Evening star., 1940-12-27
A. B. T.. Board
Program Given
Commissioners
Early Study Pledged;
Drinking Until 2 A. N
Sunday Supported

Sunday Supported
Commissioners Young and Nc
Coach promised today to give prompt
consideration to the score of sugges-
tions made by the Alcoholic Bev-
erage Control Board for tightening
the Districts liquor rules in some
respects and for liberalization in
others, as result of public hearings
held by the board and the "investi-
cation" made by the Ebarharter
Subcommittee of the House District
Committee.
The A. B. c. Board rejected the
outright proposal from some ele-
ments in the liquor industry for a
prce control measure, which was
offered as means of reducing the
"evil' of "the price war; suggested
AS an alternative regulation which
would require liquor dealers to re-
port 'all' as to sales contracts, in
cluoing free" liquor shipments;
proposed ban on ''immoderate and
eXtravagant" types of advertising:
ban on use of comparative prices
and urged a ban on use of liquor
advertising handbills, but would not
prevent normal price advertising.
The board also proposed to lib
eralize hours-of-sale rules, to permit
on-sale places to sell drinks from
midnight Saturdays to am. Sum-
days, but coupled with this were
proposals to ban sale of drinks Con
sale) from midnight Sundays to 2
am. Mondays, and to require bot
tied goods stores to close weekdays
at 10 pm. Gnstead of midnigh)
except on Saturday nights and on
the days before legal holidays. when
they would remain open until mid
night
Takes No Stand on Bar Drinking.
The A. B. C. Board took no de-
cisive stand on the proposal, in
dorsed by Police Supt. E. w. Brown,
to permit drinking of hard liquor
by customers standing up at bars.
Two of the three board members,
Chairman Thomas E. Lodge and
Vice Chairman Agnes K. Mason,
held there was nothing urgent"
about the suggestion, that the sub
ject was extremely controversial and
that they had no suggestion to
make. The third board member,
William p Meredith, in a minority
report to the Commissioners, urged
adoption of the drinking standing
up rule, contending that the pres
ent law had added nothing to So
briefly and order but rather had had
an adverse effect, that 1t raised
questions of enforcement and that
1t placed added cost on the customer
for tips to walters to serve hard
drinks, now served to customers only
when they are seated at tables.
Members of the A. B. C. Board
were divided in opinion over the
question of forbidding licenses to
places near schools, churches, play
grounds and other such areas, just
as they were over other controversial
points. In this case, there was a
two-to-one split over proposal to
ban licenses to bottled goods places
within 600 feet of churches, schools
and Fairgrounds. The rule, which
would not outlaw existing permits,
was fostered by Mr. Lodge and Mr..
Meredith and was opposed by Mrs.
Mason.
One of the principal issues before
the board was whether a fair
trades practices" measure should be
adopted as cure for the so-called
price war" Members of the
Beverage Industry Committee, which
was organized by Milton S. Kron-
helm, ST., liquor wholesaler, had
urged adoption of a rule under
which the board would enforce re-
sale contracts between wholesalers
and retailers. Michael j. Keane,
jr, former legal adviser to the
board, had suggested as a substitute
a plan under which all wholesalers
would be required to register their
prices with the board, to give the
same prices to all retailer-buyers,
but to permit discounts of from to
4 per cent. depending on the size of
the order.
Opposed by Two Members.
Chairman Lodge argued that the
Keane plan would be "step in the
right direction" but Board Members
Mason and Meredith opposed the
plan, arguing that it would not do
away with deals, rebates, kickbacks
and the like.
The board unanimously favored
adoption of the Keane proposal to
continue to permit liquor price ad
vertising, but to penalize those who
indulge in "immoderate or extrava-
CANT" advertising. They added a
new clause to forbid use of COM
parative prices, holding that use of
these were conducive to overpur-
chase" Under the Keane plan,
if a dealer were uncertain as to
the type of his advertising he could
submit his advertising copy volun-
tarily to the A. B. C. Board and If
it approved of it, the dealer would
be freed of any further legal re-
sponsibility.
The board passed over the ques-
ton of proposed broader appeals to
the District Court from decisions by
the A. 3. C. Board or the Com
missioners on the granting, rejec-
tion, suspension or revocation OF
liquor permits, the majority OF the
board saying that it believed pro-
posals should more properly come
from "other sources" and that the
board would willingly comply with
any new rules adopted.
A long list Of other new rules,
considered less controversial, was
suggested by the A. B. c. Board.
These include the following:
To forbid the use of false or de-