Evening star., 1962-01-15
BY WILLIAM DUKE
Star Staff Writer


ers to have a cocktail or a high
ball if they bring their own
bottle. In one of these places a
waiter will even buy bottle
for you at county liquor store
three doors away.
Clubs Open to Public
At present there are about
five bottle clubs open to the
public in the county, and many
more in side rooms OF social or
sports clubs. -Four of the five
bring your own" establish
mentS are high-class reStau-
rants, and law enforcement Of
ficials have had little difficulty
with them.
But the law which is so strict
on licensed places while ignor-
ing unlicensed drinking has
many people worried, even the
bottle-club owners themselves.
Right now the bottle clubs
are mostly restaurants which
are interested in selling food,
and giving their customers
what they want with meals"
said Kenneth Patrick, owner
of the Westwood Inn. But
there's nothing to stop any
body from coming into the
county and opening tavern
type bottle club in any store
front place"
"Just Isn't Any Law"
States Attorney Leonard T.
Hardy said he has received
many calls asking why he
wouldn't arrest the bottle-club
owners.
Somebody said there was
a loop-hole in the law" he
said. There's no loop-hole,
there just isn't any law"
Mr.. Hardy said that the law
is strict about where liquor
blythe e-drink, beer and wine
can be sold. He added, however,
that it contains no restriction
on where liquor may be con-
sumed by the person who owns
the bottle.
Il think that we should try
to get the Legislature to pass
Montgomery County law
banning the bottle clubs" Mr..
Hardy said, But we'll have to
wait now until the 1868 ses-
sion."
Next months session of the
Legislature is designed to han
die only matters that affect
the entire State.
Only One Phase of Problem
Restaurant owners in the
county. however, feel that bot
tie clubs are only one aspect
of a countrywide problem
caused by the liquor law.
Under the law, only three
restaurants are allowed to serve
hard liquors. These are the
restaurants that had invested
more than a specified amount
of money and had been in busi-
ness when the law went into
effect at the end of prohibition
in 1882.
Also allowed to serve liquor
are county clubs which have
at least 100 members, six clubs
with tennis courts and swim
ming pool or, of course, a golf
course. The fee for this license
is $500.
The remainder of the res
taurants and taverns have the
choice of getting a beer and
wine license for $3.50 a year
and submitting to strict regu-
lation or forgetting the license
and becoming bottle clubs.
Can Check Licensed Places
E. w. Buchlin, head of the
county's Department of Lii
cenSing and Inspections, said
that inspectors or any police
man can enter an establish
ment holding a beer and wine
license to make sure the clos
ing hours are observed, that
no minor is being allowed to
drink and that all other regu-
latlons are upheld.
But we have no right what
Soever to even enter a bottle
club" he said.
Prince Georges County, which
allows liquor by the drink in
licensed Establishments, decided
two years ago that bottle clubs
were getting out of hand.
States Attorney William KahleR
said that the clubs were stay
ing open much later than the
legal 2 am. closing time and
that they were a source of
trouble.
Now Prince Georges has
law which prohibits the con-
sumption of liquor after the
legal closing times.
Symbol of Larger Problem
But Montgomery County res
taurateurs are adamant in
their belief that the problem
of bottle clubs is only a Gymp-
tom of larger troubles.
THE bottle clubs here are
run by reputable restaurant
people," the owner of one res
taurant said. But it's still true
that the only business people
being hurt by the law are those
who run restaurants with beer
and wine licenses"
There are few successful
general food restaurants in the
county-eXcept the three which