Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-09-07
FOREIGN Books bY Mail.

DUTIES TO BE COLLECTED ON SUCH PACKAGES
The treatment by the government OF duti.
able books sent here from abroad through the
mails is much-diScussed subject but is not
one that appears TO be generally understood
1t is probable that no accurate estimate will
ever be made of the extent to which mail
trains, coming to this city have been weighed
down by complaints and criticisms from Amer
leans and foreigners with grievances arising
from this ignorance. The bulk of these com,
munlcationS come TO the Post Office depart
ment. and life is becoming a burden to some
of its officials i'm consequence thereof. The
department has in consequence determined
to Ia Ike measures to check the correspondence
on the subject and to give postmasters aud
the public as full information as possible rela-
tive to the treatment Of dutiable books and
printed matter received in the mails from for
elgn countries. For this purpose circular
will be issued containing copies OF the regula-
tions and recent instructions of the Treasury
department for the treatment of such matter
py collectors OF customs and defining as far
as possible the limits of the discretion to be
exercised by customs officers in regard to the
admission free of duty of small books or
packets OF printed matter which have not
the laws of the United States books are dn
table articles. Though books are expressly
mentioned as included within the scope Of the
PROVISIONS OF the International postal treaty
a subsequent article OF the same treaty men
t1ons with other kinds of matter excepted
from the list of mailable articles, all that art.
subject to customs duties. Hence, speaking
come from abroad into the United States by
means of the mails. Such matter sent by per-
sons IN Europe who We're mised by the terms
Oh the postal treaty through ignorance of the
laws OF the United States concerning customs
duties, were at first held by the treasury Off
Glals. The international postal bureau at
Berne decided that the proper course was to
return such articles TO the Senders as unmail-
aDle, and this has since been done with GER
tain notifications leaning TO the side of mer-
cy. me Post Otllce department circular now
fFrr hat
regulations, which authorize these Slight bend
1lgS from the strict enforcement of the law
Ihe fist document quoted Is treasury circu-
lar number 81, dated June IS 1875 which was
issued after much correspondence between
the Treasury and Post Office departments,
and which directs that unSealed packages of
newspapers from foreign countries not ex.
ceedlng in weight two pounds three ounces
may be delivered to the persons to whom they
are addressed at the post offices, without de
tentlOn by officers of the customs provided
the postal authorities at the United
States exchange Offices, when such pack
ages are received from abroad, declare
that the packages consist of newspapers
or OF periodicals entitled TO pass in the
this circular large quantities of such matter
were imported in small packages into the
United States free of duty and used i'm trade.
dne second document given in the 2; .. ID.
ment to the collector of customs at New York,
was consequently issued constituting the Treas
uIy CIRCULAR ana prescribing limitations under
which importatiOnS of dutiable books and
newspapers may be made through the mails
correspondence then followed between the
two departments, the Post Office department
endeav0ring to have some definite rule estab-
liShed as TO the character of books to be admit
Ted free to the end that the discretionary pow
erS TO be exercised by the custom house officers
IN such cases might lie defined. A letter from
the Secretary of the Treasury to the Posi-.
master General, dated September ID 1873, re
Sulted which constitutes the last quotati IN of
the proposed circular. Ii explains the Treas
uly rules which permit customs officers to
exercise discretion as to remitting the Gus
toms duties On any articles of merchandise
whose dutiable value is more than one dollar.
Ii states that as rule no books whatever are
exempt from customs duties because of their
importation through the mail, but that the
general regulations of the Treasury depart
ment permit customs officers 10 exercise
a discretion as to admitting free of
duty articles of merch indiSe of less
dutiable value than one dollar, which applies
to books as we'll as to other articles, whether
coming through the mails or otherwise; but it
is not presumed that this discretion will be
exercised except in the case of single copies
OF books transmitted for the use of private
persons. and sent in good faith for that pur-
ly satisfactory, is net difficult to understand
Persons sending books from abroad to th
country by mail will have them returned un-
delivered IL their dutiable value exceeds one
dollar, or Ii the custom house official i'm the
exercise OF his discretion, decides for any rea-
SON that the duty shall not be remitted. If
there is any ground whatever for believing
that the book is intended for trade and not
Tor private use, it will certainly fail to reach