Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 53 Part 1.djvu/337

 transit from any one of said places; or of any distilled spirits found in any one of the places aforesaid, or in transit therefrom, which have not been received into or sent out therefrom in conformity to law, or in regard to which any of the entries required by law to be made in the books of the owner of such spirits, or of the storekeeper-gauger, wholesale dealer, or rectifier, have not been made at the time or in the manner required, or in respect to which the owner or person having possession, control, or charge of said spirits, has omitted to do any act required to be done, or has done or committed any act prohibited in regard to said spirits, the burden of proof shall be upon the claim- ant of said spirits to show that no fraud has been committed, and that all the requirements of the law in relation to the payment of the tax have been complied with. SEC. 2855. MONTHLY RETURNS OF RECTIFIERS. (a) REQUIREMENT. -On or before the 10th day of each month every person engaged in rectifying or compounding distilled spirits shall make, in such form as may be prescribed by the Commissioner, a return to the collector of the district, showing the quantity of spirits received for rectification, and from whom received, the quantity dumped for rectification, the quantity rectified, the quantity removed after rectification during the preceeding month, and giving such other information as may be required by the Commissioner, such re- turn to be made in duplicate and sworn to by the rectifier; and the collector shall forward one of such returns to the Commissioner. (b) TRANsFER OF DUTIES. - For transfer of powers and duties of Commissioner and his agents, see section 3170. SEC. 2856. PENALTY FOR UNLAWFUL RECTIFYING. Every person who engages in, or carries on, the business of a recti- fier with intent to defraud the United States of the tax on the spirits rectified by him, or any part thereof, or with intent to aid, abet, or assist any person or persons in defrauding the United States of the tax on any distilled spirits, or who shall purchase or receive or rectify any distilled spirits which have been removed from a distillery to a place other than the distillery warehouse provided by law, know- ing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the tax on said spirits, required by law, has not been paid, shall, for every such offense, be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, and im- prisoned not less than six months nor more than two years. SEC. 2857. BOOKS OF RECTIFIERS AND WHOLESALE DEALERS. (a) REQUIREMaENTS. - Every rectifier and wholesale liquor dealer shall keep daily, at his place of business covered by his special tax stamp, a record of distilled spirits received and disposed of by him, and shall render under oath correct transcripts and summaries of such records: Provided, That the Commissioner may in his discre- tion require such record to be kept at the place where the spirits are actually received and sent out. The records shall be kept and the transcripts shall be rendered in such form, and under such rules and regulations as the Commissioner, with the approval of the Secretary, may prescribe. The records required to be kept under the provisions of this section and regulations issued pursuant thereto, shall be preserved for a period of four years, and during such period shall be available during business hours for inspection and the taking of abstracts therefrom by the Commissioner or any internal revenue officer. Every rectifier and wholesale liquor dealer who refuses or neglects to keep such records in the form prescribed by the Commissioner, with the approval of the Secretary, or to make entries therein, or cancels, alters, or obliterates any entry therein (except for the pur- pose of correcting errors) or destroys any part of such records, or any entry therein, or makes any false entry therein, or hinders or LIQUOR 327

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