Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-11-17
Treasury Plans Contemplate
Spending s2O,OOO,0O0
for Craft and Men.
20 CRUISING CUTTERS
INCLUDED IN PROGRAM
200 Cabin Motor and 100 Small
Speedboats Also to Be
Bought.

President Coolidge has given his
approval to Treasury plans for ex-
| pansion of the coast guard for pre-
ventton of rum smuggling. The plans
| contemplate expenditure Of $4,000
600 for new craft and additional per-
sonnet.
The President Is expected to men
ton the proposed expansion OF the
service in his forthcoming message
| to Congress 1t has not been deter
mined whether the budget will be re-
opened to include the additional esti-
mate. but assurance has been given
that the appropriation would be asked
early in the new session.
In addition to the S20,000,o00 lump
sum, Congress will be asked for an
appropriation of $6,500,000 for pay
and maintenance of the additional
personnel. 1t is proposed to increasc
from 209 to 353. warrant officers from
396 to TIC and the enlisted personnel
from 4,051 to 1922.
Plan to Buy 320 Vessels.
Out of the $20,000.000 the Treasury
plans to purchase 20 cruising cutters.
costing about $11,000,000: 200 cabin
cruising motor boats at s7,650.000 and
mate cost of 100000.
The craft will be of the fastest type
known to modern motor engineers
and will be designed to stand any
kind of weather.
Treasury officials regard the Allan
tic and gulf coasts as presenting their
most difficult problem in efforts to
stop smuggling, and 1t is assumed
that most of the new craft would be
concentrated on those seaboards.
Plans Tentatively Laid.
Provided the enlarged program for
the coast guard is enacted by Con
gress. plans have already been tenta-
lively laid. 1t was understood today,
to throw a greatly strengthened ring
of these customs enforcement agen-
cies around the entire coast line of
the United States.
Details of the program as to ports
and operations were withheld for the
! moment, but 1t was understood that
| the greatest drive would be made in
| those strategic points where liquor
| has been seeptng most easily past the
inadequate forces Of the coast guard.
The need for the increased facili-
| ties was said to be pressing. because
the present equipment. personnel
and facilities of the coast guard had
been found through practical expe
| rience to be totally inadequate. To
cope with the rum runners who have
been breaking the customs as well as
prohibition laws. many more boats
and increased number of men would
| be absolutely necessary, 1t was point
| ed ont.
Early Smuggling Profitable.
Smuggling in the earlier history of
| the United States has been a highly
| profitable and popular pastime. but
| later on, with the enlargement of
| federal forces, had been driven large
| ly into channels whereby the only
| smuggled goods came in secretly on
larger ships.
With the passage of the Volstead
act, however, and increased demand
| for Illicit goods, the avid smuggler
with his eye on big profits heavily in
the coves along marshy shores and
inlets and other out-of-the-way points
| of admission into this country.
| The coast guard in its proposed
| new program would make no attempt,
| 1t was said. to enforce the Volstead
| act. The only law under which they
/ are authorized to operate is the Gus
| toms law. But they are fully en-
| powered by statute and burdened
| with the responsibility to prevent
| smuggling. So that while the coast
! guard in its new program would be
| driving directly in line with the pro-
hibition unit of the international
| revenue bureau in it's efforts to en-
4 force prohibition the coast guard
| would be well within its authority
| under the customs law.
Exploits OF the coast guard men in
the capture Of rum runners have been
1 revealed only in part, since only a
| few of the captures have been re-
ported officially to the public. But
| the files of the coast guard were
understood today to reveal an
| enormous number of not only or
| binary instances of the capture of
| small vessels attempting to bring In
! Illicit liquor. but of many sanguinary
battles in which much blood was
| spilled.