New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-15
WRAPPINGS NOT DUTIABLE.
VIEWS ON THE SUPREME CoURT.DEcIsIoN.
WHAT CUSTOMS OFFICERS AND MERCHANTS SAY
AnOIr THE MATTER.

WHAT CUSTOMS OFFICERS AND MERCHANTS SAY
ABOUT THE MATTER.
The recent decision Of the United States supreme
Court that under the act OF Congress OF Maron o.
1SS3 neither the inner nor outer packlnRs or Gov
ermgs of imported goods were subject I'D auty nus
act the customs officers and importers TO ngu5ihg
Before the act of 1883 duties were oOec'ed h"
cost of inner and outer packing cases anu
all sorts Of coverings. The law OF 1888 expressly
excluded tax on all coverings, ana eif lno nim
ported goods to be appraised per Sc The Treasury
Department however, fortified by an opinion iIOnl
Attorney General Brewster. continued ~ ,1 MrS
taxes on the inner wrappings ana boxes, loi1,us
that they were really part OF tue -,
and were necessary to put INC nrters nrotestei
against the ruling and the first case-that OF opef-
tepfIer-to reach the Supreme Court )nstined their
construction of the original act All the extra s H9
paid under legal prCsGS5 SlIGs
,nC mn their gains while the officials are computing
the prospective decrease IN the customs receipts,
Appraiser McMulen said on SaturIay tnat Tue
Government would probably lose Sl6, 600 900 on q
fel,ouidation. There are thousands of invoices
be continued (which have been paid nDder protest,
and the customs officials VIII nave ~
90 through them all now again. we merely
make out the invoices here, and the changes VIII
not affect our books. he wrappsngs have very
different values with different articles we nan an
invoice of backing the other day which nnqer the
old law would haye been valued at 10000 francs,
OF na on francs'n nd we had to accept it. The
pings should think. make up from 10 to 90 per
of the Vaue or great many S' 'HN
revenue viii lose i'll Just that proportion. .ho.
At the Collectors office II was estnat .b e.
apart from the payment OF back cailns t1 100 900
eminent would lose from IS 600 600 to $4,000 oO0
a wear by the decision The coverings against Wmen
tue Treasury Department objected were cniSsiiy
cigar boxes hose cases and the boxes OF canui o
md other fancy articles. In many suoh Instances
the inner packings so-called, were the really Vaiu-
able part of the invoice. Cases OF consliuc'ioil
might be expected even haS already been made
Tebrnory 6. when an invoice had the cost OF the
cartons and of the goods contained sePaTa,eyo 600
At the Naval Office Colonel Burt sald tat fU,uoo
appeals had been taken under the previous Treas J,
urv ruling 1.-The decision of Judge BlatcnlOtu,
he added will affect from to 2Y FcTa g-
1886. We can't say, of course, what the revenue
will lose We are hard at work now getting ,He
he refnnded aud what will be lost under the de-
cison during the year The duties on paeEns
were always ad yolorem. I mngtb ooV @nr6
n Fno 'he iii csunot be brought iu
Wrapped in coarser silk on cloths of lany value
The packings must still be the usual commerce.
ones paper pasteboard and the rest, to escape
James McCreery, of James McCreery & Co., Broad;
wav and Eleventh-st., SAID that the decision woulu
make little difference to the importer one way Ut
The other. The packngs," he said, are very ~
considerable in value. have here case OF goods
wEapSip@s was SIS less than H. per cent. There
have been attempts here TO bring In merchaIlsapie
goods as wrapperf ana In IA fbe nyoce when
fhcy are to be sold along with the merchan1ise'
The best way to avoid the whole difficulty ana TO
stop such differentiation is to have speclnc rate
of duty instead of an ad valOren one. Al European
c0uu.ries have done tins wherever 1t was prac-
teable. The duty Gil pacLings was put on partly
for revenue and partly for protection; II mas DGen
Of some nse in keeping up the cost of importation
i'm favor of the home producer" g ::
A member of another large importing hrn III
Broadw ay SAID that the Supreme Court hau tahoh
Tho only reasonable view OF the law. " The inner
packincsD he continued, are of no value IN ten-
selves, but only as protecting and preserving inc
merchandise It's lust as if a tailor SHOULD cnatge
Won for the box your suit comes in as part OF tne
suit In hosiery, for instance we had to mhhe our
6utr on 1hem again at the Custom House. And
oftef the hose are sold the boxes are worth moth
ing at all to us or anybody. The removal OF the
tau was simply a matter of justice and common
sense construction of the Jaw. We have protested
adjust the Treasury ruling from the start. aud
Inc decision Will save Us many thOu'ahds Vi
dollars