Evening star., 1924-05-04

(COntInued from flrSt fdSe,l
yond the three e-mile limit. In a calm
this schooner, without her auxiliary
engines, may make two or three
knots an hour. Driven by stlH
breeze. with her auxiliary engine
Kicking away, she may make eight
or ten knots on Il calm night in
June this schooner. with her auxiliary
engine out of commission and an
chored five miles off the coast. may
b. outside the jurisdiction OF the
I nited States as set by the rum
treaty On u windy night in March.
anchored at the same distance from
the coast. she may come within the
Jurisdiction of the customs ofhcialS,
who will declare that with her sans
set and her engine going she could
easily make the coast within an hour.
Eut suppose she anchors htteen
miles from shore and there awaits
the coming of Il fast motor BOAT 10
take her cargo ashore. Fast motor
boats can make fifteen knots an honr
easily. Therefore, under the terms on
tho treaty the schooner may be
boarded, searched and perhaps selzed
# il can be shown that she was un-
leading her cargo into Doat thal
makes fifteen knots an hour. BUT uh-
less the motor boat is caught along
side. the schooner. how will anybody
ever prove that this particular
s>c boomer was unloading her cargo
into a. motor boat which is capao ole OF
making fifteen knots an hour'
Vessels Anchor Far Ont.
Those who are familiar with the
habit of vessels in Rum Row" do not
believe revenue agents will have an
opnortunity to board many of them
even after the treaty becomes et-
fective For Rum Row will mercy
get under way and sail or steam ten or
fifteen or even twenty miles out TO
sea, and drop anchor there. There
are cases now where rum fleets are
anchored as far out as twenty-five
miles from shore. There's nothing
+, prevent them from going ten miles
farther out to sea, and as few yes
sells in the rum-running trade can
make thirty-two miles an hour, they
are immune from search and seizure
under the rum treaty. mere
enough demand and profit IN the
hootleg trade to make 1t practical lot
rim ships to anchor thirty ana even
fGrtv miles out to sea, and, while
this will add to the hazards of rum
running. it is believed there Will be
little decrease in the number OF yes
sells engaged in the trade.
But the rum treaty goes luItnei
nan TO designate the one-hour-from-
Ire limit. and allows ships under
the British flag to carry liquor Hsteo
as sea stores or carried as cargo illLo
The territorial limits of the CnlIeu
states, provided the liquor Is KEEP
antinuouslv under seal while the
SasseI is within those limits. There
- nothing particularly dithcult nor
,nyscterious about a goVernment seal,
however A seal may be maze IN the
rourse of an hour or so. DouollnS
Tbomases among sailor folk are uh
LIe IN understand what is to prevent
wiIy skipper from sailing ms snip
ito mort with his cargo OF llquor
under seal. as allowed unueT ihe
traaty. tie up to a dock, and, during
h;S stay in port, unload part of his
largo to willing and crafty pur-
chasers ashore. After that, hfteen or
t.,anty minutes work will be suth-
'.iant for the skipper to seal up the
linuor again and sail merrily away
See Greater Difficulties.
Aside from the fact that the treaty
discriminates against American pas
senger-carrying vessels in favor Oh
british vessels, this provision OF the
treaty which allows foreign ships 10
come into port with liquor under seal
is the main cause for worry to those
iptrusted with the task of enforcing
the prohibition and customs regula-
.;ons. They are frank in their pre-
ACTIONS tEat this will increase the
ANTIQUITIES rnder which they are now
Iaboring and make the smuggling Oh
liauor ashore much easier
But those intrusted with the duty
of enforcing the prohibition laws
along the coast realize that the rum
treaty was the most available ex-
pedient out of an embarra ssing sit
nation, and that there must nave
been something Smattering of a gem
tlemen's agreement between the con-
tracing parties which will make
the treaty more effective than it
seems on paper. For instance, when
n ship is anchored in Rum Row"
and is known to he sending liquor
ashore. rough and ready Yankee sea-
men charged with preventing Snug