DRUG EVIL IN AUSTRALIA

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1928, Page 7

DRUG EVIL IN AUSTRALIA

NEED TO TIGHTEN LAWS SERIOUS COCAINE TRAFFIC OPENLY SOLD IN LOUNGES By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. A. and N.Z. Sydney, April 12. As the result of the seizure recently of drugs smuggled into Sydney from the East, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mitchell, is urging the need of tightening up the laws against the use of cocaine and other drugs, ■which he alleges is growing to alarming proportions and becoming a serious menace. He pointed out that the efforts of the police for the suppression of the traffic were handicapped in that while the laws of New South Wales provide! heavy penalties, the laws of some other States were less stringent. They would not be able to deal with the evil effectively until it was made a Federal matter with uniform legislation for the whole Commonwealth. The drugs, he said, were manufactured and doctored down in Java and Singapore and thence smuggled to Australia. Dealing with the police effort, ,c oppress the traffic, he said they found women selling cocaine in the loungjs of fashionable hotels right under ths eyes of the management. They found men living in luxury on the sale of cocaine to unfortunate girls. Some of them were in charge of dozens of subordinates, who sold the drug in small quantities to addicts. Cocaine was circulated in all quarters of the eity; it was distributed to the palatial flats of Darlinghurst and the slums of Surrey Hills. The dealers in drugs were surrounded by gangs of criminals, who helped io epend the profits. Referring to the prevalence of the drug traffic, Mr. H. E. Pratten, Minister of Customs, said that with legislation in the other States similar to that in New South Wales the position might be considerably improved, but notwithstanding the most rigid precautions it was impossible for the Customs Department to police every avenue of importation, but the department was fully alive to its responsibilities, and was leaving no stone unturned to control effectively the importation and disposal of drugs.

Mr. Theodore announced his intention of having the matter discussed when the House of Representatives met.