Evening star., 1923-08-01

i
the liquors in warehouses, awaiting
future lopments-perhaps action
of Congress.
While none knows what Congress
may do, il has been the hope of many
officials that there may be some sort
of n way out of the embarrassing ship
liquor snarl which Quiets down from
time to time. and then freaks forth
afresh.
So far as known, the seizure yester-
day by the coast guard off Norfolk was
the first since July 3, when a foreign
vessel sacrificed its cargo in New York.
II the liquor should simply be kept
in customs warehouses, without COM
pleton of the forfeiture proceedings be-
fore the court, will there be chance
of Congress ameliorating the severity of
the ship liquor ban-perhaps allowing
foreign vessels to bring in liquor under
seal? And would it then be possible, it
was asked in official circles here today,
for the government to turn back to for
egn owners the liquors seized under
the ship liquor ban?
If the libel cases are not pressed, and
no court order of forfeiture is issued, it
is considered by many official observers
here that it would be manifestly simpler
to return the liquors. in case Congress
should so order.
Dry leaders. however, have been con-
cerned over the matter. and are under
the thousands of gallons of liquors,
seized under the regulations promul-
gated under the now famous Supreme
Court decision on ship liquor.
ATTACKS SMUGGLING PLOT.
Ry the Associated Press.
LONDON, August 1.-The govern
ment was asked In the house of COM
mons today what it was going to do
about the business circular being
distributed in the name of Sir Brod-
rick HartWell. seeking investors in
a project for shipping whisky abroad
Ronald MacNeil, undersecretary
for foreign affairs, answered guard
edly that the whole subject TO which
attention. of the government. But
further than that he declined to say
DR.. William Allen Chapple, member
for Dumfriesshire, who asked the
referred to the hackers of the liquor
scheme as these people who are en-
deavoring to set at defiance the laws
of a friendly nation. DR.; Chapple
more important to preserve friendly
relations with America than that
these people should make money out
of this traffic.
but I'm not in a position at the
present moment to say what steps
we could take. as it is very diff
cult matter to decide"
The circulars describe a plan of
making 20 per cent profit every sixty
days by shipping liquor to what
obviously is toward the American
coast.
CLAIM q. S. PRECEDENT.
BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, August 1.-England has
discovered what is said to be a pre-
cedent established by America herself
which it is claimed here supports the
contention that British ships should
be permitted to enter United States
ports with liquor under seal.
This cropped up in the house OF
commons today In the usual grtst OF
questions and answers concerning
American prohibition. Sir William
Davidson asked Roland McNeill. un-
der secretary of foreign affairs,
whether the attention of that gov
ernment has been called to a dis
patch forwarded by the American
government some years ago to the
Spanish government, which while ad-
mitting the legal right of every ma
tion to prescribe the conditions under
which foreign vessels should be ad
mitted to their ports, laid it down
that these conditions must not con-
flict with we'll known and long es-
tablished usages regulating CONNER
cial intercourse between civilized ma
tions. which could not be violated
without giving just cause of COM
plant to nations whose interest
would be affected by their violation"
Sir William said this dispatch is
quoted in international law and the
under secretary replied that it GER
tainly seemed to afford a precedent
which might be followed. adding that
the adyisab bility of calling the at
tention of the American government
to the matter was receiving con-
sideration.
Members also interested themselves
in the disposition Of the liquor seized,
whether it was destroyed or is being
held until the matter is settled.
II have not myself" replied the
under secretary, taken sufficient
interest in the fate of the liquor to
ascertain"
This evoked cheers and laughter.