The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-03-16
TAX PAYMENT
SOLE FEDERAL
rule ON BOOZE
Bootleg" Immune From
u. S. Officers in State
If Tax Paid
By J. c. BASKERVILL
The Timcs-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

RALEIGH, March 16.-Agents
Of the internal revenue bureau
are without any authority to in
terfere with the sale of regular
government bonded whisky in
North Carolina or even Of boot
leg" whiskey, if those selling II
con show that the federal tax OF
S2.10 a gallon has been paid on II,
Charles H. Robertson, collector
Of internal revenue here in North
Carolina. said today.
Our deputies are constantly on
the lookout for either liquor, al,
cohol. wine or any other distilled
or fermented spirits on which the
government tax has been paid and
have seized and destroyed thous-
ands Of gallons on which the tax
has not been paid" Collector Rob
ertson said. "On the other hand,
whenever the possessor of any OF
this liquor is willing to pay the
tax and does pay the tax, we must
accept the tax and permit him to
keep the liquor. He can also sell
this liquor at present without any
label or stamp, as long as he can
prove to federal officers that the
tax has been paid on it.
The only offNer which can
bother those who have paid their
federal taxes on whiskey or other
spirits, either BLOCKADE" made or
government bottled-in-bond, are
state officers. acting under the
burlington act, the states prohibi-
ton enforcement law. Indications
are that possessors of large
amounts of liquor do not seem to
be much worried about being ar
rested by county law enforcement
officers-the state has no prohi-
bition enforcement officers-since
many Of these nossessors of IL
quOr are coming up voluntarily
and paying the federal tax of
S2.10 a gallon on it, Robertson
said. For the government does not
require the revenue officers to
inquire into the source of the H.
quor, but only to collect the tax.
And as long as the tax is paid
on it, the man who owns the IL
quor cannot be bothered by gov
eminent officers.
Asked if he had heard that a
good many filling stations, speak
easias and bootleggers were &C.
tually selling real bottled-in-bond
liquor in various parts of the
state on which the federal tax has
been paid and if the internal reve.
nue. bureau had any power to IN
terfere with such sale, if it was
liquor on which the government
tax has been paid, Collector Rob.
ertson said:
eyes, | have heard reports
that good deal of genuine gov,
eminent liquor was being brought
into the state. But there is moth,
ing much we can do about it
since it is perfectly legal for q
car or a truck loaded with liquor
on which the federal tax has been
paid to pass through the state if
it can show that the shipment is
in interstate commerce. Thus q
load of liquor that has a bill of
lading showing the shipment is
from some state where legal liquor
can be legally sold, such as Vir-
ginia, to some point in Florida
for instance, it cannot be inter
fered with by either federal OIL
state officers. But many Of these
trucks undoubtedly drop cases OF
liquor here and there within the
state while passing, through, or the
entire load. If they are caught in
the act of delivering liquor to
some person here in the state,
they can be arrested by local OF
county officers. But it is pretty
hard to catch them in the act"
There is one check which the
government has, however. against
the selling of liquor in dry states,
even legal, taX-paid liquor, Col
lector Robertson pointed out. This
is that in order to sell any liquor
or any alcoholic beverages. in
Guiding beer or wine, a license
must be obtained from the inter-
nal revenue bureau. And in order
to obtain these licenses, the per-
sons applying for them must show
that they are persons of good
character. And most of them are
able to do that. Thus any filling
station operator or cafe proprie-
tor who can show that he is of
good character and can obtain a
federal license, could go ahead
and sell tax-paid government IL
quor in North Carolina without
being in any danger of being mo-
Tested by revenue officers. Cellec-
tor Robertson admitted. He would
then have to look out only for the
local city Or county law enforce
ment officers. These licensed deal
ers could even sell bootleg liquor,
provided they could show that the
government tax had been paid on