The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-04
Treasury Announces Drastic
Supreme Court Decision Will
Be Put into Effect Regard
less OF Foreign Protests
ONLY MEDICINAL BOOZE
EXEMPTED UNDER RULES
Decision Of Supreme Tribunal
Based Fundamentally On
Amendment Itself, Treasury
Office Heads Declare

WASHINGTON, June 3.-The treas
ury tossed on the international door
step tonight its new regulations car
rying out the supreme court decision
barring all beverage liquors from
territorial waters of the United States
after 1901 a. m, June 10. No loop
holes have been left, according to a
treasury spokesman, and the courts
recent construction of the dry law
Will be rigidly applied.
Having failed to find any way by
which conflict with foreign laws
could be avoided, the treasury based
its new ship liquor rules on literal
reading of the courts opinion and
prepared to let come what may. Its
only hope of alleviating a situation,
which most officials agree will be
embarrassing to international COM
merce, was said to lie in remedial
legislation from the next Congress.
Except for the exemption granted
medicinal liquor, the usual immunity
accorded diplomats and the privileges
allowed foreign vessels of war. the
regulations permit of no inboundepas-
sage of alcoholic beverages. Con-
si1eration is given, however, to ships
forced by the extremity of distress to
put into an American harbor But
even such vessels, If they have liQ-
uor aboard. must show that the ne
cessity was grave and the proof
must be convincing" after which
they viii be required to give bond for
faithful observance of the American
dry law.
Opinion Based On Amendment.
Concerning the hope among foreign
maritime powers of relief from what
is regarded as one of the most dras-
tic interpretations ever given by the
supreme court. some treasury Of
ficials felt tonight that Congress
might find way of circumventing
the import deadline. Others were con-
WINGED that the barred zone was due
to remain until change was made
in the eighteenth amendment.
In this connection it was pointed
out by the latter that the decision
of the supreme court was based
fundamentally on the sweeping pro-
visions of the amendment rather than
on the enforcement act and that the
court held. regardless of whether
liquor for beverage uses was being
imported, its being carried for any
such purpose within the three-mlc
limit constituted transportation
which is specifically forbidden by
the amendment. Legislation to re-
lieve the situation from the foreign
scarcely be other than in contraven-
ton OF the constitution and therefore
invalid.
frOytafOnA VI Regulations.
Specifically the regulations pro-
vide:
No merchant vessel, domestic or
foreign, may lawfully carry as cargo
within the territorial waters of the
United States any liquor for use for
beverage purposes; liquor for nom
beverage purposes may be trans
ported within the territorial waters
of the Tilted States under permit In
accordance with the provisions OF
section SO of regulations so. (medi-
cinal and sacramentaD.
1T is unlawful for any United
States or foreign vessel within the
territorial waters OF the United
states to carry or possess as sea
stores any liquor whatsoever for
beverage USE
AS regards the exemptions &C.
corded, the regulations have set down
restrictions that require permits and
reports of a character and quantity
sufficient to give the government a
complete check on all liquor thus
brought into the barred zone or
landed on American soil. Provision
has been made, however, that the
seizures directed and the fines al
lowed TO be imposed may not apply to
vessels which have left a foreign
port prior to June 10 and which reach
a port of the United States after
the ban is operative.
Medicinal Liquor Allowance.
No limitation is prescribed for the
amount of medicinal liquor which any
craft may possess in American
waters, the regulations stating only
that a reasonable" quantity may be
retained for such nom beverage pur-
poses until the master of the vessel
has had "a fair opportunity to obtain
either a permit or certificate of
medicinal need. The permits or GER
tificate which may be had from
medical officers of the public health
service expire at the end of the wear
In which they are supplied, unless
they are dated subsequent to Septem-
Der l when they are valid until the
end of the succeeding year.
The regulations, treasury officials
explained, place many duties on the
medical officers of the federal health
service in connection with the evident
intention of compelling strict adher-
ence to the dry law with respect to
medicinal liquor. In fact, il was de-
clared. this branch of the govern
ment service will have in its control
after June 10 almost complete super
vision of the use of medicinal liquor
Continued On rage Two