Evening star., 1934-01-08
FAVORABLE REPORT
VOTED ON PRIVATE
RUM LICENSE PLAN
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to indicate how they believe control of
the liquor business should be handled
by local Jurisdiction For this reason,
it is expected there will be wide interest
bill comes up
II the House passes the bill tomor-
row, Chairman King plans to call a
meeting Of the Senate District Commit
tee Wednesday with a view to taking
the legislation up in the Senate the
latter part of this week
1t is understood that in the House
Committee this morning Representa-
tive Patman offered the Smith dis
pensary plan as a substitute. but the
motion was defeated without a roll
call vote. The Smith plan would con-
fine sale of hard liquor to package
form in Government stores. with sale
OF wine and beer in restaurants. This
is essentially the Quebec system.
1t is understood that an effort also
was made in the House Committee to
substitute for the private license plan
the more stringent dispensary system
advocated by Dr. F. w Buck of the
Federal DispenSary and Tax Reduction
League. which also was defeated. Un-
der this plan, purchasers would be
required to obtain an annual passbook
| from the liquor control board TO buy
liquor from Government stores.
"On-Sale" Fee Changed.
The House Committee changed the
| license fees for 'on-sale" licenses for
hotels and also lowered requirements as
/ to the number of rooms a hotel would
have to have to get a license. In the
Commissioners bill hotel had to have
so rooms to get an "on-sale" license,
which would have cost 81 900 year.
| The committee bill allows licenses in
hotel having 80 rooms or more, with
license fee OF $500 a year in hotels Of
less than 100 rooms and 81 900 a year
| where there are more than 100 rooms
The exemption recommended by the
| committee for business places in re-
| stricted areas, if the applicants for
licenses were in business in those areas
prior to April 5. 1888, would mean that
If the Commissioners make regulation
against granting licenses near or
around schools. colleges and churches,
| the restriction would not apply to busi-
ness places that were doing business in
those areas last April. The date used
! by the committee In this exemption Is
| the date when the present 80 beer law
| went into effect.
The bill as reported does not contain
specific restriction to be applied
around schools and churches, but gives
the Commissioners authority to make
such a regulation to apply against
licensing Of places established after last
| April. The bill allows the Commission
ers to prescribe the hours of opening
and closing and to forbid the sale on
| Sundays The committee struck out
authority requiring closing on holidays
because it was felt this might be mis-
construed to require closing on Satur-
6ay afternoons.
Change Definition OF Wines.
| The committee amended the definition
Of wines in the Commissioners bill to
make it more definite that light wines
mean those under IA per cent alcoholic
content by volume, thereby placing light
wines in the same category with beer.
Therefore. places licensed to sell beer
| without hard liquor could also sell light
wines. In order to prevent door-to-
door solicitation of liquor orders. the
committee added the following restric-
ton as an amendment to the section
dealing with the licensing of vendors:
mo individual shall within the District
of Columbia offer any beverage for sale
to or solicit orders for sale of any bev-
erage from any person not licensee
under this act, irrespective of whether
| such sale is to be made within or with
out the District Of Columbia" This
would permit agents of diStillers and
| wholesale distributors to solicit orders
from licensed retail establishments only.
The bill to be reported provides for
| a variety of different kinds of licenses
to be issued to distillers. brewers and
wholesale distributors with varying IL
cense fees, which were not disturbed
by the committee.
Fee for Stores Raised.
There are also a number Of different
| types of retail licenses, and the only
| change made by the committee in these
| was to raise from S75 to $l00 the an
nual license fee for stores selling only
beer and light wine in package form
! for off-sale consumption. The COM
mittee also struck out a small license
fee recommended by the COMMISSIONERS
| to be paid by railroad dining cars, be-
cause it was felt these dining cars
| would be In the District of Columbia
| for such short periods Of time.
| The section permitting restaurants,
hotels, clubs, dining cars and boats to
sell liquor by the drink. which Is one
| of the main objections raised by advo-
Gates of the government dispensary
| system, was not changed by the COM
m1ttee. II proVloeS tnat SpHIIS ana
wine can be served in such places to
persons seated at public tables. but
beer and light wines may be served
either at public tables or at lunch
| counters.
Although hard liquors can be served
at the tables, they cannot be displayed
on shelves or counters in the same room
where served. 1t has been explained
that under this plan. drinks would have
to be prepared In an adjoining room Ss
ordered by customers at tables, and bot
ties would not be displayed unless a
customer requested to see the brands.
There would also be a separate liCerSe
for so-called taverns to permit sale Of
beer and light wine only ION sale" The
license for such place would be $3.50 a
year, whereas restaurants serving hard
liquors also would have to pay $500 a
year, Il