An interesting situation, which not only raises the question of the interpretation of the U. S. coastal laws, but which also involves. t prohibition issue, has arisen in ce nexion with a British passenger Tier (the ste, Voltaire) and that great American society the Elks on the one hand, and the U.S. maritime and prohibition authorities on the other, It appears that the Voltaire was chartered by a party of some 560 Philadelphia members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks for a voyage to Newfound. land. En route to Britain's oldest colony the Voltaire stopped Boston for five days, during whick period the annual convention of Elks was being held at that port. Ax a result of that call the U.S. Government officials have imposed a fine of G,8110,000 on the Voltaire, equivalent to G.8200 per passenger, for alleged violation of the coastal taws, under which it iMegal for a foreign vessel to ply in the American coastwise trade. The prohibition authorities have also taken up the issue, making a strong point of the fact that the vessel carried approximately 10,000 bottles of assorted liquor! While the prohibition authorities would appear to have nothing tangible to work on, as the liquor was placed under seal (in accordance with the recent treaty) before the Voltaire touched port, the question of when ther the Voltaire has or has not violated the coastal laws would appear to be much more of an open question. The main question is the legality or otherwise of allowing passengers to lund from a foreign vessel during a stop of several day in port, 'The American shipping companies were the first to tuke up the matter, and the authorities are supporting' their contention that while no objection could be entertained' in allowing passengers Jeave a ship making a temporary call, to allow them to have exercise on the docks or near by, a five days' stop was violation' of the coastal laws and that it appeared probable that the ship with its stock of liquor was really chartered to allow the passengers to attend th> convention, with the voyage to Newfoundland as merely an incidental. The huge fine imposed is to be appealed by the owners, though it was imposed for alleged breach of the coastal laws, it seems certain that the prohibi jon people are also going to mal a big issue out of it, on the' grounds that, if the Voltaire were permitted to go unpunished, the 18th Amendment would be largely annulled. The prohibition laws seem always to be providing a pitfall for someone and to give strength to the old dictum that any lay that is difficult to enforce were perhaps better unenacted,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.