The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-02-23
AUTHOR FINDS
LOST SECTION
OF LIQUOR ACT
Missing Paragraphs Turn
Up at Committee Session;
Coers Critical.

The "lost paragraphs" which per-
mitted the state administrations
liquor control act to create mon
opoly for the importation of hard
liquors, appeared today to have been
found"
The missing paragraphs appear to
have turned up at last nights meet
ing of the House OF Representatives
public morals committee which con-
Sidered corrections and amendments
offered by Thomas O'Mara, Terre
Haute attorney, one of the authors
of the original bill.
Mr.. OMara, who spent most of
his time since last December writ
ing the bill now pending in the
House, intimated to the committee
that, as originally drawn, the bill
did not create the monopolistic
control of out-of-state whisky i'm
portations.
Rep. Morris H. Coers Cd, Indi-
anapolis), committee chairman,
appeared irritated because of the
many jokers" which, he said, had
been discovered through examina-
ton of the bill. Before last nights
meeting Rep. Coers declared he
would see to it that the people
of Indiana get a square deal, let
the chips fall where they may"
Additional Bond Required
Mr.. O'Mara expects to have the
whole affair Strengthened out be-
fore Monday. Rep. Coers said, be.
fore the committee went into Sc
cret session, he wanted the bill
with all of the '1ost paragraphs"
and other necessary changes, ready
for consideration Monday.
The tentative plan is to prepare
an amendment which will provide
that wholesalers may qualify as i'm
porters by posting a $4,000 cash
bond in addition to paying the $4,000
fee as wholesaler.
Another proposed amendment will
re-def1ne the alcoholic spirituous bev-
erages clause to allow 81 per cent
alcohol by volume in wines. The
first draft permitted only Is per
cent, which would make fortified
wines, such as port and sherry, sub
ject to the same tax as whisky.
Night Clubs Are Defined
Night clubs and roadhouses,
banned as retail liquor outlets under
the pending bill, will be defined by
amendment as places outside city
limits, seldom or never patroniized
in the daytime, doing most of their
business or a considerable part of
it at night, and places conducive
to evil practices or being so con-
structed as to promote immortality"
Another amendment contemplated
would make possible the legal sale
of beer in unincorporated towns by
requiring a favoring petition of 80
residents of the township.
Designed to keep beer and whisky
interests divorced, another amend
ment would prohibit persons hav-
ing share in a manufacturing or
distilling business from being con-
nected with retail or wholesale es-
adjustment.
other Suggested Changes
Other changes suggested by Mr..
O'Mara would:
Forbid an unlicensed place of
business to serve "set-ups" to per-
sons bringing their own liquor; de-
crease the prohibited zone for re-
tail outlets near schools and
churches from 1000 to 500 feet; and
prohibit delivery of more than two
cases Of beer to a dwelling at one
time.
No method was suggested, how
ever, to keep the delivery boy from
calling back the next minute with
two more cases.
Author Is Rebuked
''How long have you been work
ing on this bill?' asked Rep. Coers
when Mr. O'Mara had finished.
The committee was told the work
had gone on since last December.
ct seems to me it should be in
better form by this time the chair
man responded.
Then the committee retired to
study the proposed changes and
search for other "jokers."
: