Evening star., 1930-12-01
DRY CREWS BEGIN
PATROL|NG ROADS
NEAR D. c. BORDER
Baltimore Agents Are Work
ina With Enforcement Staff
Here in Drive.
WOODCOCK HOLDS AREA
'ONE OF U. S. SORE SPOTS
Effort Mainly Fact-Finding, With
View to Extending Method
to Other Sections.

A major offensive with Federal agents
and Washington policemen the attack
ing force bracketed Southern Maryland
today as the Prohibition Enforcement
Bureau laid down a barrage on the
Capitals chief source of liquor supplies
Col. Amos w. w. Woodcock, director
OF prohibition, who Is a native Of Mary
land, followed the drive with consider
able interest. He regards the territory
in which about 80 Federal agents have
been concentrated as lone of the sore
spots in the United States" and has
directed that the men be kept there
until conditions are materially improved.
Twenty agents from Baltimore are
working with the Washington enforce
ment staff under William r. Blanford,
acting administrator for the fourth dis
trict, under a plan that accomplishes
careful scrutiny of four Maryland
vert and st. Marys. The Federal men,
working in crews, are quartered in the
county seats and will work out of the
towns, determined to travel every inch
of road"
Fact-Finding Effort.
Col. Woodcock, emphasizing that the
drive is not regarded as spectacular,
will follow results with a view to ex-
other parts of the country if the net
result is encouraging The effort is a
fact-finding one, essentially, with the
agents instructed to chart every road
way and every possible still site in a
large area.
About 80 Washington policemen, led
by inspector Bean and Lieut. George NJ.
Little of the police vice squad, started
this morning on patrols along the Mary
land-District of Columbia border. In
crews of two men, with a prohibition
officer in each crew, the patrols kept
close watch on six of the principal high
ways leading into Washington from the
section bracketed by the Federal agents.
Compilation of data which may be
used as the basis for further effort will
engage the entire force of agents, but
the breakdown of rum-running activity
Will be given first attention.
The Federal courts at Baltimore ham
Ole most OF the prohibition business
originating in Southern Maryland and
arrests and conflscation of liquor made
curing the drive probably will be listed
there from day to day.
Drive Not Held Seasonal.
The cooperation offered by District
authorities is in anticipation of any in
f1ux of rum runners brought about by
the activity of the Federal men across
the border.
Col. Woodcock does not regard the
drive as seasonal. Prohibition enforce
ment officers have argued a long time
that the staff assigned to the territory
was inadequate to cope with the situa-
ton, and the director, determined to
stamp out liquor in Southern Maryland
has answered the argument by giving
Blandford and Robert D. Ford, acting
assistant administrator at Baltimore,
authority to work in the section as long
as necessary.
Blanford and Ford will maintain their
headquarters in Washington during the
drive, visiting outposts and the Federal
crews as the work is pushed through
the sparsely populated area cut through
by highways leading to Baltimore and
Washington.