Dysentery Reports Cause Council To Order Cleaning of Beer taps

The Cambridge City council has ordered all the city's draught beer taps cleaned out after reports that some of the taps were spreading dysentery, Councilman Joseph A. DeGuglielmo '29 said yesterday.

DeGuglielmo said the clean-up campaign was city-wide and not aimed at Harvard Square taverns in particular. "I'm trying to protect everyone," he said, "including our transient guests at Harvard, Radcliffe, and M.I.T."

DeGuglielmo refused to mention in which vicinities of the city the beer-caused diseases were prevalent, but said he had been approached by several people concerning the need for a clean-up.

Jim Cronin, proprietor of Jim's Place, said last night there was no possibility that DeGuglielmo was thinking of his beer machines when he announced the order.

"He must have been referring to the old-time machines which use block ice to cool their boor," Cronin added. "Our machines are refrigerated and are made of stainless steel."

The managers of the Wursthaus and the Picadilly In last night joined Cronin in saying that their establishments do not use the type of machine which might spread the diseases. Draft beer at the Wursthaus comes directly from the barrels through three-foot stainless steel tubes, while the Picadilly uses bottled beer.

Stillman Infirmary stated there had been no dysentery cases at the University, and no major outbreaks of intestinal disorders.

The order is expected to go into effect immediately and will direct the Licensing commission to require all alcoholic beverage license holders to scrape out their beer coils.