Evening star., 1953-03-05
Bill Would Let
7 Districts Vote
OnMixedDrinks
Lofstrund to Offer
Plan for Bethesda
And Silver Spring
BY Gene Goodwin
StoP Sfoff CORRESPONDENT

BY Gene Goodwin
Star Stoff Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS. Mar. 5.-Senator
Anders r. Lofstrand. jr., Repub-
lican, of Montgomery County,
today promised legislation to
give Silver Spring and Bethesda
area voters the option of decid-
ing whether they want mixed
drinks sold in certain restaurants
and clubs.
Specifically, the Senator said
he will introduce bill requested
by the Montgomery County Lii
censed Beverage Association to
allow sale of wine and liquor by
certain restaurants and other es-
tabhshments now holding beer
licenses in the 7th and 18th elec-
tions districts, subject to a ref
erendum in November, 1854.
He said about Is to 20 estab-
lishments would be eligible for
the expanded licenses under the
bill. In addition, he said he in
tends to amend the bill to make
1t possible for veterans and
fraternal clubs and hotels to sell
mixed drinks in the Bethesda
and Silver Spring areas. if the
voters approve.
Six Others Sidestep Bill.
Senator LofStrand made his
statement after the six Republi-
can delegates from his county
voted not to introduce the bill
drawn up, by the licensed bever-
age association. The delegation,
which has been at odds with the
Senator on several other issues
! this session, made the decision
behind closed doors late yester-
day.
The bill promised by the Sem
ator would jeopardize the coun-
tvs tightly controlled and tradi-
tionally dry liquor situation. Un-
der the county dispensary sys-
tenn, in which all retail and
wholesale purchases Of alcoholic
beverages are made through
county stores. licenses for mixed
drinks are held only by the coun-
try clubs and by three special
mn-type restaurants-Olney Inn,
Normandy Farms and Old An
glerS Inn.
! Indicating he felt the delega-
tion was lodging the issue, Mr..
Lofstrand said, regardless of
what the delegation does, I will
introduce this bill"
Dry Areas Exempted.
The communities of Kensing-
: ton and Takoma Park, which are
in the election districts pre-
scribed in the bill, would be
specifically exempted from it,
since they have already voted
themselves dry.
Under the beverage association
bill, if approved by the General
Assembly and then the voters,
the County Board Of License
Commissioners would be author
lied to grant beer, wine and
liquor, on sale licendses to-:
!, Restaurants with a capital
investment of at least $4,000,
which have held an on-sale beer
license for at least two years.
2. Establishments where meals
are regularly sold and which
have held beer license for at
least is years.
The inclusion of veterans and
fraternal clubs in the bill, Mr..
LofStrand said, would make at
least five clubs eligible to obtain
mixed drink permits-The Amer
ican Legion Club on Rockville
Pike In Bethesda, and the Le-
gion, VFW, Elks and knights
Of Columbus Clubs in Silver
Spring.
NO dOtelS Eligible.
There are no existing hotels
in the Silver Spring-Bethesda
area now eligible for licenses
under the bill, he added.
The Montgomery delegation
also discussed a bill put forth
by Safeway Stores to allow chain
grocery stores to obtain licenses
to sell beer, off-sale, in all of
their branches in the county.
No decision was reached on this
measure, except that, if it is
introduced, it will be done by
one delegate and not the dele
cation as a whole.
Arthur B. Hanson, attorney
for Safeway, told the delegation
that under the present county
law chain stores may obtain only
one license, which means they
may sell beer in only one of
their stores. He said Safeway
has IL stores in the county in
communities where it is legal to
sell beer.
He also said he is trying to
get the Prince Georges delega-
tiOf1 to SDOnS0r a similar hill