AMERICAN RUM-RUNNING

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3632, 30 April 1927, Page 1

AMERICAN RUM-RUNNING

i’AGIFIC ISLANDS BELIEVED A BASE.

Auckland, April 25. The storm centre of the rum running traffic threatens to shift to Pacific Islands within measurable distance of New Zealand, if advice which was received in Auckland this week be correct. News is to the effect that a steamer en route for Australia via Panama Canal called in at Papeete on March lfi and landed into bond 31,000 cases of assorted liquors, mostly whisky. Since then a Canadian steamer has loaded 10,000 cases of liquor at Papeete. presumably for Vancouver, to the order of the Consolidated Exporters’ Corporation, Ltd., of Canada. Of course, it is obvious that, the 3600 population of Papeete, the chief town of Tahiti, cannot justify such a shipment as--30,000 cases of spirits, or even think of absorbing the 20,000 cases left after the Canadian order has been fulfilled. Further, there is generally believed to be a business connection between the Exporters’ Corporation of Canada and the United Distillers’ Company. Papeete lies but a comparatively short distance off the Panama trade route, and thus offers a convenient stepping-off place for steamers bound to Australia and New Zealand to dispose of liquor cargoes, if is understood that the French Administration of Tahiti is not unfavourable to the traffic, in that it offers quite a windfall in Customs revenue.