Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-08
pREssMAkERs' SEASON.
what = Treasury omcIai says About Those
who smuggl. Good..

w nat n Irra-urN omctal saws ApDut Ino<s
who smuExi. 6cod..
''Thi. Is dres-mAkers' season. the mos, active
Of the year." said Mr.. nngie. the supervising
special agent Of the Treasury Department. lay
ing aside a report Of n customs ofhce seizure.
1.-The dress5nakers keep the customs officers
busy at this season. guess they are born FIRE
traders and agree with the Chicago platform.
They do not like 10 paw the customs duty and
they the folks we have 20 deal With more
than any other class Of citizens in the fall
They do love to smuggle. In fact mo~t women
do. I presume the average woman who gOes
abroad would view the destruction 81 the Gus
tom houses with the greatest oomplaceBcy.
Women of means and position in societ, viii do
little smuggling nov and then II they get .
chance and they all hate to have their baggage
examined critically. This Is the comparatively
harmless qualification OF a natural instinct. and
, the fright and modification Of discovery viii
very quickly cure woman who Is not . SNUG
gler by trade.
THE DREssNsKrR smUooLERs-
The dressmAker smugglers do no; belong 20
this class They smuggle for profit. just NJ
this time they unusually active and that b.
why we call IL the dressmakers season. They
have been abroad 20 get the fall and winter
fashions and Go make purchases FOR the fall aud
winter trade. On their return they try 10
make their expenses and great deal more n
possible by smuggling a great number of y,ry
expensive dresses and complete costumes. winch
| they have had made on models by the fashion,
able dressmakers OF London and Paris. They
have reception dresses and ball dresses made.
costing several hundred dollars each. and try
4 80 pass them through the custom house =
their personal wardrobe. Now they aud their
fine wardrobes are coming home. Their trunks
are usually made with great many trAys. and
4 each gown Is put IN tray by itself They
assume TO be travellers Of fashion and contend
that the dresses the regular assortment for
| their wear.
FAMILIAR wTrRrH GAME.
The customs inspectors are. Of course. f.nil-
| lar with their game and a great many seizures
are now being made. Vet some get through the
custom houses safely enough A few q those
| who get through NAV deceive the Inspector.
| but their success Is generally due 90 bribery.
| Unfortunately bribery 10 often possible IL
| will be difficult TO break IL up altogether where
| there arc 50 many inspectors. IL l. much more
common than We like 10 confess This - IA.
WAY Il has grown: A great many persons who
! would not think OF bringing over any dutiAhle
article without declaring 1t have got In the
habit of giving tips 10 inspectors for giving
them rs little Inconvenience a possible and for
little courtesles which are in themselves per
fectly legitimate. -Four or i've dollars il often
| given 10 hurry the inspection OF baggage. This
custom gets the inspectors familiar with the
idea of gratuities. and IL il but n step 81 down
right bribery. very large tip il given and
| the inspector understAnds IL ne happens ~ be
dishonest. that he IL 20 think more 81 the tip
than Of the baggage while making the insyee-
| ton.
| PERSONAL coNCfNi.MNST NOT NOW FMrIoyfp.
The ingenious methods Of hiding goods for
the purpose Of smuggling in the hair in the
| folds of garments. inside the corScts and a hun
dred other placss-sre not often re-"rtsd TO
| now. Occasionally some IL caught with
| dutiable goods concealed about their person,
| but II lie getting more and more rhre. There j.
| practically no way in which goods can be con-
| cealed not to be discovered II the in-
| spectors are searching IN earnest Certainly no
one under suspicion could escape detection, for
| every possible method of concealment has
been tried at one time or another aud the
| inspectors are familiar with all the tricks The
progress Of civilization substitutes bribery for
the crude methods OF Commandment and, after
| all, the government loses a great deal moro
money by differentiation than il does by Snug
| Cling. though the new administrative bill cut
| on a deal of the loss by that. The only place
| where there has been any material increase an
/ smuggling since the passage 81 the Mckinley
bill Is along the Canadian border. Along that
great stretch Of poorly protected border there
| has been considerable increase in smuggling.
| Eggs, opium. wool and farm products generally,
that are subject TO high duty, smueglei IN
quantities over the border. There seems 20 be
big business done in the smuggling of eggs.
| great many have been caught NJ il. The duty
| on eggs amounts TO about 80 per cent ad valo-
rem, aud this makes it profitable 70 sneak them
over the border"