Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
Treasury
iContinued From First Page.)

Of charges against Officers and EN-
ployes of the Bureau of Internal Rev.
enue; investigation of prospective ON
GERS and employees, with force of 81:
employees and an annual expenditure
Of $1,118.760.
S. The enforcement division. alco.
hol tax unit, Bureau of Internal Rev.
enue, responsible for detection, pre-
vention and investigation Of violations
Of the internal revenue laws relating
to liquor, with force of 1.700 agents
and annual expenditures of $5,413,440
In submitting the draft Of this pro.
posed consolidation, Treasury official.
explained that the smuggling Of liquor
Is a violation not alone of the customs
laws, but also Of internal revenue laws
If the smugglers, as often happens
have tried to bring In narcotic drugs
along with liquor, there is likewise a
violation of the narcotic laws. Should
the uquo- be fraudulently stamped. the
counterfeiting laws are infringed
Failure to account for the fruits OF
IN enterprise of this kind is q fraud
upon the income tax laws. Thus it Is
conceivable that all five of the Treas
ury enforcement agencies might be
called upon to investigate different
phases Of the same offense.
Moreover, ventures Of fraud Of the
revenue laws are not usually carried
out by single individuals, but by en-
GENTLY managed syndicates whose op-
erations may at the same time include
smuggling, bootlegging, counterfeiting
and illicit trafi1c In drugs. Such or
Sanized criminal activities can be
stamped out, the Treasury officials told
Chairman Doughton. only by con-
certed and co-ordinated effort on the
part Of all the law enforcement agen-
cies Of the Treasury Department and
BY q vigorous use of all the penal
statutes which the department is en-
powered to enforce.
Legislation Is Necessary.
During the last year and q half, the
Treasury has followed q definite pro-
gram Of co-ordinating the work Of its
several enforcement organizations, and
great improvement has been made
from the standpoint of centralized as
signment and control OF personnel in
cases were unified direction is essen
tial. In practice, however, the pres
ent statutory separation of enforce
ment personnel into five independent
organizations very much limits the adj
vantages from any such program. Each
agency carries on its work under the
immediate jurisdiction Of q separate
and distinct statutory bureau. The
statutes appear to contemplate that
each agency shall act independently Of
the others In the enforcement Of the
laws which Congress has entrusted
to 1t and within the jurisdictional
boundaries which Congress has estab-
liShed by enactments which 60 back,
u some instances, more than three
quarters OF century. The necessary
unihcation Of Treasury enforcement
activities cannot be secured in full
degree except by legislation which will
break down these boundaries.
The bill provides for the detail Of
not to exceed three Coast Guard ON
Gers to the Secret Service division to
insure the necessary liaison between
land and sea services. The bill will
permit unification of all Treasury
police activities and q Capitalization
OF responsibility for such activities not
only at the seat Of Government, but
throughout the field service. At the
same time. Treasury ofIicials say. it
wlll allow flexibility in adjusting the
organization engaged in police work
70 meet the constantly changing
methods Of violators of the revenue
ana counterfeiting laws. It will in
crease greatly the efficiency Of the
department in performing its basic
junction Of safeguarding the Nations
revenues and the Nations currency.