THE DRUG SCANDAL.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 March 1919, Page 4

THE DRUG SCANDAL.

(From Melbourne “Argus” Correspondent.)

London,jan 3

During the last month there have been several remarkable revelations regarding the gsowing drug habit. There is always, in every big city, an underworld of evil, and it would be false to say that London is worse than other capitals. But every now and then the public are surprised at the revelation of some widespread offence which had not been sus- j pected. The renting of swell West j End houses for gambling clubs; the i orgies at Ciro's ; the racketing and , turniture-smasliing of dance parties, which sometimes lead almost to j riot in one or two ot our very first j hotels, are incidents that, disturb the j moralist, but which a man ol the ! world looks upon as the froth of an J overstrained condition of society, j The spread of the drug habit is j worse than gambling or the ebulli- ( lions of a few excited dancers. It ! is not difficult to explain. In part, j . it is due to the increased restrictions in the sale oi beer, wines, and spirits, j In some cases the taking of ur,r- ! cotics is a reaction against the strain which has fallen upon many persons through the war. But the chief cause can be traced'to the hospitals. Thousands of shell-shocked soldiers and other wounded men suffering from sleeplessness hai r e been supplied with drugs while lying in the hospitals in France. Paraldehyde, opium, veronal, and cocaine are more frequently administered, and are more easily obtainable in the French hospitals than in England. The effect of these narcotics is so fascinating that a patient easily becomes a permanent victim, and every medical man knows the tricks to which people will resort to obtain the forbidden thing. Within recent years the law has provided heavy penalties for anyone convicted ol dealing in opium, and the Defence of the Realm Act forbade traffic in cocaine, opium and other narcotics. Nevertheless, such is the craze for these drugs that there are smugglers who openly parade some of the West End streets for the purpose of selling cocaine or opium to purchasers whom they can trust. An article which a few years ago brought 15s an ounce now brings and sometimes thrice that sum.

Much light has been thrown upon this drug habit through an inquest 011 Miss Stewart, better known as “ Billie ” Carletou, a popular actress at the halls, and through a prosecution that followed her death. It has been revealed that “ Billie ” Carletou was one of a small group of degenerates who met together for orgies of opium smoking. Five or six of these people assembled at a Dover Street (Piccadilly) flat, kept by Mr and Mrs Reggie de Veulle, on the evening of the Victory Ball held at the Albert Hall on November 27th. “ Billie ” Carletou was present at the ball. Before midnight she joined a supper party which had already gathered at Dover Street. After supper the people arranged themselves for opium smoking. The men dressed in pyjamas and the women in chiffon night-dresses. Large cushions were strewn about the floor, and a woman named Mrs Lo Ping You (a Scots girl married to a Chinese) acted as high priestess for the orgy. She prepared the opium, lit the pipes, moved from couch to couch, and attended to the smokers’ wants. She was equipped with opium needle, lamp, and all the usual accessories. The orgy went on from 9 in the evening till 3 the following afternoon. “Billie” Carletou was a late comer. When she left Dover street she went to her own flat, and a few hours afterwards her maid found her dead in bed. Mrs Lo Ping You lias been prosecuted under the Defence of the Realm Act for administering opium, and the magistrate sentenced her to five mouths’ imprisonment with hard labour. When the police searched her husband’s shop in Limeliouse Causeway they discovered opium pipes, opium, and abundant other evidence that the place was an opium den. The man himself was a physical wreck through opium smoking. He was fined £lO. These two prosecutions have directed attention to other cases. 111 one instance a place and apparatus for opium smoking were found behind an Oriental curiosity shop near Grosvenor square. 111 another case a person was punished with a lew weeks’ imprisonment for selling cocaine in the streets. Several cases have been reported of nurses who have contracted the drug habit through overwork in hospitals. There has been a newspaper outcry on the subject, and a demand for severer penalties and increased restrictions of sale. The special kind of opium required for smoking is smuggled into this country from China by sailors and- Chinese passengers. There are not a few dens in the East End where opium is surreptitiously used, and there are middle and upper class victims of this drug who know these places and visit them bv stealth.