AGAINST VICE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 460, 18 June 1937, Page 3

AGAINST VICE

CRUSADE IN LONDON Scotland Yard Active London, May 24. Scotland Yard launched Im antivice crusade —forming a new vice squad of picked men to sweep the city clean and pure before Coronation crowds arrived. For months there has been intermittent talk of the. harpies flocking here in hope of reiiping a rich harvest from Coronation visitors. Now the drive is on end is. expected to suppress all but the most innocent and entirely legal forms of night life, (O which London’e laws are far from sympathetic. Starting with questionable resorts catering to undesiiubles, it is being extended' gradually. Reformers predict a clean sweep of all night club life, for in any form it is at best on the ragged edge of illegality here. The crusade opened with a tensationlal trial of 37 defendants at the Old Bailey alter a raid on “Billie's club." Nine of’the defendants, including Miss Billie Joyce, the proprietress, Ascribed as. a former Sunday school teacher and barmaid, were sentenced to two year prison terms. Five others were sentenced to serve terms hanging from six to 20 months. Seven sentences were suspended and there were 16 acquittals. Soho’s little black streets still hide many more clubs like "Billie’s." Most of them consist of nothing biAt a dance floor, a piano, a divan or two and a few chiairs. (Most M them financed, it is said, by a ring bpera 1 !? ing behind the scenes, Being flgnlgt head proprietors from yrhoni thejj collect, a heavy percentage pit profits. i /M I«l A vast white Elave tilaffic in. rt.be same district was revealed last year

during investigation of “Red Max" Kassel’s murder. “Red Max’’ was said to hiave worked with a combine that tpecialised in seating women up ;n flats, making them pay an exorbitant rent, and keeping thim there by terror. More than 500 such flaiis were said >to be established in London.

Now the drive is extending even lo the “better” night clubs. Already night life for the man of moderate means is, to all intents and purposes, non-existent in London. Ordinary bars are closed by the licensing laws at 10.30 or 11 o’clock. In a few (cases they are fallowed to stay open until midnight. After that the Londoner or visitor who wants bright lights and gaiety and a drink or two must depend on the costly ‘“bottle club.” Up to now the bottle club has been considered a legal if not highly desirable way of having night life without breaking the law. The patron, in theory at least, bought his bottle of liquor in advance, during legal hours, land had ftt reserved for him. To go to the club he had to be a “member” or guest of some one who was. Membership could often be acquired at the, door, for a price. After paying double the ordinary prince for his bottle, he bought soda and Other accessories sit prices comparable only to/those of the “sucker” aight club speak-easies of prohibition lays in America.

* It occurred <to the police to prosecute through another feature of the teensing laws.—the entertainment iegnse. Proprietors of bottle partes—known technically as “hosts”— ire arrested for providing public nu&ic and dancing without' license. Twenity-six clubs have been given summonses and the drive is to contone. Detectives in plain clothes r isi!t them, carefully galther evidence in the form of drinks, watch the proce'edings and then issue summonses, trough without any of the fracas bat sometimes accompanied prohibiten era. raids in America. One defendant raised a laugh, but

didn’t escape his fine when he asked through his counsel that the cost of liquor consumed by raiders be subtracted from the costs he had to pay. "It was a considerable amount,” explained the victim.