WORSE THAN COCAINE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1928, Page 8

WORSE THAN COCAINE

TRAFFIC IN METHYLATED SPIRIT.

By the conviction of Simon Gershcowit, aged 68, a Russian, of Tenter Street, Spitalfields, London, the police and the customs authorities believe they have solved a problem which has baffled them for many months. Gershcowit was fined £9O and £2l costs at Old Street for selling industrial methylated spirits without a license, and Abraham Majosky, aged 63, a Rumanian, of Frostic Mansions, Old Montague Street, Whitechapel, who was alleged to have bought some of the spirit from Gershcowit, was fined £2l and £9 9s costs. It. was stated that when Majo sky was stopped with a canister of the spirit he said he had bought it from Genshcowit for 10/-. Majosky, an addict to the spirit, became almost mad when the canister was taken from him and begged for a drink. ,At Gershcowit’s flat bottles containing three and a-quarter gallons of the spirit were found. A flavouring and sweetening matter resembling rum had been added to make it more tasty as a beverage. Gershcowit’s son was fined for a similar offence in 1924. Mr. Clarke Hall, the magistrate, said he was satisfied that Gershcowit had been carrying on this traffic to a considerable extent, though he posed as a “dear, innocent old man.” The police had had considerable difficulty in getting to the bottom of this traffic. Many women who had been found intoxicated on methylated spirit had said they had drunk a red wine, but the explanation was that they had probably added this potent methylated spirit to the wine.

“This dealing in methylated spirit is very serious indeed m this part of London. Its effects are in many ways worse than those of cocaine, and all kinds of crime arise from it.’’ tie had no power to make a deportation order, but the facts would be brought to the 4 notice of the Home Secretary. There has recently been a widespread traffic in this spirit which leaves addicts in a state of stupor for several days. Hardly a day passes, particularly at the East End police courts, without 'one or more cases. The majority of the victims have been women, and in the poorer parts the traffic has become a menace. The profit from the traffic is enormous. The spirit consists of 95 per cent, pure alcohol, which can be considerably diluted and still give greater strength than ordinary whisky. It can be bought at 3/6 a gallon for legitimate purposes and is duty-free.