The New York herald., 1922-12-12
CANADIAN VILLAGE
| LIQUOR CURB MART
| FOR U. S. SMUGCLERS
Valleyfield, Que, Is Busy
Center for Winter Traf-
Ticking in Liquors.
JOBBERS USE SLEIGHS
Runners Secure Goods for
Smuggling Buyers at
20 Cents a Bottle.
CLERKS OvERWORKED
Border Crossings Guarded in
Loose Fashion by Small
CLERKS OVERWORKED
Border Crossings Guarded in
Loose Fashion by Small
Dry Force.

Special DtSpuIch TO IHE NEW ioRk tfEALD.
VALLEyFIELp, Que, Dec. 1.-The
zero breeze snaps out of St. Francis
Bay, driving clouds of thin snow
through the streets Of vaIleyfeld. 1t
is 5 o'clock in the morning and the
village appears deserted. At o'clock
there is sudden activity. Hundreds Of
men hurry from their one story
French cottages and. clad in rough
bear skin coats, with fur caps to their
chins. all hurry, heads down against
the gale, In the same direction. They
gather in front of two stores one block
apart with cream colored fronts. in
the main street, on the banks of the
canal.
The curb market" is open for the
day. Half a dozen big red sleighs of
the old fashioned French Canadian
type dash up with bells ringing and
form in line on the banks of the canal
across the street from the stores The
drivers hurry over to the market"
holding thick rolls of SIS bills in. their
hands and the trading in stock" be-
gins.
This stock is the Scotch and rye
whisky. brandy and champagne and all
other brands of liquor being sold by the
Quebec Provincial Commission to the
Canadian and American bootleggers to
be smuggled across the border line for
New York's consumption. 1t Is a daily
operation here. In Montreal and dozen
degree and is one of the most amazing
spectacles that has grown out OF pro-
hibition.
"One Bottle Law" Changed.
Quebec has established law that one
The law originally was that one bottle
could be sold each day to n person. but
that Killed the business. The liquor
could not be put out fast enough and 1t
was changed to one bottle "at time"
That makes the market and established
the alibi for the Government.
Count up any hour of the day and
there are from fifty to two hundred men
in front of each of the liquor stores.
For the most part they are old men.
They are paid twenty cents a bottle for
buying one at time and during the
day can procure six, ten, perhaps fifteen
bottles II the market Is good. These
Luyers average 81 to 81 a day.
The wages In the cotton and paper
mills run as high as $3.50 day. And
the work on the curb" Is much easier
and cleaner excepting when the weather
Is bad. The, curb" is a life saver to
hundreds OF men who are too old to
work. but not too aged to carry whisky
fifty feet for twenty cents a bottle.
A "jobber," az the Canadian bootlegger
is called. has an order. say. from his
American bootiegger client for twenty
Ave cases to be delivered tonight at
their fixed meeting place. That is a
small order and the jobber won't bother
to get 1t out In cases.
"Runners" Buy Liquor.
He drives up to the market in his
sleigh He has 800 five dollar bills with
him. To each of the runners he passes a
bill and the runner goes into the Gov
ernment store and returns with one
bottle. The 'jobber and his helper re-
ceive the bottles as fast as they are
brought out. As soon as he has an
armful he carries them to the sleigh,
where they are stacked In rows like
cordwood. not in cases. 1t takes the
jobber perhaps AN hour TO get his 400
bottles. Then off he goes with the load
toward the border. No questions are
asked. The store officials in charge
know where the booze Is going. Their
business Is to sell. that's all. The next
a..
sleigh. and $50 the procession goes on all
day.
The valleyfield stores are the busiest
In the whole province and are making
the most money for the Government.
They were sighted recently in Parlia-
mont by the opposition when It was
stated that whisky was being sold here
at the rat- OF nearly two bottles a min
ute. 1t is estimated that tho local con-
sumption is perhaps $3.50 worth OF