The Washington times., 1923-11-10


ness 1UGs surveyed by 81. De WIN
ton Wigley, British investigGtOT,
and author of these articles eg-
ctusiveIy appearing IN The Wash
tpgton Times.
BY FL. De WINTON WIGLEY,
Special Investigator for London
Daily News.
copyright, 1923. by Cosmopolitan
News Service.)
One morning my footsteps took
me behind the scenes in Nassau.
/ found myself looking into the
yard at the rear of a liquor shop.
It was day of pitiless heat, but
working without shade of any de-
scription was a gang of negroes
and negresses engaged in packing
whisky.
One side was dump of whisky
cases, which were being rapidly
broken open by one group of
workers. The bottless were takeE
out by another group and tied to-
gether in triangular bundles.
bUHU1SS S6McUs
On the far side of the yard =
number of women were cutting
canvas into lengths, while their
companions were sewing each
bundle of bottles, sack-like. into the
strips.
This form of packing makes the
whiskey easier to handle, and IN
abIes the cargo room aboard to he
aod Il
able to take a photograph of thus
business which went on to the ac-
compartment of choruses by The
colored folk. All the liquor was
put aboard rum-runners and a few
days later was peddled off the New
Jersey coast.
A Nassau woman told me that it
was difficult to getsaa SnegTess for
domestic work since there had been
opportunities for tkemsto take part
In the Whiskey sacking. The whole
island is 2 vast whiskey store-a
wholesale liquor house.
Air 0H Innocence.
During my stay in Nassau the
air of innocence that it wore al-
ways impressed me. Life went on
just as might be expected in any
tropical island port. Nearly every
day crowds of negroes gathered
around the big assortment Of
sponges laid on palm leaves near
the harbor, carts rumbled up and
down Bay street, sailing ships ar
rived and dropped anchor idly Off
the harbor square. and the Dig
bank seemed to be crowded with
was open.
A visitor could not fail to come
to the conclusion that the place
was full Of industry, and that the
population was prosperous and
happy.
But the visitor would not easily
learn much about the inner secrets
Of the trade which had transformed
the island, except for ordinary gen.
eralities he would hear very little.
Only when the shippers and the
traders have concluded that you are
a pretty regular guy" and per-
fectly harmless will they talk.
Early Profits Big.
Nassau has imported from Brit
ain and sold to bootleggers count
less of thousands of cases. Earlier
in the short history of this extra
ordinary trade the profits were
far larger. l heard that as much
as 5000 had been known as the
price of a case of whiskey.
And there is every evidence of
It. 1 have driven around the
island with a young mana Nassau
liquor dealer-in his sumptuous
motor car, and l have been present
ut wild nights in one of the hotels.
Some time ago the Bahamas gov
ernment levied a tax of twenty
four shillings on each case OF
Whiskey brought into the islands.
This, of course, increased the price
to the bootleggers and trade began
to suffer.
Competition Was Stiff.
st. Perre, the French Island off
the coast of Newfoundland, had a
much smaller duty and Nassau trad
ers found that the competition
from that quarter .and from the
ships going direct to the New
Jersey coast from Glasgow and
London was too much for them.
They clamoured for a reduction in
the duty, and a short time ago it
was haived and now stands at
Twelve shillings a case of twelve
bottles.
l inquired the average costs IF
buying, handling and selling a case
Of whiskey.
Up to the time we sell a case"
sdid an American dealer, eft costs
US something like $50. We sell
perhaps at $40 to $40.
america knows nearly all there is
~, ~ know OF what goes on in Nassau.
Inc authorities are constantly in
receipt of confidential reports.
CargOes Can Be Insured.
Ihe trade has all sorts of ramifi-
catlons There is an underwriting
scneme and the underwriters fee
Is 5s a case.
CaFgoes are insured in the normal
way, and the whole trade is run on
mes similar to any other big ex-
port business. But the heads of the
rlng never come out into the lime
nsht. The actual transactions are
0tten carried out by second, third or
sven fourth parties. There are of.