OLCC attacked, defended in public hearing
By SUSAN OUDERKIRK
Of the Emerald
The legitimacy of state
monopoly over liquor sales in
Oregon was both defended and
attacked during the public hearing
held by the governor’s special
commission on liquor control Fri
day at the Lane County Court
house.
The public hearing was the
eighth in a series of nine hearings
conducted throughout the state by
the governor’s commission. The
commission was created in March
by Gov. Bob Straub to examine all
aspects of liquor control in order to
determine the state’s legitimate
role in regulating the industry.
Four of the 12 citizens who gave
public testimony before the
nine-member commission said
the Oregon Liquor Control Com
mission (OLCC) does a good job
of liquor control and that the
OLCC should not be abolished in
favor of private-enterprise control
of liquor.
Others indicated that while one
shouldn’t “kill the dog to get rid of
the fleas,” there are some prob
lems that need to be straightened
out in order to give the OLCC a
more appropriate role in the
Tell-tale incidents point out
news leaks upset government
WASHINGTON (AP) — There
are signs that the administration of
Pres. Carter, who took office
promising to open up government
deliberations, is dissatisfied with
its ability to stem the unauthorized
release of information.
Item: A middle-level administra
tion official tells his secretary not
to list calls from news reporters on
his official telephone log, hoping
to keep his contacts with them pri
vate.
Item: Assistants to a senior
White House aide, reacting to an
embarrassing published account
of a memorandum involving their
boss, search for the source of the
leak.
Item: Since Pres. Carter took of
fice 16 months ago, the Justice
Department has conducted at
least six investigations to locate
secret sources of news stories.
ing certain information, even if that
person felt officials were covering
up waste, inefficiency or corrup
tion.
• Justice Department officials,
according to spokesman Terry
Adamson, have taken affadavits
from their own lawyers to find out
how a confidential memorandum
about an investigation reached
the news media.
• The Army ordered new restric
tions to plug leaks of internal
studies that could influence
policies. Ironically, these restric
tions were leaked within days of
their distribution.
• Such cases indicate “the ad
ministration has taken a position
that they want to stop news
leaks,” said Jack Landau of the
Reporters Committee for Free
dom of the Press.
Jody Powell, the White House
press secretary and one of
Carter’s closest aides, said the
president has never expressed to
him a particular concern about
news leaks.
“There’s not any organized ef
fort at the White House to control
ieaks,” he said.
But, said Powell, “you have a
legitimate right to make these
people understand that if they are
going to spread false or mislead
ing information and they get
caught, their career prospects will
not be improved.”
Few officials would allow their
names to be used in connection
with any comments about leaks.
state’s effort to control liquor
sales.
A representative of the Oregon
State Council of Hotel and Res
taurant Employees and Barten
ders International Union recom
mended that the state should get
out of the liquor business.
“If it could be any way that we
wished it, then I would prefer free
enterprise (in the liquor business)
with the necessary controls,” he
said.
A familiar argument for lowering
the drinking age was discussed.
“Eighteen-year-olds can vote,
make all the laws in the state of
Oregon,” said a local tavern
operator. “They can do everything
that you and I can in the state of
Oregon, but they can’t have a
glass of beer. Now that’s not
right.”
The responsibility of deter
mining who is of legal age to drink
should be “on the individual”
minor, not the operator, he said.
Other voiced opinions on the
legal drinking age issue, urging
the state to increase the legal age
to drink and to increase the driving
age to match the legal drinking
age.
Arthur “Bud” Schmidt, a Corval
lis city councilmember, said “the
agency (OLCC), in its 45-year his
tory, has never to my knowledge
engaged in ... promoting tem
perance.” Schmidt said he be
lieves the OLCC is not protecting
the health of Oregon’s citizens as
well as it should. Given the income
of the OLCC (some 40 cents on
every dollar of its sales), they
should provide educational mater
ials that would promote alcohol
moderation, Schmidt said.
The governor’s special com
mission on liquor control, will con
duct its last public hearing at the
end of May in Coos Bay. A report
with recommendations to the
governor will be finished in Au
gust. The OLCC is currently con
ducting a re-evaluation of the
commission.
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No evidence has surfaced to
point to heavy-handed tactics to
cut off information, or to a White
House “plumbers” operation such
as the Nixon administration set up
to stop leaks.
But in a city where, in the words
of one budget official, “most peo
ple operate under the assumption
that everything leaks,” the Carter
administration appears uneasy
about that. Further examples:
• Administration officials testified
in support of a revision of the orig
inal statutes that could send a
government employee, consul
tant or contractor to jail for disclos
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