RUSH FOR LIQUOR.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 938, 7 December 1933, Page 11

RUSH FOR LIQUOR.

Rum Row Ships Turn Back Home. GOVERNMENT TAX MOVE. (Continued from page 1.) United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received December 7,2 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 6. The repeal of Prohibition continued to hold a prominent place in the day’s news. One important development wa sthe report that the president was seriously considering Federal Government monopolisation of gallonage and taxation on liquor, with a refund to the consumer States, in order to obviate the danger of too-high taxation by the States, which might attempt to rescue their failing Budgets by overburdening this new source of revenue, and thus again give encouragement to bootlegging. Restoration of mailing rihts for liquor are also being sought. The availability to-day of beer of higher alcoholic content than 3.2 somehow’ was not received with as much enthusiasm as might have been expected, since the price was much higher and smaller glasses were served. Ratification of repeal by Mains, the thirty-seventh State, almost went without notice to-day, so quietly did the Convention go about its business. Various cities reported that the retail liquor stores were stormed by purchasers anxious for supplies, u'hich all day flowed from the store houses.

In New York the police were called out to keep order among the buyers. Steamship companies which had featured short cruises to the Antilles have been compelled to cancel many sailings on account of the diminution of passengers, who now need not go on the high seas to obtain the desired liquors.

Rum Row vessels, rincipally from Canadian ports, are reported to be returning to their bases.