Evening star., 1925-04-03
NEW LIQUOR ship
PENALTY |SURGED
Mrs. WiilebranLt Wants Law
for Small Craft Beyond
Three-MiIe Limit.

Virtually every angle of prohibit
tion enforcement was delyed into yes
terday by the Senate com mittee in
vestigating the Internal Revenue Bu-
reau. getting the viewpoint of both
the bureau and the Department of
Justice on needed remedies, before
adjourning its sessions for a month.
The committee, in again hearing
Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt, AS
sistant Attorney General in charge
of prohibition enforcement work, was
carried into some of the technicali-
ties of law that are making life hard
for the new Coast Guard rum patrol,
and at the same time, she said, too
easy for vessels that are seized for
violations.
Wants Transportation a Crime.
Because small craft under the stip-
ulated fve-ton burden are exempt
from the regulations applying to
large vessels outside the three mile
limit, Mrs. Willebrandt said, "practi-
cally nothing can be done to them
when they are caught with liquor
cargo outside that limit. To remove
present difficulties in taking action
against American ships caught with
liquor outside the three-mile limit,
in view of the Supreme Court deci-
sion that they do not constitute ter
ritory, she urged that Congress make
II a "crime for American vessels to
transport liquor under the American
flag" outside that limit.
With rum row Is or 90 miles on
the coast, the witness said. the only
course open to the Coast Guard is
to watch the American boats that
come out from the shore and get
their cargoes from the parent ships
of foreign registry" II the Coast
Guard waits until they get their
cargoes, she added, lit cannot pos
sibly pursue them into the three-mile
limit because their boats can't match
the speed of the rum runners"
consequently" she continued. the
only thing they can do is to hope
some other craft Will pick them up
when they get back to the three mile
limit. That is like scattering shot;
but if the Coast Guard could lie OFF
rum row and catch our own boats
when they get out there we would
have an effective remedy"
Bonds Alone Forfeited.
Mrs. WilIebrandt also cited an old
admiralty statute by which, under
a substitute bond arrangement, she
said seized vessels are permitted 10
go their way and continue operations
after putting up a bond, which they
get down as low as possible" When
the case comes to trial THE only thing
involved, she said, Is the bond, and
If the Government wins that Is the
only thing forfeited" She recon-
mended that the condition be RENE
died by amendment of the statute.
In the hearing yesterday of both
Mrs. Willebrandt and James ]. Britt.
counsel for the bureau. the committee
also went into the question Of pro-
Cedure in efforts to shut off the large
sources of bootleg liquor. of coop
Grafton between prohibition unit rep
resentatives and district attorneys,
and specifically the record in the
Pennsylvania brewery cases and in
connection with the Industrial permits
of the Fleischmann Co., yeast manu-
facturers.
During the recess of the committee
until May l, when 1t will enter on the
final phase of its investigation. to con-
tinue until the limitation date Of June
l, Chairman Couzens will complete a
study of evidence in the Fleischmsnn
case to determine whether there are
indications of conspiracy to violate
the law. If the evidence warrants. he
plans to lay the whole case before
the full committee for further in
Quiry.