"SMELLED" OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 10

"SMELLED" OUT.

ILLICIT LIQUOR MAKERS

CANADIAN STILLS FOUND.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SAN FRANCISCO, December 4.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police may always get their man, but it takes a United 'States revenue man to smell out a still—even in Canada. It was stated in Washington recently that production of illicit liquor in Canada has been reduced some 0200 gallons a day largely because investigators of the U.S. alcohol tax unit possess highly developed senses of smell!

Last summer there poured across the Upper New York State border a deluge of liquor, which U.S. agents were convinced was made in Canada. Canada's "mounties," called into conference, agreed to go on the hunt. Weeks went by without result. , Eventually it was suggested that Canada should "borrow" a few select U.S. still-chasers. The American agents, minus only the "mounties"' red uniform, swung into action. The trail led to Montreal. One day a Canadian-American patrol was coursing the streets of St. Pierre, a Montreal suburb, when an American agent took a deep whiff of air. His nose knew, and within a few minutes a 4000 gallon still was found in an abandoned factory. The U.S. revenue man, long trained in prohibition days, had spotted the odour of fermenting mash.

The investigators then moved down to the vicinity of Toronto and smelled out a second still, this one producing 2200 gallons a day.