Buyer held responsible
New OlCC law requires keg information
By Cyndi Bacon
Of The Print
In theory, the new Oregon
keg law sounds like a good solu
tion to the state's number one
killer -- drunken-driving -- but
according to some local tavern
owners, to implement it may be a
horse of a different color.
The new law concerns the sale
and distribution of any brewery -
sealed individual container of malt
beverage having a liquid capacity
of more than seven gallons.
Beginning Jan. 1, individuals
must fill out a receipt when they
buy bulk beer, according to Don
Rielly, assistant director of the
special investigation divisionof the
Oregon Liquor Control Commis
sion (OLCC). The law applies to
individuals other than licensed
groups like distributors and tavern
owners.
A pre-numbered label with three
numbers is affixed to the keg so
that the seller of the keg and the
purchaser can be traced if the keg
is found abandoned, according to
Rielly. Removel of this label is
punishable by law.
Keg identification numbers are
recorded by the seller as are the
purchaser's name, address and driv
ers number. The year, make, type
color and palet number of the ve
hicle in which the keg will be
transported is also recorded. And
finally, the law requires the loca
tion, time and date of consump
tion be recorded.
"We would often come up with
a keg of beer and not know where
it came from," Reilly said. "We
were also concerned with the dis
tributors and taverns selling to
minors or it somehow getting into
minors' hands."
"Every law is intended to be a
common sense approach to a prob
lem," said Paul McAllister, Clack
amas County Deputy. "Basically
it was intended to stop some of
these keggers that were causing
fatal traffic accidents. You have to
use your head on some of these
things. We're certainly not going to
go breaking down doors acting
like gang-busters, if we just hea
some noises, but we'll enforce the
law to the best of our ability."
Some of the local tavern own
ers are pro and others are con.
"It's a fantastic law and I was
all for it," said Barbara Holiday,
owner of Doc Holiday's in Oregon
City. "It takes some of the lia
bility off of the tavern owners and
puts it on the adults that are mis
using the law."
"It also makes the adult think
about what's going to happen if
they do buy the keg," Holiday,
who is also a member of the Clack
amas County Board of Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Problems, said.
"Like if a mother of a minor buys
a keg for 20 or so kids and those 20
kids go out and drive, she's respon
sible. They have a definite respon
sibility now. It makes them stop
and think that if anything did
happen, they could have a law
suit pending."
Another Clackamas County tav
ern owner, who wishes to remain
anonymous, is not quite so opt
imistic about the new keg law.
"It's time-consuming for our
bartenders," he said. "It's also a
waste of time and money for the
commission. The kids have already
found ways to beat it."
"We sold 18 kegs over the week
end and only two of the returned
kegs had the stickers still left on
them," her said. "Sure its against
the law to take the stickers off,
but it's also against the law to
drink if you're a minor, smoke
marijuana, or park your car on
main street for more than an hour.
That still doesn't stop them from
breaking the law.
"It's not going to work and I
think they've created a monster,"
he said. "A person can still buy
20 cases of beer or hard liquor
and not sign anything."
The Oregon Traffic Commis
sion was instrumental in the pass
ing of the legislative law, accord
ing to Gil Bellamy, Safety Com-
mision administrator.
"The new law tells the over-
21 person flat-out that you are
responsible," Bellamy said. "This
is higher than a traffic violation—
you are civally libel. You now
know that you are putting every
thing you own, or hope to ever
have on the line by furnishing a
minor with intoxicants."
The worst weekend in 1976
for traffic deaths — including hol
idays with three- and four-day
weekends — was the two-day week
end following graduation, accord
ing to Bellamy. Eleven people were
killed on the highway, ten of
which were minors with four of
those ten directly traced to official
graduation parties.
The new keg law is I
infant in the law enfoij
books. Time is the facte
will tell if the law will act
help stop minors from consu
alcohol and lessen the drOii
driving accidents and fatali
Oregon highways.
Board nixes f(
The recommendation to elimi
nate the football program at the
College was passed by the College's
Board of Education with only two
"no" votes at its Dec. 15 meeting.
After hearing the final report
of the Athletic $tudy Committee,
board members agreed that this
controversial issue had been dis-
cussed and studied enough and that
it was time to vote on the matter.
Gary Cornelius moved to re
place only intercollegiate football
at the College (leaving other inter
collegiate sports intact) with an
overall sports program stressing
intramural sports and sports where
individuals may develop life-long
learning skills and enjoyment.
Ralph Groenerand Bonnie Jones
were the only two members of the
board who voted against the mea-
sure.
In other business, the board:
-Heard a report from the plan
ning committee and discussed the
merits of building general class
rooms rather than specialized fa-
/
ciiities. Dr. John Hakansol
dent of the College, suggest!
perhaps the teaching day coul
extended to make better use]
ciiities available until newifai
ties could be built. It would t
10 to 12 years to complete plan
construction, Hakanson said. I
-Directed the administrate
move ahead with constructij
the science building and the]
tional facility within theneffl
to six years.
-Voted to support the m
uation of the Handicapper
source Center project, and auth
¡zed the transfer of from $18,i
to $22,000 from the conti™
account of the capital pro
fund to be used for this purpol
- Decided to have arc™
draw up a request for a prffl
to be submitted to appropriate]
keting firms to study the feasal
lity of a large auditorium-^
cility.
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can be paid for your work. There are commission jobs available, tuition waiv
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Happie Thacker, editor.
Clackamas Community College