
granting any kind of license and that
SO persons registered as neutral"
The board reported that on the ques-
ton of off sale liquor licenses the vote
was 1892 against and 463 in favor of
granting such licenses.
The Seventh Day Adventists, who
have their world headquarters in Ia
koma, D. c., and the Citizens Associ-
alton of Takoma, D. C., were among
the leaders of the drys of the section,
while H. L. Thornton and other busi-
ness interests fought for approval of
the permits.
Spokesman for the Seventh Day Ad-
ventists argued that the section had
been dry for half century and that
they wanted to keep it so.