SPIES NEEDED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 25, 31 January 1927, Page 7

SPIES NEEDED.

USED IN AMERICA.

Government Methods to Track Bootleggers.

PROHIBITION REVELATIONS

(By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 10.30 a.m.) WASHINGTON, January 30. Following the sensational disclosures that the Federal Government employed so-called "under cover" men who, in order to trap bootleggers, organised elaborate night clubs using the Government moneys. General Andrews, Chief of the Prohibition Enforcement Department, has sent a letter to the Senate explaining his reasons.

The letter states that the country is faced with numerous vast and perpetual conspiracies. The Government must recognise that the violations of the law are nation-wide and almost numberless.

The Federal Government, to meet this condition, must concentrate its efforts upon large and well-organised illegal operations. Dry agents, known to the criminal element, could never hope to defeat unknown, intelligent, unscrupulous men whose operations are necessarily enshrouded in darkness.

"It is similar to war," the letter states, "it is necessary that agents should be employed who are qualified and do act as spies. Xo one likes the idea, but it is as essential here as in war. Secret Service methods and 'under cover' men are absolutely necessary if the prohibition law is to be enforced."

The revelations, which have aroused a great deal of interest, showed that Government agents operated at night for many months, selling liquor to the public and at the same time intercepting, during delivery, large orders for liquor placed with bootleggers.

The club was later sold to a private individual who was shortly afterwards arrested.

Alcoholic Deaths. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, the largest of its kind in America, has announced that the death rate from alcoholism among the company's 17,000,000 policy holders was greater in 1920 than in any year since 1917. The rate in 1920 was 3.7 per 100,000, as against 3.0 in 192.3.,

The 1920 rate is six times as great as in 1920, which was the year of the lowest rate ever recorded. The highest rate was u.3 in 1912.

The announcement states that unless the current trend of alcoholic deaths i.s checked, 192S will be a record rate a : nd higher than any year since 1911, which is the earliest of which data is available for the industrial population.