Evening star., 1925-06-12
BOOTLEGGER MAKING LAST STAND
AS SOURCES CLOSE, HAYNES SAYS
Commissioner Reports
Progress at End of
Fourth Year.
Supreme Court Has Help
- ed Situation by
Decisions.
Bx the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Roy A. Haynes yesterday completed
his fourth year as Prohibition Com
missioner and administrator of the
Harrison narcotic act, and he observed
the anniversary with an optimistic
statement of prospects for ultimate
and complete defeat of the rum and
drug bootleggers.
1T has been hard fight" said the
commissioner, who took office Is
months after national prohibition be
came effective, and while many OBJ
stacles to successful enforcement have
been overcome, he found others still
bobbing up to present new hazards.
The big bootleg operator" Mr..
Haynes declared, is making his last
stand as sources of illicit liquor are be-
ing closed to him. Real whisky, wine,
gin and brandy" he said, ARE prac-
tically unobtainable now for beverage
use" Progress in enforcement during
the last four years he described as
"really remarkable. considering the OBJ
stacles which have had to be over
come"
Local Opposition.
"This is a new law" he added, "and
in various localities there is strong
pnnoSition. Therefore, in such locali-
ffeA- '"are local assistance has not
been - en-. of course, conditions are
not yet what they should be. but
everywhere they are so improved over
four years ago that there is almost no
comparison"
Against the inroads of the drug ped
dler whose customers today are esti-
mated at between 900 and $50, 900
addictS, the Government is making
progress, said the commissioner, due
to the strict accountability now re-
quired of importers, manufacturers,
producers and wholesale dealers.
The first 10 months of the current
fiscal year, he continued, saw the ar
rest of some of the biggest wholesale
distributors of smuggled drugs, the
reporting by an augmented force of
1882 more cases than during the
whole of the last fiscal year and the
reduction to a negligible quantity of
diversions from legitimate channels.
Regulations are now being formu-
lated. Mr.. Haynes said, to make more
effective the control over industrial
alcohol, which he admitted was the
most serious problem now faced by
prohibition authorities. He asserted
whisky have been stopped COM
pletely."
"Home Brew" Gone.
provements were the practical disap-
pearance of "home brew" a material
lessening of illegal production and
distribution of full strength Illicit
beer" through strict supervision of
breweries and the scattering of liquor
pirates on rum row by the coast
guard.
Coordination of endorsements agencies
under Assistant Secretary Andrews,
IL; ;,lo e -;
for prohibition agents, adoption of
new State enforcement codes which
permit State officers to handle the
"small fry" and give the Federal Off
GERS a freer hand in dealing with the
liquor rings and big conspiracies were
pointed to as steps toward increased
efficiency in enforcement.
Supreme Court decisions were said
by the commissioner to have sim
plified enforcement difficulties, nota
bly, the decision permitting search of
rum-running autos without Il war
rant and the one holding that Fed
eral agents are civil officers of the
United States empowered to serve
warrants without the aid of State
officials
A total of 163,643 criminal indict-
mentS for prohibition violations were
returned between July l, 1921, and
May 10, 1870, the commissioner SdlQ.
OF those tried 121,65 have resulted
in conviction and of the total indict-
ments 33,762 were returned since
July 1, 1924. For the three-year
period prior to July l, 1924, fines
aggregating S12,425,0S1 were COL
Iected.
Every Weapon Used.
~Every means provided by law is
being used to fight the prohibition
law breakers" the statement con-
tinued. More than 1000 injunction
or paddock cases have been brought
in the Federal courts alone.
"Since July 1, 1921, to May Is, 1925,
a total of SO libels have been filed
against 'breweries,' 140 'breweries'
have been seized. 1873 criminal prose-
cutions instituted, AZ temporary and
"a permanent injunctions granted and
IA paddock orders issued. Offers in
compromise amounting to S3,394,067
have been accepted in settlement of
civil liabilities.
use of the conspiracy indictment
has made possible the prosecution of