The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-12-24
Liquor Commission
Recommends State to
Supervise Control
Each N. C. County
Would Be Allowed
to Hold Election

tHaC NOEt1~ OaEOllIld nave 0CdLS-
supervised alcoholic control system
composed of county operated stores
for sale of original package goods,
with sale of whiskey by the drink
prohibited.
A model bill bearing approval OF
four Of the seven members of the
commission was included in the re-
port, permitting each county desir-
ing to do so to hold an election on
the liquor question and providing
that the State should get 20 per cent
Of the net profits of the stores with
the counties getting 80 per cent.
Three members of the commission
proposed that the bill require a
Statewide referendum on the iquol
question and that in case of defeat of
the proposal for county stores the
present PaSQuotank and New Han
over laws, under which stores oper-
ate in Is counties would be repealed
automatically.
COUNTY OPTION
Victor S. Bryant of Durham,
chairman, along with Thomas w.
Raoul of Asheville, Donnell Gillian
of Tarboro, and R. F. Beasley of
Monroe approved the county option
law.
The proposed State liquor board
would consist of chairman, to be
paid Sc, 900 q year for full-time work
and two associate members to get
SIS per day for days actually work
ed. The members would be appoint
ed by the Governor, for three-year
terms after the first board members,
who would serve three, two, and one
year-terms respectively.
The State board would have the
veto power over practically all ac-
ton Of the county boards, being ems
powered to supervise the local unit
sores, Tx lx7ceS,, remove board
members, supervise purchasing by
county stores, fix opening and clos
ing hours, approve or disapprove
salaries of county board members,
and limit the number of stores in a
county beyond one at the county
seat.
No manufacture of alcoholic bev-
erages having more than five per
cent alcoholic content by weight
would be permitted in the State, but
beer up to five per cent content and
natural wines" could be made.
BASED ON ADVERTISING
County stores would not be allow
ed to advertise, and no radio broad
cast with matter in it tending to adj
vertise beverages with more than
five percent alcoholic content would
be allowed.
SHERIFFS GIVE VIEWS
Zone sheriff in one of the prohi-
bition counties estimated that IS per
cent of the boys and girls of high
school age are drinking regularly.
'tSheriffs in the II control coun-
ties express the opinion that boys
and girls and adults under 80 years
of age appear to be drinking less
since the opening of the control
stores.
'tSheriffs in the II counties having
stores said that law enforcement was
an easier matter since the opening
of the stores.
"All the information leads us to
the conclusion that conditions in
many of the dry counties are bad.
Large quantities of illicit liquors are
both manufactured and sold in
many of these counties.
$50 long as there remains con-
dition under which the bootlegger
can make a profit and flourish, as
he is now doing in many of the dry
counties of North Carolina, such
conditions as exist there may be ex-
pe(ted to continue. 1t is impossible
for the commission to determine
whether the opening of stores has
increased or decreased the use OF
whiskey. -.
ct is obvious to the commission
that the best results have been OBJ
tanned from the operation of the
control stores in those counties
where sentiment has been the
strongest for legalizing of whiskey,
and in those counties which have Sc
lected the best control boards. =. :.
TT is easy to suggest that profits
derived from the sale OF liquor
should be used for education, and
particularly temperance education,
law enforcement, hospitals, pensions,
charitable institutions, mothers aid,
and social security appropriations.
No social activity Of the government
should be financed by liquor reve-
nue.. To do so would lead to an ire
sistible tendency to promote mer-
chandising or to increase the volume
Of sale in order that funds might be
raised for the accomplishment of a
particular purpose. That is not sound
public finance. We believe that prof
its should go into general public
funds