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Hokitika Guardian, 16 April 1925, Page 2

In the opinion of the well informed writer on prohibition in practice in America, it is probable that the ruin fleet is doomed. President Coolidge is an ardent teetotaller, and lias held various conferences recently with i. view to the stricter enforcement of prohibition. If all bis officers were a.-

sincere as be the law would soon become more effective. But no enain is stronger than its weakest link, and as a. many ol' these statesmen and officials keep bootlegged licpior in their houses, the President is up against a complicated proposition. The navy lias been asked to assist. Without comment I quote a telegram published all over the United States: —“Norfolk, Ya. (The Associated Press), February 2d, 1025. A raiding party of marines boarded the navy transport Beaufort here last night, when she arrived from the “West Indies, and seized several hundreds of gallons of liquors. . . . Some was taken from the cabins of officers ranging from pay clerks to lieutenants.” The Government has also built a licet of fast “chasers” to patrol the coast continr ally and to follow the vessels which hover outside the line. More and more of these watch-dogs are. being commissioned. Results are being obtained. On February 18th. the auxiliary schooner Coal Harbour, described as a British rum runner, was captured out si d the Golden Gate with a cargo of liquor estimated by Hie newspapers at 750,000 dollars. The Federal officials valued it at over 100,000. Two other vessels, belonging to the* same owners, have been captured within the previous three months. At this rate they will soon go into liquidation. But apart from the unwelcome interference of tho Government with his business activities, the bootlegger has not things all his own way. A peculiar parasite of his subterranean occupation has recently becomintrustice. This is the “Hi-Jack”, a remarkable product of modern civilisation. He- rea'hws that it is much cheaper and demands less exertion to rob the bootlegger of. his illegal store than to go to the worry and expense of rum running or secret distillation himself. He therefore lies in wait for the bootlegger who has made a successful excursion and purloins his cargo or raids his depot. Just as the bootleggers associate for reciprocal assistance so do the Hi-Jacks, ft is exceedingly galling for a party of loggers wh have just loaded up a ear to he suddenly set upon by the Jacks and despoiled. In some cases lli-Jacks have counterfeited accredited official's and exhibited fabricated stars ol office the better to beguile and to cause their victims to imagine that the Prohibition police have tracked them. Serious rffravs have occurred between the tv sets of rascals. The fact that tic possession of liquor is illegal and tlieiefore anyone stealing it Ironi a. bootlegger cannot lie prosecuted by him that is robbed, gives comfort to the hi-jack. The hi-jack proceeds to sell bis .stock to confidential customers just as the bootlegger decs. He is able to add insult to injury by quoting a cut rate. But lately the authorities have seized so much illegal liquor iremi loth that their stores are overflowing. The strange tiling is that several times considerable portions of consignments on their way to the Government chore have disappeared on route. Nobody knows how. Truly prohibition -perplexes and puzzles both Government . and people.