Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-04
A Join in Bill
To End Dives in
Prince Georges
Proposed Measure
Would Tighten Up
On Liquor Practices
BY Gene GOODWIN
SfoP Stoff covvespondenf

StoF SioH Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS, Mar. Am all
out campaign to rid Prince
Georges County Of joints and
dives was in the making here
today.
"Those dives are the blight of
Prince Georges County," de-
clared Delegate j. Frank Lillard.
jr., as he and the three other
Republican delegates from Prince
Georges wrestled for three hours
yesterday with a proposed bill to
put new teeth in the county
liquor laws.
Those cheap joints are
gathering places for numbers
operators and racketeers," Dele
gate William r. Hughes chimed
in.
The four Republican delegates,
who comprise the majority of the
six-man county delegation here,
more or less agreed that the bill
they will introduce in the Mary
land General Assembly would:
/. Freeze the present number
Of tavern licenses and provide
that. whenever an existing
tavern license (Class b is aban-
doned or revoked, no new
license Of that type would be
issued in its place.
Would Increase Inspectors.
2. Increase the enforcement
staff of the County Liquor Board
from one to three inspectors.
3. Tighten up eligibility re-
quirements for license holders
and their employees.
The delegation is still unde-
cided about lifting the present
freeze, which limits the number
of liquor licenses Of all types to
352. But considerable support
was expressed for a proposal by
Ernest Loveless, jr., liquor board
attorney, that the freeze be lift
ed from package store and club
licenses but retained on tavern,
hotel. restaurant and general Ii
cenSeS.
Mr.. Hughes said he recognizes
that package stores and clubs
are the "less troublesome" as
poets of the county liquor prob
lem, but II will never vote to
lift the freeze entirely"
Delegate Albert B. Hassall,
chairman Of the delegation, said
he is in favor of abolishing the
freeze altogether in order to
abolish the evil of bartering Ii
censes at fantastic prices.
The delegates further agreed
that the bill should require that
a liquor license automatically be
revoked whenever the holder is
convicted of three liquor law vio-
lations in a three-year period.
Autonomy for Board.
The proposed bill drawn up by
Mr.. Loveless and explained to
the delegates yesterday also
would grant autonomy for the
County Liquor Board and restrict
issuance Of liquor licenses closer
than 1000 feet from any church
or school.
Meanwhile, a hearing was set
for ii am. next Wednesday on
a Statewide liquor bill, which
has aroused interest in Prince
Georges. That Is the bill by
Delegate A. Gordon Boone, DEM
ocrat, of Baltimore County to
prevent opening Of liquor estab-
lishments when the majority Of
property \ owners in the direct
vicinity oppose it.
The bill would provide that. II
more than half of the property
owners within 300 feet of a
proposed liquor establishment In
an incorporated community OBJ
ject to the license. it could not
be granted. In agricultural
| areas, the majority Of property
owners within a half-mile could
block the license. In all other
areas, the radius would be 40C
feet.
The hearing will be before the
House Alcoholic Beverages Com.
mittee.