The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1919-04-15


Three thousand internal revenue
agents working in specially arranged
zones throughout the United States
will enforce prohibition after July 1.
according to plans announced by the
Revenue Bureau. Nearly 500 in
spectors will be trained for the
work, to be added to the force Of g.
2S3 revenue agents already avail
able for police regulations, and the
machinery for enforcement will be
in working order before the date
when absolute prohibition becomes
effective.
This force of special agents will
be distributed among the districts
where law violation is threatened to
the largest extent and special atten-
ton will be paid to cities, where
revenue officials look for most per-
sistent efforts to make whisky illeg-
ally. In addition the revenue au-
thorities plan to cooperate with To-
cal police and to leave the greater
part of the enforcement work to
these authorities in localities where
the police appear efficient. With
out such plan the force of even
5000 Federal agents would be in
sufficient to police the entire coun-
try.
Although manufacture of liquor
for personal use will be equally lille
gal with the production for sale,
the revenue agents are expected to
devote most of their time to the COM
mercial traffic and to leave the en-
forcement of the law against per-
;sonal manufacture to local police.
Internal revenue Bureau agents,
under the direction of B. C. Keith,
Deputy Commissioner, are now work
ing on a plan to divide the country
into zones which will be independent
in many cases from the sixty-four
collectors zones already establish
ed. One chief Inspector will be as
: signed to each zone, with as many
assistants as the character of the
territory indicates necessary The
men will be especially trained in de-
lection work, most having served in
that capacity for many years. AL
though heretofore liquor violations
have been found by revenue agents
mainly among moonshiners of the
Southern mountains, prohibition is
expected to stimulate illicit distilla-
ton enormously in cities where the
demand will be most constant, and
: consequently where greater profits
from the occupation can be reaped.
One aspect of liquor law viola
tions has grown out of the hundreds
of recipes for home manufacture of
beer, ale, wines and even distilled
liquors now being circulated in all
parts of the country. Booklets and
printed pamphlets of these recipes
have reached revenue officials from
Nycores of cities. 1t was explained
today that to make liquor according
to these recipes will constitute clear
violations of the law, although it
was admitted it would be difficult to
prevent the manufacture in most
cases.
Must Report Purchase of Still.
Private stills can be acquired le-
gally only by registration with the
. revenue collector of the district.
Manufacturers of stills are under
strict regulation of the Revenue
Bureau, being required to pay $50
year license fee for doing bust
ness and to pay specific tax OF
800 on each still or worm sold. In
addition the manufacturer is re-
quired by law to report the name
and address of the purchaser, and
the purchaser of the still is required
to report the purpose of his still and