The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-11
How ! Dutiabls Articles Passing
Through the Nails are caught
and Seized.
In the Absence Of Fraudulent In
tent the Packages are
Redeemable.
A Regular Bureau Maintained by the Gov
eFnneat for the Purpose Of Stop
ping the Traflic.

with the amount Of worry to which AZ
official Of the customs bureau of the post
office il subjected, says the New York Times
Some idea Of the work done by the customs
bureau may be formed when it is stated
that each English mail steamer brings to
this port from 600 to 7OO bags of mail mat
tor; each German steamer from 100 to 9OC
bags, and each French steamer from 125 to
150 bags. II, for instance, an English and
Frenoh steamer arrive together, the post
Office custom house will have to pass npon
about 5000 unsealed packages and large
number Of sealed packages.
The custom house authorities, under the
Law, have no right to open sealed packages
and do not do 20. The unsealed ones are
opened and inspected without their owners
being present, and if they do not contain
anything liable 10 duty they are passed and
delivered in the regular way. If dutiable
merchandise is found in package-dutia-
BILE merchandise of any description except
printed matter-it is subject to seizure.
In the case Of sealed packages the postofice
authorities send for the addressee, who
opens the package in the presence Of the
custom house officers, and it then takes the
same course as an unsealed package.
Printed matter being by law allowed to be
imported by mail, is appraised in the post
Office, and can be claimed upon payment of
duty.
Many articles are sent through the mails
and eventually fall into the hands of the
custom house officers through the fact that
the senders are ignorant of the law, and not
from any intention Of trying to evade it.
The custom, for instance, of sending kid
gloves through the mails from Europe is
common one, as is the practice of forward
ing neCkwear, underwear, brushes, finger
rings. shoes, diamonds, and jewelry of all
descriptions by the same means. When
such packages are seized, the addressee is
communicate with the collector Of the port,
and if there is no evidence of fraudulent
intention, the package is released to the ad-
dressee upon payment of fine equal to
what the duty would be if the contents of
the package had been imported in the reg
package to contain pair of kid gloves
valued at say $1.5O, on the other side of
the water, fine of 80 per cent. ad valorem,
Or IS cents, is inflicted, placing the gloves
At the home value, 1925. and then the ad-
dressee takes the present and tries to look
s Possibly the most curious thing that ever
fell into the hands of the customs officers
was the Maori idol valued at $3.50, which
was sent to this country from New Zealand
some time ago. Silk underwear for theatre
,al purposes frequently finds its way into
The mails. as do glass eyes. wooden shoes,
:azors, and quantities of human hair, a
Szreat deal of it coming from Switzerland.
having been purchased from young GIRLS of
hat country and forwa, ded to dealers
lere. The duty onDuncleaned and undrawn
human hair is 20 per cent ad valorem.
.ees examined by the post Office customs tom
bureau, 10 per cent. it is estimated, are boz
III tide samples. and the remaining so per
'ent is made up of micellaneous matter.
The customs officers say that in the win
er months the package business is fully 100
,er cent greater than in the summer. This
strangely accounted for by the explana-
ion that the travelling population is on
he other side of the Atlantic in summer !
md at home in the winter. In Europe the
migratory population referred to is con-
family increasing its circle of friends as
veil as increasing in number, with the re-
ouvenirs across the Atlantic is in
'reaslng to an extent positively alarm
ng to the postofice custom house, especial |
y at Christmas time.
The question as to what constitutes SAM
lies is point which has never been salts,
actorily decided. Samples of handker-
hiefs are frequently sent with their centres
at out. as the general definition Of sam
lie 10 AN article whose market value is de- |
troyed." Real attempts to smuggle through |
he mails are of rare occurrence, and it is
LEGGED that the postoffice customs system
30 good that in only one case in ten |
housand does an attempt at mail SNUG
ling succeed. Jewelry is the favorite toy !
I mail smugglers, and their tricks and de- |
ices are multttudinous, the favorite meth |
de, however. being to out out the inside of |
book and place the jewelry in the recepta-
70 thus made, or to use the paper covering |
some book for the same purpose. AZ Il
;, from fifteen to twenty hve seizures are |
aade IN the postotfice every day. The
obtaining diamonds valued at over $1,000. |
here was no attempt to evade the law in |
his case. Ignorance Of the laws led the |
snder to forward the precious stones BY