LIQUOR SHIPS CAPTURED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 November 1924, Page 5

LIQUOR SHIPS CAPTURED.

PROMINENT MEN ARRESTED. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT VANCOUVER, Nov. 12. * America has almost broken up the wholesale bootiegging out of Vancouver and Victoria to San Franisco and Los Angeles.

For two years steamers have been leaving with great liquor chrgoes from \ ancouver for South American, ports. Jm rente they pass below the horizon oft the Golden Gate and transferred cargoes to launches bound for the shore. 1 hen they returned toi Vancouver, neglecting to proceed further. 'They never called at American ports, and the traffic was legitimate so far as the Canadian Customs regulations were concerned.

Lately three of tlieir best vessels have been seized. The Quadra was arrested within an hour’s run of San Francisco, with £IOO,OOO worth of | whisky on board. The crew of the Gauli were so hard pressed that they had to scuttle the ship off San Diego. Two other vessels were also arrested. The bootleggers’ Josses within a month ran to 10,000,000 dollars. The climax came when a grand jury m San Francisco, returned true bills against 28 leading citizens of Vancouver and Victoria, engageu in the liquor traffic, and had three of them who were spending a holiday in California, anested. These three 1 include u leading lawyer and two millionaire bootleggers. It has since developed that the American secret service had an officer employed as a- sailor on board the .Quadra-, and during all the recent trips every move was known to the police, including the source of money which financeo the expeditions. It is the biggest coil) m the history of the liquor figlifc on the Pacific Coast. END OF RUM ROW PREDICTED WASHINGTON, No.v. 12. The end of Rum Row is predicted ii a statement by the Treasury. There was a large increase in the number c< seizures, including seven foreign vessels acting as supply ships, according to the report on the Atlantic Coast operations for October.

The report remarks: “It is surprising to. note the number of Norwegiai vessels engaged in the liquor traffic. Ten were observed recently in the rum' fleets off the coast.”