Alcohol on Salt Water

The Supreme Court decision barring alcohol from all ships within the three mile limit apparently will be complied with by foreign vessels-- under protest. The Cunard Line, according to Sir Ashley Sparks, general manager of that company in the United States, will carry liquor on the westward voyage only and if any is left when the three-mile limit is reached, it will be thrown overboard. The North German Lloyd will follow a similar course,' according to its American representative. The International Mercantile Marine is also preparing to comply with the law. The French lines as yet say nothing. There is no apparent intention of having ships stop at Halifax to drop and pick up their liquor stores. As for using vessels off the three-mile limit as liquor depositories, Sir Ashley Sparks adds: " You may take it for granted that we will do nothing undignified."

The British Chamber of Shipping requested the British Government to protest to .Washington. French feeling is even more emphatic. There is a strong sentiment that " if you enforce your laws to our discomfort we will enforce ours." If the French should put into practice such an attitude they could require every American ship to carry a crew composed partly of Frenchmen and to carry wine for those Frenchmen; they could open and examine every case of goods and every trunk going aboard an American vessel; they could stop the sailing of an American vessel for the slightest defect-- even a leaking pipe; they could tax departing American tourists on many things which they take with them from France. As yet there has been no attempt to put these retaliatory measures into effect.