IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1933, Page 2

IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

TICKETS SEIZED BY CUSTOMS,

LONDON, November 29

Customs officials at Liverpool and Holyhead are seizing a large number oi Irish sweepstak e tickets, which are illegal documents in England. S°me £9U,000 worth of these were seized and burnt at Liverpool last week. Few passengers al'<* allow e d through the Customs barriers without a thorough search of their baggage, .followed, in some instances, by a search of their clothing. Cumulative experience of the methods -adopted in the past to- get tickets into England is standing the officers in good stead. The hauls are believed to be considerably larger and more numerous than is publicly known, simply because the officers have learned where to look for consignments.

“It should be thoroughly understood,’’ .said a Post Office official, “tnat the post is -inviolate in the .ordinary way, and no letter can b e opened without special authority from the Home -Office. -So far as Irish sweepstake tickets are con .Or nod, the Home Office has already given its authority for opening these, but there is nothing in the nature of a ‘black cabinet,’ nor are mechanical or scientific mean? for examining letters.” As the great part of the Irish mail enters Britain at Liverpool, there is a special squad of C ,,c toms officers attached to the General Post Office in that city to deal with suspected packages. •