Evening star., 1935-06-21
HOUSE HIDDEN BAR
BILL IS APPROVED
BY SENATE GROUP
Favorable Report Follows
Lively Hearing on Pro-
posed Changes.
RETAILER PURCHASE
PLAN STIRS FIGHT
10 Amendments Proposed-Tako-
ma Park Change Is Sought.
Allen Defends System.

The bill to do away with hidden bars
for the mixing of drinks, already
passed by the House, was ordered re-
ported favorably by the Senate District
Committee today. The favorable re-
port resulted flom poll this morning
of committee members who were not
present at yesterdays hearing.
Chairman King postponed action
last night to get the views of the other
members.
The report followed lively session
of the committee late yesterday, in
which hidden bars and wide aSsort-
ment of other proposed changes in
the liquor law were debated.
A separate House bill, making 10
miscellaneous amendments in the
liquor law, provoked a sharp contro-
versy between wholesale and retail
dealers over a section added in the
House designed to require retailers to
purchase their stocks in the District.
Chairman King took this bill under
advisement, with indications of a de-
cision soon.
IakOma Park EcnOs
Echoes of the battle last year over
keeping Takoma Park dry area also
were injected into the meeting, when
H. L. Thornton, a property owner in
that vicinity, complained that an in
justice is done stores in Takoma by
withholding alcoholic beverage
licenses, while licenses are granted on
Georgia avenue.
Thornton wanted an amendment to
the pending bill to change the def1ni-
ton of ''neighborhood" in the liquor
act, so that objections to an applica-
ton would be limited to an area
within 600 feet Of the applicants
place.
Corporation Counsel Prettyman told
Senator King, however, that was a
controversial question, and he would
dislike having it placed in this bill.
Prettyman recalled the repeated hear
ings held at the District Building last
year on the Takoma area. Senator
King suggested the question was one
for the Beverage Control Board to
look into
The hidden-bar bill, which would
allow restaurants and hotels to mix
drinks openly in the dining rooms
where they are served, produced wide
division of opinion. The Commits
sioners said they were opposed to
changing the rule which requires
drinks to be prepared in another room
or behind barriers, and Commissioner
Allen took an active part in defending
the present system.
Board Wants Change.
Chairman Ofutt of the Beverage
Control Board said the board favored
the change.
Peoples Counsel w. A. Roberts said
he could not speak officially. because
the sale of liquor is not public util-
ity, but as an individual he urged the
hidden bars be brought into the open.
Marvin NJ. Mclean of Brookland
said that as dry he wanted to in
dorse the stand of the Commissioners
against abolishing hidden bars.
An official of the bartenders and
restaurant employees organization IA
vored bringing the mixing bars into
the open.
Commissioner Allen said the open
bar would lead inevitably to the re-
turn of the old-fashioned saloon.
Copeland for Change.
Senators McCarran and Copeland
announced they favored the bill, on
the ground of improving sanitary con-
ditionS and allowing the public to
see what it is buying.
On the controversial section to re-
strict importation of liquor supplies
for resale. Corporation Counsel Pret-
lyman suggested a substitute under
which the Commissioners would be
empowered to put such a rule into
effect by regulation, explaining that it
could then be revoked if the Commits
sioners found it was not working salts
factorily. This. however, also met
with some opposition. A spokesman
for retail druggists Endorsed the pro-
vision to encourage purchases through
local wholesalers.
Another section Of the bill provides
for reduction in the tax on wine.
Most of the other proposed changes
in the law are of minor nature.