Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-12-01
CITES Indifference
NAVY YARD OFFICIALS
NEARBY WET AREA

charge that serious violations of the
federal prohibition laws are taking
place daily in the Immediate vicinity"
of the Boston navy yard was made in
statement issued tonight by Mrs
Jeanette H. Mann. national organizer
| and treasurer Of the Women's Chris
tian, Temperance Union. Conditions ex-
listing there have been brought to the
attention of officials of the navy yard,
Mrs. Mann said. but complaints have
been met only with IAN attitude Of in
difference" on their part
AS the result of a personal investi-
cation at Charlestown, Mrs. Mann de-
clared that she found much evidence
of extensive sale of liquor, some of
such a poor quality that the sailors
had come to term it block and fall
because If one took drink he could
go block before he would fall"
At the Army and Navy Y. NJ. C. A.
near the navy yard, Mrs. Mann stated,
that she saw "a 19-year-old youth
from one of the battle cruisers who
was in a pitiful state of intoxication,
and another sailor who had been very
near death that day from the effects
of poison liquor" whose life had been
saved "only through prompt and earn
| est effort on the part of the Y. M. C..
A workers"
zone sailor Mrs. Mann added,
pointed out to me several places
where he said liquor was sold. and he
told me that, there had been IA deaths
in three months time on the battle
ship where he was stationed"
Mrs. Mann declared that she then
attempted to visit the commandant of
the yard to inform him of conditions,
but was prevented from doing so by
his aide, who told me they were not
concerned with matters outside the
yard"
He said It was up to the city and
state to attend to them" Mrs. Mann
continued. land he appeared to think
that nothing effective could be done to
stop liquor selling"
In the statement Mrs. Mann referred
to an address on the same subject she
delivered September II at Poughkeep-
sic, N. Y, and declared she had been
misquoted as saying that Officers at
the Charlestown navy yard have con-
cealed sailors deaths by bootleg
whisky so that their own supply
would not be stopped" and that "the
officers did not want tho bootleggers
stopped"
This statement is entirely incor-
rect" she said tonight. land has caus-
ed much unpleasant publicity. 1t also
brought several threats against the
life of her son. Corporal Horace e.
,, Mann, who is stationed at the Charles
town navy yard. Mrs. Mann asserted.
Admiral Andrews Answers
Boston, Nov 30.-(AP)-The off,
Gals at the Boston navy yard have
not been told Of serious violations of
the prohibition law near the yard, and
If they were their attitude would be
far from indifferent" Rear Admiral
Philip Andrews. commanding the first
naval district. said tonight on learn
ing of charges made in New York by
Mrs. Jeanette H. Mann of the Wom-
ems Christian Temperance Union.
I'VE should be very glad to know
more of this Admiral Andrews said.
and I hope we shall hear further
from Mrs. Mann. 1t Is common knowl-
edge that it is an easy matter to OBJ
tain liquor outside the navy yard, but
/ we have not been asked to investigate
and if we were out attitude would be
far from Indifferent. suggest that
the civil authorities in charge of the
districts in question are the ones most
closely concerned, and If these things
are true they shoul I certainly be asked
to look into and remedy the condi-
tions.' o..