Sunday Beer Here Is Up to Reesman As Four Rulers Split

Camden Courier-Post – June 29, 1933

Commissioner Says, However, He Awaits Public Sentiment

Moore Signs Act, New Fees Fixed

Stewart and Bennett Against, Hanna and Rhone For

With four members of the city commission deadlocked on the is sue, Commissioner Clay W. Reesman last night appeared to hold in his hands the final decision as to whether Sunday beer sales will be permitted in Camden.

This was revealed when he announced that his deciding vote on the issue would be guided by a “sounding of public sentiment.”

On April 26 Mayor Roy R. Stewart and Commissioner Harold W. Bennett declared they would vote against any resolution permitting Sunday sales, while Commissioners Frank B. Hanna and Dr. David S. Rhone declared they would favor such a resolution. Reesman asserted at that time that it would be foolish for him to comment until the measure before the legislature becomes a law.”

Measure Now Law

The state measure, which permits Sunday beer sales upon resolution of municipal bodies, became law yesterday when Governor A. Harry Moore signed it. The bill, primarily, extends the state temporary beer act until August 31.

When asked last night how he stood on the Sunday beer sale question in Camden, Reesman said:

“I can’t state any opinion at this time, for I really have none. I want to sound public sentiment first. What ever the people want, that is the way I’ll be guided,” He added that he would be unable to say how much time would be required for him to arrive at an opinion.

As soon as the city commission learned that the governor had approved the measure yesterday, it met in special session and adopted a resolution calling for an additional fee from Camden beer retailers for the extended period of two months.

At the same time. the Beverage Tax Division of the State Tax Department announced that all retailers of beer and wines must make tax payments by July 7 on all purchases and sales of beer by them between April 7 and July 1.

Tax Experts Coming

To assist retailers in determining their tax liability representatives of the Beverage Tax Division will sit far one week, from July 1 to July 7, in seven South Jersey towns, as follows: Camden, Room 212, court house annex; Burlington, city hall; Bridgeton, court house, July 1 and 3 only; Atlantic City, Room 729, Guaranty Trust building; Gloucester City, clerk’s office,city hall; Cape May Court House, court house, July 6 and 7 only; Salem, city hall, July 5 only;

Retailers who have purchased beverages from any source outside New Jersey will be subject to a tax of three cents a gallon if the tax has not already been paid by the manufacturer or distributor.

Mayor Stewart, in expressing his opinion on Sunday beer sales, declared it would have a bad effect on the community and its people, and that employees of restaurants and inns were entitled to a day of rest as other workers.

Commissioner Bennett declared sale of the beverage would not help observance of the Sabbath. Commissioners Hanna and Rhone took the view that Congress had legislated 3.2 percent beer as non-intoxicating, and that it was therefore as equally non-intoxicating on Sunday as any other day, and that its sale would make little difference.

New Fees Cited

The Beverage Tax Division also pointed, out yesterday that the extension beverage act require manufacturers to pay an additional license fee of $400, and distributors an additional fee of $100 if their licenses are to be automatically extended. Security for the extended term must also be furnished and acceptable to the State Tax Commissioner.

Licenses for the extended period will be issued in South Jersey at the offices of Deputy Beverage Commissioners Frank B. Middleton, Jr., in Camden, at 130 North Broadway, and Frederick Stahle, 4105 Sunset Avenue, Atlantic City.

Various South Jersey communities, following the lead of Camden, are expected to announce new additional fees far municipal licenses before a week has passed.

The city resolution provides that the additional fee must be paid to Frank S. Albright, city clerk, before tomorrow night, and that all the beer regulations adopted, by the city April 6 remain in full force and effect.”

Under the measure, according to Albright, distributors in the city that do not pay a state beer license must also pay an additional $50 fee.

Retail beer servers began paying their new fees shortly after the city commission passed the resolution.

In approving’ the state measure, Governor Moore said:

“I am constrained to sign this temporary act, which expires at midnight, August 31, because without it there would be no effective regulation whatsoever covering the manufacture and sale of beer.

“Then too, each municipality must determine for itself by, resolution of its governing body whether the sale of beer shall be permitted after 1 p. m.an Sunday. Without such action, it cannot be legally sold.”

The governor signed the measure at 12:30 p.m.

Before Moore reached his decision to approve the bill, it had been a question for several days whether he would veto it because it contained, no provision for a referendum on Sunday sales, as proposed by the Democratic legislators in Trenton.