The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-29

gagged in river naulfng, selling or trucking beer and whisky. Ere to mouth that the law is in" This means that officials are near. Every wheel of the illegal liquor ma chine stops almost instantly. No boats set out; no boats run in. Unloading ceases, truck haulings are suspended, all deals are temporarily off. It IS a good system, but it does not always work, for arrests and convictions are frequent.
 There are patrol boats cn the river doing very effective work, but so do the beer runners have their scouts. One small speed boat manned by a single clear-eyed spy, is to be seen almost any time of the day or nlght scurrying along the short and giving the alarm with signal flag when he sees the officers in their power launch. Many a berating he has re- ceived from the prohibition agents, who lay in wait tO seize liquor boats visible across the river ready to make their dash to the American side. But he scoots saucily away, waving his hand IS he goes.
 The river rumor is that both this beat and the lookout on the island are maintained by Canadian brewery interests
 It is also reported that the brew cries have standing agreement to replace any consignment of beer winch Is seized by the authorities. They will not pay for the boat, how ever, should 1t be confiscated. Loss of the boat Is usually the most se- we're form of punishment, for the fine ordinarily can be absorbed in long range from $500 to S2,5o0.
 Canadian police and liuuor en- forcement Officials cooperate in many ways, but their effectiveness is limited in view of the necessity for catching booze runners in the act. The cooperation works both ways, but the Canadian authorities have a small task in preventing in- flow of American made moonshine to Canada.
 Roadhouses and resorts along Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair river aisC are receiving points for Can adian beer and whisky, which is hauled southward by automobile to Detroit and Toledo, and westward into Michigan.
 Boats On the Great Lakes.
 The beer and whisky traffic on the lakes is conducted mainly by power boats ranging upward from so feet In length. Some make Pelee Island, across Lake Erie from San dusky, a base of operations and run their cargGes into Toledo, Sandusky, Lorain and Cleveland. Most of this traffic is not regular or well organ ized, but Is conducted on special or ders, 50 or 100 cases of whisky or beer being delivered at a time.
 Around Buffalo and Niagara Falls the conditions have some points of similarity tC those at Detroit, but the physical facilities for avoiding detection are not so good as in the Detroit region.
 In all operations on the lakes the enforcement officials are hampered by a lack of sufficient speed boats and men, but they have done won ders during the past year in drying up the sources Of supply. They make rum running increa singly hazardous and therefore progressively less profitable
 From Montreal down the excellent highways of lower Quebec and upper New York the motor rum runners ply their trade systematically, but against growing menace of govern ment authorities. Montreal Is wet and liquor Is easy obtainable. Boot leggers take their cars into Canada usually by one road, paying the ad- mission fee of $5 UT more. but check out by another road, forfeiting the deposit and covering up the trail Thus Canadian automobile records show annually the entrance of thou sands of cars which apparently never leave the country. Or, to be more exact. the same car may enter re- peatedly, but so far as the records go it comes back without ever hay ing left.
 Large orders for liquor are placed with distilleries for export to the United States. Payment is made or the spot and the deal is closed. Ex- port papers are made out. A motor car or truck is loaded. and departs southward with its load of intoxi- cants for illegal sale in the United States. It may get caught and il may get through. A constantly de- creasing number Is getting through
 An agent is lying sin wait by the roadside near bridge. Down the highway pounds big touring car miles an hour or more. The agent moves his car into the middle of the road. and gets out to examine a tire The big oncoming car draws uI short because it cannot get past The agent gives the car the "once over" It looks like a liquor car but 1t isn't and 1t goes on it's way
 
 his car back in the roadside.
 But neither the officer nor tho driver of the suspected car are fooled The officer knows that the car prob. ably is the pilot for "a train of liquor. bearing automobiles or trucks follow ing safe distance behind. Tn driver of the pilot car knows that here is a good lurking place for | government agent, and so do th> drivers behind. So when he fails t. return promptly to them, they know there is danger ahead, and they wal or hide. Had the pilot car returned to report clear track ahead the, would have proceeded.
 The driver of the load of liuuor when caught in this manner usuall- will try to escape on foot He ma, | get away into the woods, or a swamp and though he has lost his car an
 his contraband, he has avoided hi penalty.
 Many booze runners in this Cana dian trade carry women companions
 well dressed fine looking women and pretend to be touring for pleas ure. Some of the Canadian liouol brought down by these northerr | roads reaches New York and som, serve the bootleggers markets of tn, Hudson river ana Lake Champlail territory. Much also goes to adul terate synthetic liquor made in tn, United States.
 There is another class of rum run ner who operates from New Yorl city to Plattsburg, N. Y. or som, other point near the Canadian bord CT in his own automobile, and ther, negotiate for a load of whisky witt ! bootlegger along the border. Som, | runners. drive their own cars to ; point near the border, and there the, | hire professional drivers who are 1 familiar with all the roads and th. | police traps, to drive the cars acros, the boundary to their Canadian des tinations. The professional drive, is well paid.
 Customs, prohibition, immigration and other authorities cooperate wei