The New York herald., 1922-08-27

when the British Columbia liquor board
took charge IL was annunoced that the
death knell OF the bootlegger had been
sounded. Perhaps il has been, even
though you would find many well in
formed individuals on the coast eager
to tell you that the bootlegger. IL dead.
Is a lively corpse.
But II you speak Of 'iegalized boot
Logging" much Of the harshness OF the
phrase is removed,> and the term may
fttingly describe this new development
of international whisky running which
has its origin In British Columbia's s
Government warehouses and terminates
so far as the public is supposed to know.
on the bleak coast OF California or
Mexico.
whisky Is Jettisoned.
The Lady Mine is schooner which
saw her best days when seal hunting in
Alaskan waters was legalized. She
was a fast sailing. graceful craft In
those days--queen OF Vctoria's sealing
fleet She made money for her owners
and then. when the pelagtc sealing
treaty was signed and seal hunting was
banned except TO the Indians. the Lady
Mine rested idle at anchor for years,
She IS not so sound as she used TO be,
ana When s0e was put INTO S'i'tpt3SlSt
again to carry booze from British
Columbia to Mexico it was not an en-
tirely unnatural thing that she should
fall victim TO gale and run ashore.
The skipper later reported that the
cargo had been jettisoped---that Is TO
say, thrown overheard. Perhaps that
wasn't quite so natural. Members OF
the crew. disgruntled because Of alleged
bad treatment, told about the sudden
appearance off the coast OF Mexico OF
another vessel which obligingly took
over the whisky cargo. That wasn't so
natural, either nor was the removal OF
the Lady Mines inasts to make her ap-
pear weather splashed, and that incident
also was included in the crews narra-
tive.
If the case of the Lady Mine was iso-
lated, no one would give the matter a
second thought, but there have been
other happenings almost identical, The
theory advanced--only theory--is that
perhaps the cargo wasn't really intended
for Mexico at all. and that IL was meant
for the parched throats OF wealthy south
ern Californians. 1t isn't an entirely
lame theory, either because Mexico
never used to import liquor from Canada
till few months ago for the simple rea-
son that Mexico could get it Just as
cheaply from other sources.
Not Fond of Scotch.
Mexicans were never known to be
strikingly fond OF Scotch whisky. either,
and Scotch Is always one of the biggest
items in these cargoes which leave Brit
ish Columbia under Government sane
tion and arrive---no one seems to know
exactly where. Referring back TO the
Lady Mine again, when the vessel
reached Mexico in q badly battered con-
dItion--the press dispatches said it--a
friend of one of the men on board gave
out the intelligence that he had received
a letter, saying that the expedition had
been so successful that it would be pos
sible to cruise the southern seas for
months in idle luxury. More mystery!
WHY should we worry?" ask the Gus
toms men The owners go through the
proper procedure. II the boat complies
with regulations laid down by the de-
partment we give her clearance"
After all, why should they concern
Mexican border? Wet goods destined
for Mexico can be shipped in bond. with
out duty being paid, so long as the Cam
adam export charges are settled
A so-called Liquor Export Association
was recently organized in Vancouver to
handle liquor exports in legitimate
way, the object being to increase the
PROVINCES revenue by the agency created
by the export clauses of the Govern
ment control act. Officials of the as
sociation are protesting about this
bonded shipment business.