The New York herald., 1922-12-11
WILD NEW KLONDIKE
LURES BOOTLEGGER
Continued from First Page.


officials have no method Of cooperation.
Take typical case which came to
light here a day or two ago. A $4,000
car was stolen in village just north
of Utica The owner notified the police
and waited. After three days he began
found the theft had not even been re-
ported. A friend who had been a boot
logger and retired with a comfortable
fortune gave the owner tip that the
car probably had been taken to Canada.
The owner employed a member of a
well known Sang to help make the
search and started for the border.
After spending several days in this
vicinity the gangman who was steering
the search reported to the owner that
car could be found. The money was
paid. The car was found hidd under
straw in a barn ten miles from this
village. And the barn was arranged
for scenic effect. The doors were
propped as If the barn were abandoned.
but there was secret entrance, and
when the carefully arranged props were
pulled away the old doors were found
to work very easily on pulleys. In that
instance the owner was able to recover
his car and take 1t back home, and his
loss was confined to his payments to the
bootleggers.
The Canadian Government Is not in
terested in recovering stolen cars. The
revenue officials say frankly 1t Is no
nf hai " Or T1n
stolen. Their interest is only in seizing
cars on which the duty has not been
paid regardless Of who may be the
owner. The Kings law provides that
in case a car has been brought across
the border without payment of duty.
which Is one-half the appraised value.
IT. can be seized for unlawful entry.
Informer Gets Rakeon.
sThe law provides further that when
car Is seized and sold one-half Of the
price obtained goes to the Government
one-quarter to the revenue agent who
made the seizure and one-quarter to the
informer. whoever he may be, on whose
tip the car was seized.
Because of these provisions the Of
ficials in this province naturally are
more interested in seizing a car which
has been smuggled into the country
without payment of duty than in search
ing out stolen cars to be returned to
their rightful owners In the States.
One of the things of which the boot
leggers complain most bitterly is that
their own clan are not loyal to their
trade and will tip the officials to get
the reward offered The tipster is pro-
tected by the Government
Altar the car has heep copdsca ted bv
the Government as smuggled property
it's rightful owner cannot recover ii ex-
cept by paying the price fixed by the
Government. plus the duty. After con-
fiscation nothing can compel the Crown
to release its ownership except the pay
ment of the price fixed by the Govern
ment appraiser. II the automobile is
sold for 81 900 the Government receives
$500, the revenue officer who made the
seizure $3.50 and the informer who
tipped the officer $3.50.
SvindIer Gets Insurance.
Occasionally there Is the man who
drives his own machine into Canada.
sells It for what he can get and hur-
ries home to report the theft Of the car
II he gets away with 1t he recovers the
insurance on the car.
After seizure here the Government
officials advertise that the car Is held,
but that advertising is placed usually in
a small local paper. The owner of the
car in Syracuse. Albany or New York
would have no chance Of knowing about
that advertisement. The situation is
being improved slightly. however. as the
Insurance companies and automobile as
sociations have lecognized the develop
ment of this district as a stolen car
market and are sending agents and de-
tectives here every week 20 carry on the
search for long lists of stolen motors.
The farmers along the back roads.
not the main highways. and especially
down close to the border, are making
good money out OF this combination OF
two businesses. The hayloft or the
stack In the field offers the best hiding
place for the stolen car. 1t also Is the
best place for loading the liquor which
is 10 20 back. When the American boot
logger drives his stolen car to the farm
designated as che meeting place with
the Canadian bootlegger he gets rid Of
tho car and takes his load of whisky In
the second car. driven by his helper.
The farmer gets his both ways-he has
n fee for storing the liquor and for hid
ing the automobile. But he also takes
big risk. for II he is discovered har-
boring smugglod property the penalty is
heavy. A large proportion of the smug-
gled automobiles recovered have been
found stored on farms.