Evening star., 1948-06-29
Cd|yertFaVors
Slot Machines,
.1,726 10 986
County Officials
Preparing Plans
To Issue Licenses
D. It, " l@,aar
By John v. Horner
Stor Stoff Correspondent

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md, June
29.-On mandate of the voters, CAL
vert County Commissioners prepared
today to license and thus make legal
slot machines, which have been
operated for the last 40 years.
In a referendum yesterday. the
voters approved legalization, 1,726 to
986.
Calvert thereby became the third
Maryland county to legalize the
gambling devices. The others are
st. Marys and Anne Arundel.
North Beach. where majority
of the countys 1,400 slot machines
are in operation, voted overwhelm-
ingly to license them, yet voters in
the neighboring countryside ran up
the strongest opposition.
Margins Sizeable.
Residents of the Bay resort pre-
cinct, which includes adjoining
Chesapeake Beach, cast 3l4 ballots
to legalize and only 49 to outlaw.
The only county precincts voting
against the proposal were the Sum
derland 1st by 154 to 149, and
Owings,. 125 to 118 The other pre-
cinct in this area, the Sunderland
I'd, favored legalization 135 to A..
The six remaining Calvert pre-
cints Endorsed the slot machines
by sizeable margins.
The much -heralded free chicken
dinners we're served at North Beach,
but the sponsors of this event to
bring out the vote changed their
minds about publicity after storm
of protest broke over their heads.
The North Beach merchants
agreed to underwrite the free din
ners, which were served by the
womens auxilitry of the volunteer
fire department. They also offered
to refund fares of any residents
riding buses from Washington to
participate in the referendum. No
strings were attached; voters could
cast ballots as they wished. But
the merchants at the resort figured
most of those who voted would
favor slot machines. They were
right.
Pictures Are Barred.
BY 3 PM, 10 voters had eaten
free meals. Photographers made
arrangements to take pictures of
diners devouring the golden-brown
friend chicken. Suddenly, the man
agement changed its mind and de-
cided it wanted no pictures, 40 pub
licity on the stunt.
After that, no statistics were given
Iunt on the number of dinners served
or the number of bus fares refunded.
Meanwhile, in most taverns on
the beach front, the slots whirred
merrily.
Carefree vacationers cheerfully
played their COINS and, of course, in
most instances, came out second best
The referendum ended one of the
Istrangest campaigns in the memory
/ of Southern Maryland oldtimers. In
spite of manifest interest in the
outcome, the voter who expressed an
opinion of the issue was an excep-
ton rather than the rule.
The law provides that the first
money collected under the license
system will be used to defray ex-
penses of the referendum. No one
mentioned how the bill would be
paid if the voters had rejected the
proposal.
New Hospital Planned.
After this obligation is discharged,
$3.50, 900 will be set aside for a new
hospital to replace the antiquated
Calvert County Hospital at Prince
Frederick, Thereafter, all license
revenues will 60 into the countys
general fund.
North Beach and Chesapeake
Beach, the only incorporated towns
in Calvert, will receive no returns
from the licenses, fact which
dampened enthusiasm for the ref
erendum in the communities which
will provide most of the funds.
Town residents hope, however,
that the law can be amended later
so the beach resorts will be "cut in
Each slot machine will be taxed
at the annual rate of $3.50. Any one
operating more than four machines
must pay an additional operating H.
cense of $1,000. Those not operating
slots but selling or leasing them
must pay $1,000 distributors fees.