Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-26
Almost 100 Per Cent of
Smuggling Is by Americans,
Euler Declares.
CLEARANCE REGULATION
FOR ALL BOATS is URGED
Dominion Refusal of Sailing Papers
to Liquor Ships Would Be of
Little Effect, He Holds.
BY the Associated Press.

~ tHc hSSOclaLeu FTeSS.
OTTAWA, Ontario July 26-Solu-
ton of the problem of liquor smuggled
from Canada into the United States. in
the opinion of W. D. Euler, minister of
national revenue, rests entirely with the
American Government.
Declaring that virtually 100 per cent
OF the Smuggling is by United States
citizens in United States boats, he sug-
gested, in statement published today,
that the most effective means of COM
batting the situation would be adopted
by the American Government of clear
ance regulations for all boats leaving
the United States shores.
Canada Ready to Cooperate"
If this were done, the Canadian gov
ernment would be quite ready to con-
slider any further reasonable measure
OF cooperation"
IF Canadian citizens and Canadian
boats engaged in the traffic." he said,
"the Canadian government would be
prepared to enact legislation dealing
with the matter, but surely some re-
SponSibility for the actions of their own
citizens rests with the Government of
the United States"
He pointed out that all vessels leav-
ing Canadian ports carrying merchan-
disc including liquor must obtain clear
ances. and that clearance to liquor boats
cannot be refused except by act of
Parliament.
He declared he opposed the ena
ment of such legislation, as it VIC
not stop the smuggling, but me- iy
tend to corrupt Canadians.
U. S. Statistics Are Quoted.
"As a matter of fact" he said, "ac-
cording to evidence from the United
States enforcement officers themselves,
only per cent to per cent of the
liquor in the United States comes from
Canada.
IF prohibition of clearances would
stop this relatively small flow, it would
make little material difference in the
enforcement of prohibition in that
country. But the refusal of clearances
by Canada would not stop the traf1c.
Liquor still could be purchased legal
ly in fairly large quantitiesAin every
liquor store under provincial control.
The large profits probably would tempt
hundreds, and perhaps thousands, OF
Canadian citizens who are not now en-
gagged in the traffic to obtain liquor
from the stores for shipment surrep-
titiously to the United States by truck.
planes and in boats from many places
along the boundry without taking clear
ances.
THUS, our citizens would be corrupt
ed, the traffic would be diffuSed instead
of being concentrated in official and
comparatively few customs ports where
it can Be observed and reasonably con-
trolled. The Canadian law would then
be violated if nquor-laden boats de-
k4l H&x xIAA Tni& kntA vrvif
clearance, and the duty would be laid
on the government Of Canada to main
tain a largely augmented preventive
force along the whole frontier to pre-
vent and punish the violation of the
new law, law which, after all, would
only be enacted to assist in the enforce
ment Of the law of foreign country"
Canada Already Has Rum Fight.
The minister pointed out that Cam
ada already had serious liquor-smug-
Cling problem on its hands along the
Atlantic Coast.
"At a cost of about 81, ,000,0 900 year."
he said, "the Department Of National
Revenue maintains feet of nearly 40
boats and scores of officers to prevent
the smuggling of liquor into Canada,
chiefly from the French Islands of st.
Pierre and neutrality-suspicious. Of
another friendly nation It might be
added there is no prohibition of clear
ance from these islands nor from
Great Britain"
He asserted recent special enforce
ment efforts by the United States Gov
ernment have resulted in a marked
reduction in liquor running, but assert
ed "it must be apparent to every in
telligent person that 1t is not human
ly possible to entirely prevent the flow
of liquor to dry neighbor whose ter
ritory lies adjacent for thousands OF
miles"
I'VE are quite willing to keep Cana
dians out of the business of running
liquor to the United States" he con-
cluded, 'f the United States authorities
will insist on clearances for their own
boats to enable them to check and con-
troll their own people and the violation
Of the United States law they will
probably have a very effective remedy"