The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-06

A "Clean Up or Close Upp cam paign, aimed at restaurants, taverns and other liquor permittees who vio- late the law, will be started next week by the Connecticut Restaurant and Liquor Dealers Board of Trade. In one of the most important in- stances of intra-industry sclf-polic- ing since the repeal of prohibition, restaurants with full licenses will campaign against restaurant-beer and tavern permittes who sell strong liquor.
 Marking the start of the drive will be a dinner meeting of the executive committee of the state organization Tuesday night at Patsy Browns Silver Chalet on West Main street. The session will begin at 7:30. Prominent city and state officials, representatives of the state liquor commission, and delegates from wholesalers and liquor organizations have been invited to attend.
 According to the invitations to the dinner meeting, those present will discuss ways and means of continuing the liquor business on a sound social basis"
 For years holders of restaurant permits entitling them to full liquor privileges have protested against the widely prevalent sale of whiskey and gin by taverns and by restaurants which have only beer permits.
 A full license costs $750 year, whereas A restauraat-beer or tavern permit costs only $150.
 Principal Abuses
 The monthly publication of the Connecticut Restaurant and Liquor Dealers Board of Trade, issued to- day, lists the following as the prin- cipal abuses in the liquor industry as follows:
 CD The speakeasy, 8 hang lover from prohibition days and for which there is no excuse.
 (2) The so-called privately own- ed club that Is not satisfied to en- joy the privilege ot selling liquor legitimately under $150.o0 permit, but tries to out-smart the author- ities by selling before and after houru.
 (3l The restaurant beer permit riding the tail board of the legiti- mate restaurant and enjoying spe- cial privileges but selling liquor on @ $l50.o0 permit.
 (4) The taverns, the number of which have been reduced by over 50 DOT cent in the last six years, who sell liquor without permit, on the the theory that If they are caught they have nothing to :ose. When caught, they fold their tents and steal away like the Arabs of the desert for they have practically no investment. Sometimes they attempt to obtain full liquor permit under the pretenSe and the set-up for con- ducting restaurant.
 After spending week conven- tioning with Liquor Administrators from various states, both open and monopoly states and with liquor dealers from all parts of the coun- try I am more convinced that the program set forth in the article mentioned, Is far and away ahead in constructiveness of any that was discussed as being in operation or about to be recommended. There Is no reason to doubt that the Liquor Control Commission of the State of Connecticut and it's inspectors rank second to none ln the country. Their efforts to clean up the indus try, in the past are reflected in the high type of operators in the bus- iness in our great industrial and playground state. It would be en- Tightening to enumerate the pitfalls facing the industry in other states as compared with Connecticut, but It Is our candid opinion that 1t would only confuse the issue. While the possible return of prohibition is