The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-07-15
Customs Inspections.

|
saloon. Here they produced bundle OF
| blanks and the revenue agony began.
The passengers marched up one by one
to the table and were furnished with a
number written on a piece of cardboard
and blank. The blank is called a
baggage entry" and consists of two
parts. One is devoted to the non-duti-
able articles, the other to those on which
duty is to be paid by the passenger, and
both halves, if filled up, have to be sworn
to. Upon the back of this entry-blank
is a synopsis of the Treasury regulations.
By this synopsis it appears that the
senior member of family may be al
lowed to include all the baggage of the
party in one entry, to be made by him,
but reference to the Treasury regula-
tions, Art. 103, reveals the fact that the
entry so made will not relieve the mem
bers of the party from the penalties for
attempts to defraud. If, then, ''the senior
member of family be little hasty in
his congratulations as to what is dutiable
in the trunk of his daughters maid, fol-
example, he may find himself in an ex.
ceedingly awkward predicament. The
language employed in the statutes as
quoted is such that person unlearned
in the law becomes lost in a maze Of
punctuation marks. Wearing apparel
in actual use and other personal efects
professional books, implements, instSds
ments and tools of trade are declared to
be free from impost by Sec. 2,505. Sec.
2,799, which follows it, defines the things
which are exempt. This section to be
appreciated must be read, but to be I'M
derstood must be studied with the aid of
some legal tutor. As no passenger even
understands it, appeal is made to the in
spector on board, who proceeds to trans
late it from the foreign language in which
it is couched into English.
Having given up Sec 2, 799 in despair,
the unfortunate passenger runs foul of
Sec. 2,S02, in which dire penalties are
threatened against the person who shall
infringe the law. Forfeiture of the ar
ticles and a penalty of treble their value
would be calculated to give any one pause.
The sections are followed by two articles,
Nos. 399 and 400, which, strange to say,
are quite easily understood. The first
declares that jewelry, not for sale, is
free; and the second, that by professional
books, implements, and tools of trade is
meant such books or tools as a lawyer,
surgeon or mechanic would use in his
occupation. An extract from an official
circular dated February %, 1875, urges
tourists to separate the articles which
have been worn from those which are
new, and this is good advice, even if it
is given by the Treasury.
But while the passengers have been
describing their personal effects in
honeyed tones before the awful Council
of Three behind the table, Governor S
Island and the Battery have been passed
and the Suevia is nearing her dock.
Arriving there, she was tied up with as
little fuss as though she had been fish
ing-punt instead of great ocean steam
er, and the gang-plank having been
hoisted up the passengers went ashore,
Inspector Mehrer, who was in charge
said that there being an Inspector, a
Collector and an Appraiser present, on
the wharf, custom-house, in the ewes
of the law, was in existence there. This
having then been organized, the passen-
gers proceeded to get their luggage
passed. The dock men brought the
trunks and their owners collected them
in piles. The trunks unlocked, the Off
GERS of the custom-hOuse proceeded to
examine them. Lifting up piles of cloth
ing and asking questions in many Ian
guages, feeling the texture of various
garments between the finger and the
thumb in order to ascertain their fine
ness, removing trays and driving into
shoe wells, opening boxes and baskets
the work went rapidly on. Suddenly
there was call for Captain Mehrer to
examine some curtains which were "de-
clared'' as dutiable. He gravely lifted
them and then pronouncing the words
''cotton lace'' in mystic aside, wrote
on the baggage entry their value at
fourteen dollars and their duty as being
thirty-five per cent. AS this was less
than five dollars the curtains were passed
free, it being custom of the custom
house to admit articles if the duty does
not reach that sum. Another cali, and
Captain Mehrer began to look at lot of
linen, evidently spun and woven by
some old grandmother in the Father
land" and sent out with many hopes that
it would prove useful in the new home.
The owner was settler coming to this
country, and by the Treasury regulations
the revenue officers always make things
very easy for the emigrant.
The examination of the luggage did
not take long. There were few articles
on which duty was collectable, the
owners were honest and declared them,
and there were no disputes. The stock
of good humor which every one acquired
when they saw the land was not taxed
by the custom house officials. The
luggage of the emigrants was not exam
ined on the dock, but was taken with the
owners on board of the Castle Garden
barge. Here it is looked over by the
officers appointed to that work, but it is
rarely if ever taxed. The custom-house
is very apt to allow emigrants to bring
almost anything, providing it is clearly
their own property and for personal use.
This fact has sometimes been taken ad-
vantage of by smugglers and attempts
have been made to bring in articles for
sale this way. 1t has rarely succeeded
however, for although the officers are
willing to pass almost shy kind of prop
erty belonging to emigrants, their search
through the great chests is none the less
thorough. .....
To tourists who are about to come to
this country, either on visit or on their