Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-26
MILLS WOULD CUT
BORDER PORTS TO
STEM LIQUOR FLOW
Treasury Program Will Be
Given Joint Committee as
Soon as Named.
UNIFIED PATROL SYSTEM
INCLUDED IN PROPOSALS
Consent of Ottawa Officials Neces-
sary to Change Cities of
Entry.
Nv the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
Plans for prohibition enforcement,
which include a unified border patrol
and limitation of the number Of ports of
entry from Canada, will be submitted
by the Treasury to Congress as soon as
a joint congressional committee to con-
slider prohibition questions is named.
Undersecretary Mills, who made the
announcement today, said that Presi-
dent Hoover's suggestion that a con-
gressional committee be named to study
consolidation of enforcement agencies
had not been acted upon.
He said that as soon as the committee
was named the Treasury will submit a
plan for a unified border patrol, which
would require the consent of Canada,
because it will provide for limitation
OF the number of ports of entry to this
country. In addition to limiting the
ports of entry the plans, he said, will
provide for an intensive border patrol,
under direction of the Coast Guard, to
prevent smuggling.
Enter Anywhere at Present.
At present, the Undersecretary added,
a person coming from Canada may
enter this country anywhere along the
border. but must report his entrance at
the nearest port. This requires he said
patrol to work 10 or Is miles inside
the border. Under the new plan, If
approved by Congress and Canada, the
patrol would work along the exact bor-
der and prevent entry anywhere except
at points designated
The announcement of Mills came at
q time when interest had been focused
on the dry law enforcement by criti-
clsm OF prohibition personnel by Sena-
tor Borah, Republican, Idaho, and re-
plies by Attorney General Mitchell and
Prohibition Commissioner Doran.
Senator Harris, Democrat, of Georgia
and Senator Glass, Democrat, of Vir-
g1nia, have also Saked an early report
TO Congress on the work of the Hoover
law enforcement commission, which is
investigating prohibition conditions and
crime conditions generally.
Hoover Suggested Change.
President Hoover suggested to Con-
gresS several months ago that 1t name
a committee to confer with the Treas
ury and Department. of Justice regard
ing the executives plans for transfer
ring prohibition enforcement to the De-
partment of Justice from the Treasury,
and the resolution authorizing such a
committee now is pending in the Senate.
The spreading controversy on prohi-
bition enforcement has brought two
Government departments into the YER
bal melee with statements in opposition
to Senator Borah's assertion that with
the present personnel the Volstead law
can never be made effective.
Attorney General Mitchell last night
said there had been an improvement in
the last six months and that the posi-
bilities Of further bettering conditions
were being given careful study. With
the approval of the Treasury, Prohibi-
tion Commissioner James M. Doran as
serted that Borah's condemnation Of
the entire prohibition personnel, in a
statement Tuesday, was unfortunate
and bound to have a diSheartening
effect upon the morale Of the service"
Informed of the Mitchell and Doran
statements, the Idaho Senator met the
Attorney Generals reference to efforts
to improve enforcement with the re-
mark that evidently its conditions were
such as to call for an effort and an
heroic effort" He added that he had
mo means Of knowing" how much
progress has been made "as its results
have not yet appeared on the face Of
things"
Mitchell said that in fairness to the
men now engaged In the prohibition
service, he could not let Borah's criti-
cism pass unchallenged. There has
never, he asserted, been greater zeal
in the enforcement Of the liquor laws
than at present.
Sees Gain in Recent Months.
He went on to say that more can be
accomplished when Congress Is ready
to approve legislation carrying out the
administrations recommendations for
more adequate law enforcement ma
chinery. His department has been at
work for months, he added, on meas
ures designed to improve personnel, re-
lieve congestion In the courts and reor-
ganiZe the enforcement agencies.
There has been improvement in the
last six MONTHS he declared. There
has also, under the Presidents leader
ship, been noticeable change in public
attitude toward law observance"
Doran, while saying that the admin
1stration of the prohibition laws is ''sus-
ceptible to improvement" asserted that
''to say that prohibition cannot be en-
forced with the present personnel comes
perilously near to saying that it can
not be enforced at all" He added that
ION the whole, we are not likely to find
a more loyal and conscientious group
of men than are now serving under
me-"
Borah said Mitchells statement was
encouraging, but that "the truth of the
business is that the personnel is in
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