The Washington times., 1923-04-07
British Help to End
Rum Running Raises
Hope Here for Treaty

Impression OF approval and sat
isfaction among prohibition enforce.
ment and other Government Off
ciala met the receipt here today
~ an international News Service
dispatch announcing that dry
ofganixatIo m England had open.
ed q campaign to have the Brit
ian government 0ftar liz c0-ppera.
ton to prevent the violation 0f
American prohibition laws.
The Smuggling into the United
States from Cuba. the Bahamas and
Bermuda AZ liquor originating In
Great Britain has long been q
source Of concern to Prohibition
Commissioner Haynes. with the re-
suit that members Of his staff lock
forward eagarly 70 any effort on
the part ~ British officialdom 20
asaist IN putting . stop 70 runa.run-
ming along the Atlantic coaat.
Official figures IN the possession
OF the prohibition bureau show that
500 500 gallons of high-prO0f Irish
and English wlaiskey were imported
coast IN 1912. This ID double the
amount received In these outlying
territories In 1871. and twenty times
the 1918 total. Most Of this liquor.
according to prohibition officials,
finds Its way into the United States.
Falls to Get Agreement.
Efforts of the State Department
to secure any agreement with Great
Britain In the past to assist In
putting q stop to illegal trnp0rta.
tons have been unsuccessful, hut
officials Of the prohibition unit, on
the basis OF the new drive opened
In England, were Of the opinion
that the attitude OF the British
government might undergo .
change.
The extension Of the present three
mile limit to twelve miles by nego-
tiation was attempted by Secretary
OF State Hughes, but the British
and Canadian governments declined
20 accept the proposal of the United
States.
dry leaders that rum ships would
have a more difficult time landing
their cargoes on the Atlantic sea-
board IL they would become subject
to the national prohibition act as
soon as they appeared within twelve
miles OF the coast.
INO1N A9lAt44A1 hOWUN&IH AtAOtIkGA
this Government that British ship.
American laws within the three.
mile limit. but that any extension
would not be favored.
willing to Negotiate Treaty.
President Harding and Secretary
Hughes would be willing to enter
into treaty arrangements with
foreign governments to aid the en-
foFcement of the Volstead act, but
the rejection Of the twelve-mile- limit
proposal would cause this Govern
ment to hesitate in suggesting an
international agreement to keep
foreign nations from breaking the
dry law.
Secretary Hughes now has under
consideration a protest from the
Canadian government, forwarded by
Sir Auckland Geddes. the British
ambassador, against restrictions i'm
posed by the Shipping Board In
selling vessels to foreigners. In
its contract Of sale, the Shipping
Board makes the buyers promise
not to engage in the rum-running
trade with the United States, but
Canada declares that the United
States has no right under interna'
tional law to extend it's own laws
to the high seas by private agree
ment.
At the headquarters of the Arneri-
can Anti.Saloon League, 1t was
stated that the organization heart
lily approved of the plan Of the
United Kingdom Alliance. believing
that it opened the way for greater
cooperation between the two gov
ernments in aiding the enforcement
uroblem In this country.