New-York tribune., 1920-01-21
Storage Space
Is Lacking for
Seized Liquor
y s. Officials Are Making
Survey of City for Places
,o put COntraband Taken
in Raids of Last Few Days
Salo ons to Remove Signs
ox1,ers Given Ten Days in
Which to Destroy Whisky
and Beer Advertisements

anne. Shevlin and his band of pro-
hitition enforcement agents worked
,nAustriously yesterday to transfer to
handed warehouses the liquor they
have S. ICED in New York. They fear
4 ,,tll not be safe until it is out sight
and reach.
Motor trucks with armed customs
guards were used TO carry the liquor.
Heavy detachments of prohibition
agents. customs guards and city po
liccmen kept watch at the docks and
private warehouses, where the contra
bar d is temporarily stored.
Some Of the liquor has disappeared
.,rce it's seizure. it WAS learned. James
r McGuiness, one OF Mr.. Shevlln's
ehief assistants. said that no estimate
ear vet be made Of the amount that
has been lost.
Lack Storage Space
IT We relaxed for minute some one
would make a grab for the stuff" said
Mr. McGuiness. Were not going to
take any chances. If everything goes
"a 1t should most of the liquor will
be put safely away by II O'Clock
The officials anticipate trouble in
Anding enough bonded warehouse space
to take care Of everything that they ex-
peet to seize in the course of their in
vostigations. At q conference in the Of
fee Of Colonel Daniel L. Porte-, for
me-ly in charge Of enforcement, they
decided to make a survey Of all the
storage facilities in the district.
No additional seizures were made
yesterday. Commenting on a conflict
Of statements Of the total value of the
goods already taken into custody, Mr.
Shevin said:
"You might as we'll try to evaluate
counterfeit money as liquor. Neither
has a legal market, and therefore
neither has real price. You might GO
to bootlegger in one part Of the city
and pay SIS for a bottle of booze and to
another in a different place and pay
$25 for the same sort Of stuff. The
sales are not legitimate and the prices
cannot be used to settle values. But
you want to take into consideration the
what we have seized l suppose
you can set the figure at abou1
$l0o0o.o0o."
Law Being Obeyed Here
Applications for permits to us'
nal or sacramental purposes have al
ready begun to arrive at the Custom
House. Owners have until January q
to apply for this permission. If thei
Nuuor is not so redeemed by Februar.
it will become the property OF thu
government, to be disposed of in (
manner not yet determined.
The prohibition law is being obeyet
this district. in Mr.. Shevlin's opin
bot ha o
i. was pretty hard to get drink
The prohibition enforcement officer
Yesterday made the first definite state.
ment of the size of his force OF
agents. Mr.. Shevin said that he nov
has about sixty men, and that he ex'
pects to add seventy-five or eighty to
this number.
choose only men who are in sympath!
With the spirit of the Eighteenth
Amendment, Mr.. Shevlin said.
Saloons and liquor stores which still
display beer and whisky signs will hav
from ten days to two weeks TO remov'
them. Mr.. Shevin said. Under tn.
law such advertisements are illegal
and at the end of the stated period
which is held to be reasonable tim
Of grace, the enforcing agents VII
atsrc 70 rip them down and arrest tn
owners.
Yarmouth in Drydock
The Black Star liner Yarmouth
which returned to New York with
cargo of liquor after being disable'
in storm off the Virginia coast, wa
placed in drydock yesterday at tn
Morse ShipyaTds. Her cargo probably
will not be seized. The customs off
Gals are expected to rule that the
liquor is still in transit to a foreign
country and is therefore immune.
A proceeding brought in the Supreme
Court yesterday by the State Excise
Department shows that that branch OF
the state government is also active ii
suppressing the sale Of liquor. In the
case Of the Excise Comm ssioner. how
ever, his activity is not altogether q
part OF the official enforcement of the
s-----------