The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-01-13

Mn. EDITOR In the ADVERTISER Of Jan. 9th,
your remarks on drunkenness prevailing to a large
extent during the late holidays are closed by the
sentence ''There can be no question that if q
portion of the energy and adroitness which have
lately been displayed in suppressing the opium
traffic were employed in ferreting out and prose-
cutting the sellers and furnishers of gin, the latter
business would soon be crippled" etc.
You will admit that your charge is rather q
serious one as implying a neglect Of duty in regard
to ferreting out the selling of illicit gin. There is,
as you must admit, a great difference in ferreting
out and prosecuting the sale Of gin from the opium
traffic. Opium you know is ID declared by law a con-
traband article. In fact the law goes so far as to
make even the possession or the use Of opium a
criminal offence. The Custom House officials are
acting as an extra aid to the police in detecting the
landing of opium, melted to a strict surveillance not
only by their official duties but by an extra reward.
Through the e~xertions Of the Custom House officers
the police receive sometimes valuable hints that
opium, in spite Of their vigilance, has been landed
and while the nose of q Custom House officer be-
comes expert to smell opium hidden on board Of a
vessel, the noses of policeman become also expert in
smelling in the street the more powerful stink Of
burning opium in close quarters, which of course
leads to arrest. Natives may drink ever so much
bad gin in their houses, but 1 suppose there is not a
nose in Honolulu Of so fine a scent that could in the
street smell out the locality where bad gin disappears
in thirsty threats. And if perhaps through some
noise or hilarity the police should enter in upon q
festive board Of gin consumers, what then they
could neither arrest the merry jewellers for drinking
bad gin, nor confscate the gin, and none Of the
gin drinkers would be SO foolish as to know where
the gin was bought or who purchased 1t, and
thumbscrews you know are out Of use. That drunk
enness among natives, and drunks from liquor have
been of late on the increase is not to be denied;
although there were times in Honolulu, when swipe
and beer dens were licensed when drunkenness was
even more plentiful than in the days to which you
refer, 1888. 4 few since years it was much easier
for the police to arrest Illicit liquor traffic, than it
has been of late. Then there were only the whole
sale and retail dealers under surveillance. and as
the number Of these were very limited, it was not a
very difficult task to watch their in and out goings.
But since the free importation of Chinese and the
establishment of hundreds of retail stores all over
town and for miles around the town, the ferreting
out the selling of gin is a very difficult matter. as it
may be said that nearly every one of these Chinese
shops purchases liquor in auction, and either send
it to the different islands or retail it on the sly, and
| while the police is well aware of these facts no con-
viction can be procured without evidence sufficient
to convict. Only a week ago, in making an arrest
and seizure Of opium, twenty-five bottles of bad gin
we're also found, ready for illicit sale; the opium
vas contraband and was taken, the gin was not.
Retail and wholesale dealers have been arrested and
fued, again and again. The police is well aware
that retail and wholesale dealers in liquor are not
much infringing the laws, but the last legislature
has permitted Chinese to keep jobbing houses. and
instead of facilitating the efficiency of the police BY
this means most seriously cripple the same by facili-
tating the distribution of bad gin from those jobbing
houses to every Chinese, japanese and native house.
Let the government do away with the jobbing
houses and restrict the sale of liquor to wholesale
and. retail dealers, and make liquor o coutraband
! like opium in the hands or houses Of all to whom
the law forbids the sale of liquor, and the police
will soon show you, that it is as energetic In
spelling the Illicit liquor traffic as the opium
business. No. 81.