Evening star., 1943-02-06
Virginia Investigates
Imports Of Liquor
From D. t.. Stores
Z64 Quorts and la Pints
Seized by ABC Agent
From Two Autos

Seizure by Virginia Liquor Boaro
investigator of 264 quarts and IA
pints Of Washington liquor in Fair.
fax County has precipitated an in.
vestigation by the State ABC Boarc
OF reports OF widespread importation
OF liquor from the District into Vir-
gtnia as a result of the rationine
program just inaugurated there, i,
was learned today.
M. J. Bryant, State ABC investi-
gator, said he discovered the liuuo,
last week when he stopped two Vir.
ginia cars on the Richmond highway
near Hunting Greek.
Horace L. Mclaughlin of Hope
well, Va. driver of one of the cars
which allegedly contained q Quart.
and ~ pints of Washington LIQUOR
was nned 500 Thursday in Fairfax
Police Court on charge of trans
porting liquor in excess of one GAL
Ion. according to the investigator
The whisky was ordered confiscated
Another to Be Tried Tuesday.
Raymond J. Richardson of Nor
folk, driver of the second car. which
allegedly contained 1872 quarts and 2
pints Of liquor, will be tried Tuesday
IN Fairfax Police Court on a similar
charge.
In addition, Mr.. Bryant said he
seized IA quarts of Washington
liquor yesterday in a car at Gaines
Vile in Prince William County. The
occupants Of the car, whom Mr..
Bryant identified as Joseph H.
Green, and Alphonso E. Nichols.
both colored, Of Newport News. will
be tried Monday in Manassas, he
said.
The Associated Press reported
from Richmond that more than 200
pints of liquor were confiscated in
F. a raid on bus terminal. while
police found l01 pints and 50 half
pints Of whiskey, none bearing Vir-
ginia ABC stamps, in a private
residence. Police said the liquor
had been purchased in Washington.
Moonshiners Have Trouble.
Meanwhile, John H. Wichham,
agent in charge Of the Federal AL
cohol Tax Unit in Virginia, said
that liquor rationing will not cause
AN appreciable increase" in moon
shining in the State.
Mr.. Wickham explained that sugar
rationing and the shortage of metals
with which to make stills keep
moonshiners from manufacturing
Illicit whisky at a price to compete
with ABC Board prices. The aver
age still seizure in Virginia has
fallen OF nearly so per cent in the
past several years, he added.
Alcohol Tax Unit investigators are
seizing between seven and nine
illicit distilleries a week, he said,
but the majority of these seizures
have been made in the Western
section OF the State.
Reports of investigators have
shown that the price of illicit
whisky ranges from $6 to $l2 a
gallon, a price too high to compete
with the ABC stores, he asserted.
NAAStAA Way AAV Ac8ASSA AtsVH.
Gov. Darden said an effort to
speed registration for liquor ra-
tioning will be made in q number Of
cities throughout the State, includ-
ing Alexandria, If the new system
Of using militiamen as volunteers
works out satisfactorily in Norfolk,
Newport News and Portsmouth.
The Governor said the new sys-
tenn was adopted for the three cities
In the Hampton Roads area after a
near-riot in Newport News empha-
sized the seriousness Of the situa-
ton.
Besides Alexandria, cities men,
toned by Gov Darden as the ones
which probably will use volunteer
workers from the Virginia Protec-
tive Force are Richmond. Roanoke,
Danville and Lynchburg.