PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 78, 26 December 1925, Page 5

PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

PETTY OFFENDERS NOT ARRESTED

DRINKING EXPECTED TO INCREASE

Br Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright.

(Rec. December 25, 11.5 p.m.)

New York, December 24

It is expected that during the holidays there will be more drinking than ever since prohibition was first enforced. The new Federal enforcement policy frowns on the arrest of petty offenders, believing that the 1925 Congressional appropriation for enforcement of 50,000 dollars would be better spent in discovering the source of supply of the bootleg wares than in purchasing evidence against hotel and cabaret patrons, who are joyously surprised, since local enforcement is thereby left to the State and municipal authorities. New York repealed the State enforcement Act several years ago.

The padlocking of numerous cabarets by Federal agents is not effective, as a greater number of new establishments are opening constantly, and the force of enforcement agents is far too small to permit stationing one at every night club for the detection of hip flask carriers. Tlie drinkers are the more reckless through knowing that the House of Representatives lias approved of tlie appropriation of 250,000 dollars for the purchase of evidence in 1926, when conviviality will be more restrained. — Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.