The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-19
TRAFFIC is ENORMOUS
Few U. s. Agents Unable to
Cope With Thousands in
Rings Of Violators.
BOYD CANNOT STOP LEAKS
Drys to Appeal to Albany for
State Albright Fore
seen in Congress.

Eight months of national prohibit
ton has failed to cut down New
Yorls's whiskey drinking. The grocery
counter has been substituted for the
mahogany bar, and the barber and
bell boy are doing the work OF the
bartender Of other days. Prohibition
as it is now enforced is not prohibit
ing; there ia merely a new phase OF
the liquor traffic..
Federal agents. who are trying with
out much success to enforce the liquor
laws, and the drys, who are forever on
the warpath against the Demon Rum,
give it as their conviction that up to
date national prohibition-at least.
in this State-is almost complete
failure.
Careful investigation made by THE
New YORK HERALD has developed the
fact that liquor traHicking is being car
ried on in the metropolis to an extent
that is amazing. Officials admit 1t and
declare they cannot stop 1t. Bootleg
ging and smuggling are organized mod
ern industries and on scale which
makes the romantic moonshining. OF q
decade ago appear almost ludicrous
The news of raids here and there
which comes almost daily to the atten-
ton of the public relating how few
barrels of whiskey were seized are tri-
fling Incidents which indicate the tre-
mendous steady run Of the new BUSH
ness. Streams of Illicit whiskey are
pouring into the city daily, and no way
has yet been found to dam them.
Getting Rich mt BootleEging.
1t is the estimate of Federal agents
who have been trailing bootleggers for
months that there are upward of 5000
wet spots In New York where whiskey
is being served daily It Is estimated
further that thousands of men are boot
logging as a business and are getting
rich at 1t. No one doubts or denies
that scores of saloons and restaurants
are selling whiskey; Federal agents will
tell you there are little dingy shops
sprinkled all over the city where liquor
In sold daily.
All that is necessary to get liquor Is
for one to be known. That is the whole
secret of this new phase of the rum
traffic The troubles experienced In the
early days OF prohibition have disap-
peared largely for the professional
drinker. He has found his regular place
where he Is known; where the pro-
prietor Is positive the sale can be made
without fear of detection. The dealer
and the customer have become equally
cautious and are equally anxious to
protect each other. That makes the task
OF the law enforcers. who must have the
evidence OF an actual sale before they
can take action. next TO an impossible
thing TO accomplish.
Dry leaders recognize they have a
long hard fight ahead before anything
like prohibition is realized here and are
getting ready for the battle. The Anti
Saloon League will renew It's demand
that the next Legislature indorse the
Volstead law and Albany will witness
another conflict between the vets and
drys on that subject. Enforcement here
is practically out of the question until
the power of the. State Is brought to
bear TO aid the Federal Government, and
that will not come about until the State
adopts the Federal law
Three Sources OF supply.
There are three sources of supply for
the New York market at present as fol-
lows:
The bond whiskey released from
warehouses on permits for medicinal
and commercial uses and diverted
by series of cunning tricks to the
public. This constitutes large
part of the daily supply.
The struggled whiskey which Is
being brought over In large guam
titles from Canada daily by runners.
The Illicit moonshine whiskey
manufactured in the city in dark
cellars, shacks and nearby places.
There are almost unlimited quanti-
ties Of this stuff. 1t Is being sold
daily in refilled bottles bearing coun-
terfeit Government stamps.
The bond and struggled whskey are
fairly good in quality, about like the
average bar whiskey OF former days.
Tho moonshine is bad, but II is not
dangerous TO drink. All three grades
bring about the same price, which Is
from 81 to SIS a pint.
The obvious question is that IL the
Federal officials know these facts /.
know the source OF supply and how the
business is being conducted why do they
not put n stop to 1t at once?
Let Frank Boyd. prohibition enforce
rent officer for this state. answer.
1--WE have 200 enforcement officers in
this State" says Mr.. Boyd THE Fed
Grail Governments appropriation for en-
fcrcement Of the Volstead act IL IS, 00O,-
coo. We have twenty men TO cover the
81. Lawrence River front and another
twenty to guard all of Lake Erie. II
would take the entire First Division to
begin to patrol this States water front
ard end smuggling. We have 10 en-
fcrcement agents In New York. There
arc something like 10000 policemen In
New York city and yet they are not able
o. stop burglaries and robberles with
tne undivided support of the city. Yet
10 men are trying TO enforce the liquor
law, which II appears most of the town
docs not care much for"
whiskey Withdrawals Enormous.
There were $4,000, 900 gallons Of wh,s-
key in bond when national prohibition
became effective. Twcnty-four million
srilons have been released In the last
cxfit months. The average Withdrawals
for the last few months have been close
to 100000 month.
The process Is simple. The Wholesale
dealer gets n permit IN the regular way
for withdrawal Of any amount he wishes.
from Ave to fifty or more barrels He
declares Il Is for medicinal purposes or
tho manufacture OF non-beverage arti-
cles such as toilet water. all kinds OF
drugs and n thousand other things.
This wholesaler may sell to another
wholesaler. There may be half a dozen
transactions with the one withdrawal.
Then finally n wholesale dealer sells 10
a dozen OF fifty customers
Somewhere along the line after the
arst withdrawal the alcohol 10 diverted