Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1883-06-28

Devices Which the Custom ORlccrs I'm the
POHiOfiice Have TO Meet.

DSNaCS~ tnB CWAIOWH tue
P0siOffice Have 10 Meet
You will be surprised to. hear OF
the curious assortment Of dutiable ar.
ticles that we intercept in the st am
ship mails from foreign postotfices,"
said Mr.. William Freeman, who, with
Mr.. J. M. Wilson, has charge of the
customs bureau In the New York post
Office. "The post is a favorte medium
with persons in Great Britain, France,
/ Germany and other countries for
shipping presents to friends in the
United States. The senders probably
do not think of the duties to be paid
when they forward their packages, but
Under the customs laws and regula-
tions presents OF merchantable value
are classed as dutiable, like goods inn
ported in the regular way. Iradesmen
In London, Paris, Berlin and other
European capitals use the mails pretty
regularly TO send samples and goods Of
small bulk to American customers.
Ladies find an easy, cheap and safe
way of putting into letters and news
papers articles of fashion, knick-knacks
| md mementoes from the Old World.
| The mails are also used for intentional
smuggling, but it is sometimes difficult
to distinguish between smuggling and
legitimate importations. Diamonds,
watches and precious stones and jew
elry of all kinds are intercepted by the
bureau. The supposed dutilble pack
/ ages and letters are detained, AID the
persons to whom they are addressed
are notified to appear and open them
! in the prescnca of the officers. Not
long ago IA package which was opened
| by Maiden lane diamond dealer was
found TO contain several thousand dol
lars worth of uncut diamonds. He
! raid $500 on them at the custom
! house. There were also received pack
ages of cat's.eyes, rubies, canoes, in
taglios, emeralds and sapphires sutfi-
cient to stock good-sized jewelry
store. .#r
"Some of the queer mailable matter
! of dutiable value received in 'ludes
! jars of homemade German pickles,
meerschaum pipes, bundles of cigar
cites. packages of garden seeds, ladies'
silk vests, surgical instruments, large
sized paintings on tin from Italy,
! pedometers for pedestrians, hair nets,
a German cheese, architects tools,
fancy mats, mushrooms from France,
picture frames, druggists chemicals,
/ shawls and valentines"
What class of goods constitute the
! bulk of the mali importations p
"Hooks. They come in large guam
titles, and the greater part of the duties
is collected on them. Authors, clergy
men and other professional men are
numbered among the consignees. The
duty is twenty-five per cent. OF the
value. Books for educational institu-
tions are limited free where copies
of the articles Of incorporation are
filed with the bureau. Books for adj
dresses outside of New York are for
warded TO the rostmasters, with a
printed form stating the amount OF
duties due, and the postmaster IS re-
| quested to collect them and remit to
the collector of customs"
"Can you tell me some of the devices
for sending goods through tie mailsT
"Laces, kid gloves, silk stockings,
silk handkerchiefs and other light arti-
cles are inclosed in newspapers and
| pamphlets. They are inclosed so it ID
hard to detect them. A pair of silver
sarIine tongs going to California was
recently found hidden in a package OF
pamphlets. In an English newspaper
were discovered lady's silk stockings
one black and one red. According to
the revenue law these might be taken
as samples and entered free. A trick
was suspected, and the articles were
detained. The next steamers mail
/ contained newspaper addressed to the
/ same person. In it were folded one
/ red and one black stocking to match
/ the others. The lady to whom they
were addressed was sent for and paid
/ the duty."-NeD York San.