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Show High Court Asked to Bar Liquor Board Hiring Permanent Counsel Price Mayor Charges Commission Has Exceeded Its Powers Under Control Statute An affidavit and petition seeking an alternative writ of prohibition pro-hibition to have the Utah liquor control commission discontinue hiring permanent legal counsel was filed with the state supreme court Saturday by Mayor J. Brscken Lee of Price. The court received the affidavit and application, but did not rule Immediately. Saturday's action marked the latest lat-est of a series of attacks on ths liquor control commission by Mayor Lee. Mayor Lee'i affidavit quoted from the law creating the commission, a part of which, the affidavit stated, reads the commission msy "engage temporarily and for a special purpose pur-pose the service of experts end persons engaged in the practice of a profession if deemed expedient" The affidavit alleges that the commission has employed a permanent perma-nent legal staff since its creation "and such employment ... is unlawful, un-lawful, being beyond and In excess of ths powers given the said liquor control commission of Utah under said liquor control act and particularly particu-larly under the subdivision (cited)." The affidavit name Parnell Black (chief legal oounael for the commission). com-mission). D. Howe Moffat and George H. Lunt are employed as counsel "at regular monthly salary-James W. Funk, commission chairman, said salaries of the three attorneys total $825 monthly, Mr. Black receiving $375 monthly and Mr. Moffat and Mr. Lunt f22S each monthly. Speaking of the affidavit, Mayor Lee asserted "creation of this permanent per-manent legal counsel Is just one more political plum." |