PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18753, 5 January 1923, Page 5

PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

NEW YORK STATE WANTS MODIFICATION. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright NEW YORK, January 3. Governor Smith, in opening the New York State Legislature, declared that the people of the. State were unsympathetic towards the prohibition'amendment of the Constitution. He .suggested the passage of a resolution calling on Congress to amend the Volstead Act so as to permit of the sale of light wines and beer. The first Bill that was introduced asked for the; repeal of the State Prohibition Enforcement Law. —A. and N.Z. Cable. NO HOPE OF REPEAL. PRESIDENT’S PRONOUNCEMENT. NEW YORK, January 3. (Received Jan 4, at_ 8.35 p.m.) A women’s delegation, -which attempted to gain an audience with President Harding in order to express its opposition to prohibition, was refused admission. The President declared that he did not believe it would he an opportune time just now to receive a delegation which aimed to give an expression of hostility to the eighteenth amendment of the Constitution. “ It is such a futile thing to expect to repeal the amendment that I doubt the wisdom of giving an interview, which would only result in controversial publicity and would create suspicion in the Federal Government’s good faith in endeavouring to enforce the prohibition laws. A. and N.Z. Cable. THE SHIPPING SUIT. LEGAL ARGUMENT PROCEEDING. WASHINGTON, - January 4. Counsel for the foreign shipping interests has filed a brief answering the Government’s contentions in the recent prohibition suit. Counsel points out that the logical outcome of the Government's contention would lend to the _ confiscation of any foreign warships found in American waters with'honor aboard, and the deprivation of foreign diplomatic representatives in the United States of such beverages. Vessels in distress, taking refuge, would also he subject to confiscation. The brief concludes liv insisting that Congress did not specifically provide in the prohibitum law that it should hp ar/alied to forciap vessels. The Daugherty ruling is therefore illegal.—A. and N.Z. Cable. [The suit was brought hv the shipping linns to have set aside the Daugherty ruk ing providing for the transportation of liquor inside the three-mile limit.]