The Maikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1929. TRAFFIC IN DRUGS.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17803, 30 August 1929, Page 6

The Maikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1929. TRAFFIC IN DRUGS.

It is believed by the police authorities that the underworld feuds which are of frequent occurrence in Sydney and Melbourne have their origin in quarrels between members of rival organisations who are engaged in the illicit trafflo in drugs. It is credibly reported that the drug habit has increased to a phenomenal extent during recent years, and it is flourishing despite the strenuous efforts to counter it. The trade has been organised as other businesses have, and it has penetrated into places that would never have been reached if the trade had not been established on a systematic basis. Wherever the police come into conflict with the traffic they And complete organisation, as efficient as that which is applied to great industrial enterprises, and they are faced with a much more difficult task than if they had to deal with individuals. Most of their captives are agents on the outskirts of tiie organisation, and even if they had the knowledge, which there is reason to doubt, it is an unwritten law of the underworld, which cannot be broken without the risk of dire penalties, that a closed mouth must be kept as to the ramifications which would lead to those controlling the organisation. The “big fish” are so well hidden that tho police are powerless to reach them. The public are, in a vague way, conversant with the fact that the traffic is a horrible one, destroying the bodies and souls of its victims, hut only those who come into personal touch with these unfortunates really know' the terrible 101 l which has to be paid for indulgence in the vice. The most disquieting feature about the ‘dope’ epidemic (says an Australian paper) is its prevalence among young girls, who in a spirit of bravado patronise the ‘snow T ’ parties, which are one of the means by which the trade in cocaine is extended. Again and again these parties have been raided by the police and the story told in the courts, and there does not appear to be any way of putting a stop to them. Possibly in the minds of many of the girls the risk of a raid only adds another spice of adventure to their ‘dope’ experiences, which might otherwise lose their thrill, and induces them to go forward in the perilous path. At the head of these parties there is always some attractive woman, the agent of the drug-selling organisation, and she performs her task with such skill that the victims have no other idea of her than that she is bent on giving them the “good time” which is such a powerful lure to destruction. So vile is the drug traffic that nothing should he left undone that would kill or maim it. The police frequently complain that they are hampered by their limited powers and even when they succeed in obtaining a conviction the penalties imposed are insufficient compared to the magnitude of the offence. Heavy fines do not act as a deterrent. The profits are so enormous that the fines are only a small incidental loss, and as a rule they are promptly paid. Should there be lines in these cases, or should, the offenders be sent to gaoi without tho option of a financial penalty which is in reality no penally at all? Most people will favour imprisonment without the option, and if magistrates have not the power to adopt this course it should be given to them. The offence is too harmful to he met by a fine. The'penalty to be effective must be a personal one, suffered by the individual, and this can only be attained by making it imprisonment without an alternative.