Haynes May Quit

Prohibition Commissioner Roy Asa Haynes had a ten-minute conference with President Coolidge. The public was not vouchsafed any information on what passed between. Nevertheless, correspondents drew the inference that Mr. Haynes would soon retire from his post. The reasons given are not without plausibility:

1) Mr. Haynes was a "personal appointee" of President Harding.

2) Secretary of the Treasury Mellon and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Blair, Mr. Haynes' superiors, have often been at odds with him as to his methods and his frequent declarations of success in the enforcement of the Volstead Act. Mr. Haynes, however, had the personal support of President Harding. On the other hand President Coolidge is said to be generally in close sympathy with Secretary Mellon.

3) Mr. Haynes wrote a book on prohibition enforcement and offered to syndicate it to various newspapers at $1,000 each (TIME, July 23). The Treasury Department objects to its officials writing about their jobs. Mr. Haynes was questioned, but he produced a preface to the book written by President Harding. So the matter was passed over.

4) Mr. Haynes' friends are reported concerned for his health.