Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-20
OPIUM DUTY TOO HIGH.
An Incentive to SmugglerS to Get the
Drug Across the Border.
CANADA is THE GAMER THEREBY.
She Also Makes Big Money by Getting Chi
nese Over the Line.
DEDUCTIONS FROM TINGLE'S REPORT

WASHINGTON. Nov. ia. X. Tipgle,
Supervising Special Agent of the Treasury
Department, III his annual report to the
Secretary of the Treasury. shows that dur
ing the first fiscal year the special agents
seized goods to the value of S143 go, and re.
covered S225, ,69G On account of seizures,
fines, duties, etc. He gives several in
stances OF fraudulent importations, and re-
fers to the difficulties under which the
agents conduct their operations. Mr..
Tingle says:
The work of the Office has not been accom-
plished without some irritation and crii-
cism in the public press, inspired, doubtless,
by those whose invoices have been called in
question, as well as by merchants of un-
questioned integrity, who have unadvisedly
given ear to the complaints OF agents of for
eign manufacturers seeking admission of
their goods at fictitious values, to the man.
lfest loss oil revenue and injury to honest
trade.
1t is unfortunately true that the public Of
fcers, on account Of sucn opposition and
criticism, sometimes shrink from the per-
formance OF plain duty.
A serious question Is the great difficulty
under present conditions of enforcing the
laws against smugClers who make the
Dominion of Canada the base of their opera
tions. The number OF officers for preventive
duty upon this long line of frontier does not
exceed 20, and the present customs appro-
priation will not admit of any material in
crease of this force. 1t is apparent that
their efforts to prevent smuggling are in a
large degree futile. 4 similar condition of
affairs exists upon the long boundary line
betwe1e the United States and Mexico.
Excellent Facilities for Smuggling.
The district of Puget Sound, comprising
many islands within a few miles of British
territory and a long line OF water front, fur
A1N0
clandestine introduction Of Chinese, against
which the customs officers have vainly coli
tended. am reliably informed that during
the last year 195,000 pounds of crude
opium were imported and manufactured
pounds of the prepared article for
smoking purposes. and that nearly every
pound of it was smuggled into the United
States. II is more profitable to take the risk
of an occasional capture and conf1scation
than to pay the enormous duty ofSl2 pou Na
which is prohibitive of legitimate importa-
tions and an essential basis of smugg'ers
profit Reduce the duty to S4 a pound and
his occupation will be gone. The present
arrangement benefits the Canadian Govern
ment, which collects 81 a pound upon the
crude opium used in the manufacture OF the
prepared article.
Our tariff act of 1890 admits crude opium
containing per cent of morphine Free but
imposes duty of sle a pound upon. opium OF
a lower grade, such as is used in the
preparation of the drug for smoking pur-
poses the same rate as it is imposed upon
prepared opium. The practical effect of this
is that the revenue formerly derived from
imported opium is turned over to Canada
and the smuggiers. 1t were better to declare
all opium free of duty than TO leave the
present laws on the statute book.
Big Money in Opium Smuggling.
The enormous profits in opium smuggling,
due entirely to the high duty. have induced
the employment of large capital and great
number of bold. skillful men TO engage in
the lllcit traffic made so alluring by exist
ing laws.
But the smuggling of opium is not the only
alarming consequence following the open
ing up of the railways through Manitoba.
the Northwest territory and British Coluu1-
hla. The various acts of Congress having
for their object the exclusion of Chinese la
boreTs from the United states are practically
nullified by the clandestine introduction OF |
Chinese coming direct from China |
through the Dominion OF Canada. The |
steamers Of the Canadian Pacific Rail- |
road Company land Chinese at Van
couver, by thousands. The Canadian Gov |
ernment collects head tax OF $50 on each
Chinese person, and gives him a certificate
without payment of the tax second time
should he be detected in entering the United
States. The courts in several cases have
given the construction that Canada, and not
China, was the country whence these China
men came, within the meaning of the law.
The effect of this is the Chinese once re-
turned TO Canada again enter the country,
and repeated instances of this kind have oc-
Cured Thus the object of the Chinese
restriction act is practically defeated.
The necessity for a revision of the customs
laws. and particularly for the reor2aniza-
rion of customs districts with a view to the
aboliShment Of consolidation OF districts in
which little or no customs business is done
is shown by the business Of the several dis |
tricts during the last fiscal year. In 81 dis |
trictS and Lorts no duties were collected |
and in 4S of them the expenses exceeded the |
receipts. The commerce in many of the old |
customs districts, coupled with the rapid |
growth of the North west and the need for |
the creation of new ports and districts upon |
the coast as well as frontiers, would seem to |
demand new and comprehensive legislation |
upon the subject.