Mogul

Owned by General Navigation Co., Ltd., Vancouver, the biggish steel steamer Mogul has lain for months off the coast of Southern California. Like a great sow whose piglets feed and scamper, the Mogul has provided constant streams of assorted liquor to a fleet of ten speedboats.

Last week the owners of the rum-sow propositioned the President of the U. S. in such a way as to make the Commander-in-Chief of the U. S. Navy active and whacking mad.

Proposition: If he would let the Mogul come unharmed into Los Angeles Harbor, her 40,000 cases of liquor ($500,000), owned by Frenchmen of Tahiti, would be put in a bonded warehouse to be sold "in accordance with any import quotas that may be set up."

The San Francisco shipping agent, one Martin, who telegraphed this bargain to the Treasury Department, promised: "This cargo represents all liquor destined for smuggling purposes off Pacific Coast, which means if vessel is allowed entry cessation of smuggling activities on this coast for at least six months. Owners of merchandise will sign affidavits ... to cease all sales in future to smugglers. . . .'

No sooner did he hear about the Mogul than the Commander-in-Chief ordered the Navy to come to the aid of the Coast Guard with all force.

Said Agent Martin: "I sent the telegram purely as a business deal, open and above board."

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