Evening star., 1947-08-28
Liquor-Transfer
Tax Evasion
BriinlgsWarning
Montgomery Cracks
Down on Illegal
transportation

transportation
Montgomery County officials today
warned of a breakdown" on per-
sons bringing more alcoholic bever-
ages into Maryland than the law al
lows without paying the State tax.
States Attorney Walter w. Daw-
son and Police Chief Charles M. Orm
said such persons will be punished
ito the full extent of the law"
Charles Buscher, general manager
of the Montgomery County liquor
dispensary system, announced after
meeting of the County Liquor
Board today that the boards at
torney, James w. Gill, will ask State
Controller James j. Lacy to rule on
whether persons who bring more
than their legal quota of liquor into
Maryland 'can legalize their pur-
chases by buying State liquor tax
stamps at any county dispensary.
Mr.. Gill is out of town and did not
attend today's meeting.
NAdy AoSC NxuCu 1tCtClACs
At the same time, Mr.. Buscher
pointed out that if the transporta-
ton of out-of State liquor into
Maryland is made legal by such a
method, Montgomery County would
lost much revenue by not selling
liquor through it's own dispensaries.
He explained that the county dis
pensaries make as much as 30 per
cent profit on the sale of some
brands of liquor but receive no di-
rect return from the sale of State
Iquor-tax stamps.
The Maryland situation came to
light yesterday with the conviction
of a Silver Spring man on charges of
transporting five fifths of whisky
and three cases of beer into the
State without paying the Maryland
tax. He was given 5000 fine or
ordered to serve four months in Jail.
A survey today showed that such
arrests are rare in the District and
Virginia where laws allow the i'm
portation or transportation of non-
locally taxed alcoholic beverages in
quantities up to one gallon.
Difficult to Track Down.
Montgomery County authorities
admitted, however, that it would be
difficult to track down anyone who
bought a case of whisky in Wash
ington, placed it in his car trunk and
drove into Maryland unless the
purchase was witnessed and police
could then obtain a search warrant.
The Maryland law reads:
ANY resident of this State over
the age of 81 years may bring into
any county or Baltimore city al
coholic beverages not exceeding one
quart at a time and not exceeding
two quarts in any calendar month
for the personal use of such per-
sons"
Chairman Alan Payne of the Dis
trict Alcoholic Beverage Control
Board said today he never heard of
such an arrest in Washington" as
that of the Silver Spring resident.
IF person who is moving his
residence to the District wishes to
transport more than a gallon, we
issue special permit to him." Mr..
Payne said. This entities him to
bring the whisky into Washington
for his own use-without ques-
ton"
Mr.. Dawson pointed out that the
Maryland law had been on the books
since 1888 and that he has received
reports recently of persons bringing
liquor or beer into Maryland from
the District and failing to pay the
Maryland tax.
Il know of many people, he said,
"who buy a case of whisky in WASH
ington and who pay the Maryland
tax on it when they get into the
State and I think it is unfair to
them to allow other persons to bring
liquor into Maryland without pay
ing the State tax"
Orders Crack Down.
According to Chief Orm, police
had been on the lookout for the
convicted Silver Spring resident for
several weeks after reports had
been received that he brought large
quantities of liquor from Washing
ton into Maryland for his own con-
sumption and failed to pay the State
tax.
There has been too much of this
going on in recent weeks and I have
ordered members of the force to
crack down on violators," Chief Orm
said.
The Virginia law permits the
transportation of no more than one
gallon of out-of-State alcoholic
beverages, except by licensed COM
mercial truckers who ship for dis
tillers and brewers.
Denman T. Rucker, assistant Com
monwealth's attorney for Arlington,
said there had been a few prosecu-
tions of persons found to be trans
porting cases of whisky through
Virginia to other States for the
obvious purpose of bootlegging.
Fairfax County police frequently
arrest persons who purchase liquor
in large quantities in the District
destined for West Virginia and
North Carolina.
The Silver Spring case involved
Kimmon Jones. colored, of the 300
block of Ritchie avenue, who was
released under $500 appeal bond.