Rum Radio

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 8, 6 September 1929, Page 8

Rum Radio

A Curious Profession HERD are many strange jobs in the world, says "Radio News," but few stranger than that of a young Englishman who has just returned home on a visit. When at work he is a wireless operator on a big "bootlegging" organisation on the Hast Coast of America, Radio, it seems, is an. intrinsic part of any 100 per cent. efficient rum-run-ning organisation. It is used to keep the ships in touch with developments ashore, to give the "All clear" signal when the cases of liquor are rushed to the shore in racing motor-launches and thence in bullet-proof cars to their destination. Our distinguished visitor complains that, owing to police supervision, he has constantly to be moving his apparatus. All communications, both by telephone and short-wave radio, are conducted in code. Sometimes — the police find out the code; then the bootleggers have all the bother of making up a new one. A favourite way of keeping the code out of harm’s way is to put it in an envelope and post it off to yourself, The police are not yet wise to this.