Difficulties of Dealing with a Discreditable Traffic The Government's powerlessness to deal with the flagrant whisky-running proposal of an Irish baronet,. who invited subscriptions from the public towards the purchase of 5,000 cases _of whisky for sale on the high seas," exemplifies the difficulties with which the Foreign Office have to contend in the negotiations with the United States. Though it was stated in Parliament during the week that the Government is considering the whole subject of the liquor which notoriously is being exported in large quantities from this country for smuggling purposes, no action is apparently contemplated to deal with this particular case.
The limited powers. possessed by the authorities in such cases were explained recently to. representative of "The Observer." In the touting circular in which this specific proposal was put forward, it was stated that 5,000 cases of whisky are to be shipped abroad, to be paid for twenty miles from the shore, that the vessel which has been chartered can carry 5,000 cases more, and that the public are invited to participate in this adventure and reap a profit of 20 per cent. in sixty days. This plan is described by the author as '"'a perfectly legal commercial proposition.'' Whatever may be thought of the scheme itself, the statement appears to be literally accurate, and it is understood that legislation would be required to deal with So far as the Customs Department are concerned, their function is confined to seeing that duty is not evaded, and when spirits are taken out of bond and exported they have no further contro]. The port of destination is, of course, indicated in the ship's manifest, hut in practice the destination of good is frequently changed at sea, on in-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.