The New York herald., 1922-10-12
WARCRAFT TO Bring
DIPLOMATS LIQUOR
Foreign Army and Navy
Vessels Are Exempt
From Seizure.
PERMIT FOR TRANSFER
Shipping Board Officials
Believe Alien Craft Will
Escape Ban.
DRY NOTICES PREPARED
Mellon to Sign Forms To-day
Announcing Forthcoming
Regulations.
DRY NOTICES PREPARED
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.

Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald bureau.
Washington. ID. c.. Oct. IL. 4
Another step toward enforcing the
ship liquor ruling of Attorney-Gen-
eral Daugherty was taken to-day when
Prohibition Commissioner Haynes sent
to the Treasury Department official
forms to be transmitted to every
agency of the Government notifying
them of the forthcoming issue of new
regulations.
The form will be signed by Secretary
Mellon early tomorrow and sent all
over the country. 1t is merely noti-
fication of the application of the
Daugherty ruling to all American pri-
vately owned ships on and after Octo-
Der Is and to all foreign ships within
American territorial waters on the
same date.
Commissioner Haynes expects that
the new regulations under the Daugh-
erty opinion covering every phase of
the problem will be ready by that date.
At the same time Treasury officials
who are drafting the regulations ad-
NIT that the task is one which may
well require more time than Is at
forded by the "curfew call" date tenta-
lively fixed. Unless the new regula-
tions are ready on the date specified it
is indicated that enforcement officials
will remain within the bounds Of exist
ing regulations. -
Embarrassing Point Cleared.
One Of the embarrassing aspects of
the new ruling from the International
standpoint was cleared up to-day when
II became known that liquor supplies of
embassies and legations gan be procured
without conflict with the ruling Of the
Attorney General. British warship
flying the Union Jack and carrying all
! sorts of intoxicating beverages for the
! embassy here or for the private use of
! Ambassador Geddes can steam up to
Annapolis or Washington. transfer the
| liquor to a motor car with the British
coat Of arms and send it TO the embassy
| on Connecticut avenue. A vessel belong
ing to the French navy or army. flying
the French flag, can transfer liquor at
an American port to French embassy
conveyance and send II to the embassy
on Sixteenth street. Other nations can
work it the same way.
The transfer, il was stated. must be
made under permit issued by the
United States Government, but there will
be no trouble about that. The sum and
| substance of the situation as 1. affects
diplomatic missions In America Is that
| foreign army and naval vessels are not
subject to seizure. the barring of liquor
not applying to them under the accepted
Interpretation of international law.
At present foreign missions get their
liquor supplies from warehouses where
they had II stored or from ships direct
| from their respective countries.
Rumors CpIled Unfounded.
Rumors current to-day to the effect
that regulations had been sent to the
Secretary of the Treasury providing for
seizure Of any American ship found with
liquor on board were declared by Com
missioner Haynes to be without founda-
tion.
"Our legal department" he said, 'fs
preparing rules and regulations which
will be promulgated by the Secretary of
the Treasury as a result of the decision
OF the Attorney-General regarding the
presence of intoxicating liquor on both
American and foreign ships
so far as foreign ships within the
three mile limit and having liquor ln
their possession are concerned, the limit
was fixed by the President as OF October
IL. Before that time the regulations fof
the use OF customs and internal revenue
officials will have been made public and
then our officers will be guided accord.
ingly. But no orders TO seize American
ships In possession of liquor have been
issued from this bureau. We do not
intend to take any hasty action"
Officials of the United States Shipping
Board are firmly convinced that the
Daugherty ruling never will reach the
stage of binding foreign vessels The
indications now are that foreign shipping
companies will take the initiative and
Geek an Injunction. Irrespective of the
| form OF protest that comes from foreign
Governments II Is believed that such
an injunction will keep the bars of for.
eign flag ships open pending the issue
OF diplomatic representations or final
ruling from the Supreme Court.
Some foreign countries probably III
proceed on the ground that the applca-
tion of the regulations under the Daugh-
T ferty ruling conflicts with sections Of
commercial treaties with the United
States. This. however Is a question on
which the State Department is silent,
preferring not TO go to meet trouble
before trouble comes. But that IL will
| come is regarded as a certainty. Prob
ably the situation will remain calm untD
the regulations of the prohibition unit OF
the Treasury are actually PUT into force
when interference with the rights OF
foreign ships as heretofore admitted be-
comes an overt ar.
Shipping Board officials. while ad.
mitting the wide latitude for retaliation
that foreign nations can resort 20 as a
last club. believe that this will not be
applied Immediately and that an effort
will be first made by the major Powers
Il, clear the situation through dplo-
matte correspondence.
II Il IL actually the case that the
ruling conflicts with commercial treaties
II amounts TO actual denuncIation OF
these sections of the treaties and in most
treaties a specific period of time Is
required before denunciatlon can be-
c. me effective. Retaliation might come
H. the form of denouncing treaty rights
enjoyed by the United States In foreign
Ifarbors.
Members of Congress here to-day
we're specuiating on the result of the
raugherty decision on tho proposed
ship subsidy measure II was argued
by Democrats and Republicans that II
I uotfld add vofae xUho,, fbo Anal ohovv.