ILLICIT LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17857, 1 September 1923, Page 15

ILLICIT LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

ACTION BY CANADA.

NO CLEARANCES FOR "RUMRUNNERS."

(BT CABLB —PRIM AMOCUTIO*—COmiftR.) (ACSTBAUAS ASD H.Z. CABLX ASSOOATIOX) OTTAWA, August 29. By an Order-in-Council, Canadian Customs officials have been instructed to refuso clearances to vessels of less than 250 tons register with bonded cargoes. This is a step to assist th 6 United States to check the illicit importation of liquors. The rum-running fleet operating from Canada consists wholly of small vessels which, obtaining clearances for the West Indies, dump their cargoes into tho United Stntes through the Great Lakes or the Atlantic seaboard. Hitherto Customs officials have been compelled to give clearances to all vessels, no matter what their size.

THE WHISKY-FLEET.

PROSPEROUS SMUGGLERS OF THE BAHAMAS.

LONDON, August 30. Tho "Daily Express" publishes an interview with Captain Clare, commodore of tho so-called "Whisky Fleet," trading between Nassau, the cnpitnl of the Bahama Islands, and {he United States. He said he was "not a smuggler, but a legitimate trader." He sold goods which were in demand just as he might have sold in any mai'ket-plnce. His marketplace was the high seas. Ha made twelve trips from Nassau in 1922, and had never once been neafer tho Amorican coast than eighteen miles, and never once had seen any preventive men. "All America cannot stop you in this game if you are easeful," said Captain Clare. "Prohibition has been a regular philosopher's stone to little one-horse Nassau. Skyscraping warehouses have been rushrid up and crammed with whisky, and also great blocks of offices and sumptuous hotels. Men who two years ago were struggling store clerks now own yachts and country mansions and motor-cars. One wan I worked with bought a ship with borrowed money, and made £IB,OOO in addition to the cost of the ship in 18 dsya. Another cleared £IO,OOO in one run out and back, lasting eight days. EVoi pneßts find thfl police are engaged in the whisky tAde at Nassau." _ _ ..

The "Morning Post" recently printfid a series of articles on " \Vhiskyliunuiiig," by "One Who lias Tried It," in wliieii many phases of tho illicit liquor traffic to and in the United States wore dealt With. In his first article the writer dealt with the operations of what is known as the '•Hum i'icet." He point# out that the British Customs have recently begun to put every obstacle in die way of whisKy shipa leaving tho United Kingdom, and that tliofe is the possibility of the ship, when loaded, being retused clearance papers. The bootleggers prefer dealing with some ship they already know to dealing with an unknown ship, which may sell them faked spirits; several British vessels have failed to sell their cargoesafter several months of lying off shore, and finally, owing to shortage of water, coal, and provisions, or trouble with the crew, have been obliged to head for home with some or all of their cargo unsold. , An ever-present source of anxiety is the "hlgh-jacker," or pirate; these are ha#fiy desperadoes armed with automatic pistols who come out in swift motor launches, usually at night. There have been many cases of them attacking an unsuspecting whisky ship, and, after shooting tno crew, making off with the cargo. A case occurred not many weeks ago where a ship was found adrift without any crew ot eargo; the bodies of the crew were eventually recovered from the sea, and had met their deaths by having their stomachs slit open with knives or razors —a method of killing which left Jittle doubt as to the race of the "highjackers" responsible. One of the most dangerous types or H'tgh-jackers are those who oisguiso themselves as United States revenue officers or police, gain access to the deck of the ship in the name of the law, and then show themselves in their tnie colours. A more polite way of besting the Britisher is carried out by the suave but hard-builed gentleman who eome9 out in a large launch and buys several thousand cases fov cash. it is not until the money is banked that it is found that the notes aro a clover form or counterfeit, which, it is said, has for some tune been defeating even the bank teller ain America. AO tea of small denomination have had i!ie ugures and amounts removed chemically, and IresJi amounts of large denuiuuiatipn printed on the fe,enu»ne pat-cr bo per-lect-iy that millions of dollars worth are reported to Have been circulated before Uio fraud was lound out. At one timo there was a counterfeit money factory turning out bins expressly lor tne benefit of tlie iuigush whiaky bliips. There aro many other unforeseen events whicn are liabie to taK© place. Uk) crew sometimes broach eargo and become unmanageable, stores run out, rough weather and the activities of the prohibition launches make it impossible ior the buyers to et-me out for days, and sometimes weeks, at a time, meanwnile tho ship is piling up wage and food bilis arm demurrage charges. "Money made at whisky-running is money hardly earned in tha face of many risks, and there are few who would grudge big profits to theso who aro ready to take "long chances. The chances at present seem to bo rather lengei than ever before off the New York~coast; the Prohibition fleet are nor/ showing unusual activity, and by keeping a barrage of revenue boats between tho ships and the shore, aro making it increasingly risky for the boats which come oil: to buy, and several ships, having failed to sell their cargo sufficiently quickly to <b more ! than pay current expenses, have left for their home port-9. Others, more i tenacious, aro holding on and hoping for better times." j