The times., 1898-06-29
EMERGENCY REGULATION
Treasury Makes Allowance for
Those Unable to tiet Stamps.
No PENALTY TO BIZ EXAtTED
Persons Unable to Secure stamps
July 1 May Make Affidavit to the
Facts, Pay Their Dues later ard
Escape Fines--A Special Ruling
enue Scott. fx

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| Ever since the delay of Congress in
passing the war revenue act, which made
| dt possibility thatsthe Treasury Depart
| ment would be unabl es 70 supply the coun-
try with the new rsyense stamps prior to
the lst of July, the. date on which the act
takes effect. the .Treasury Department
has been flooded with inquiries as to what
| the taxpayers should do on the morning
of July / if they are unable to procure
| the adhesive stamps necessary for the
transaction cf business.
| Yesterday Commissioner of Internal
Revenue Scott made a ruling in which he
! gives explicit directions for the guidance
of those who are unable to procure these
| stamps on or before July l. In the bill 1t
| is provided that in all cases where the
party has not affixed the stamp required
| by law upon any instrument issued, regis
tered, sold or transferred at the time
! when and at the place where no coIlec-
/ tton district was established, IL shall be
| lawful for him or them or any party hav-
| ing an interest therein to affix the proper
| stamp thereto.
| Where no collection district was estab-
| Hshed it is construed and held to be the
same as If it read where no stamp depu-
tyshfp or agency was established" and
where for that reason it was impossible
to procure the stamps and where the fail
ure to aftix them was not due to any will
ful desire to defraud the United States
or to avoid or delay payment The tax
payer may in such cases be relieved by
the collector from the payment of the
| penalty
1t Is held that the law does not require
| impossible things to be done. and where.
for the reason above given, IL was not
possible 10 procure the stamps it does nor
necessitate that business shall stop and
venders shall by reason thereof withhold
goods from the market. but that legiti-
mate business may be transacted II the
stamps required on goods disposed of un-
! der such circumstances may be affixed by
the owners thereof or the parties inter-
! eated therein. and in cases of CONSUMPTION
| the retail vender shall make sworn re-
| turn of the facts to the collector of in
| ternal revenue, who shall assess the
| amount of tax due and collect the same
under the rules and regulations provided
| under The law
Taxpayers are admonished that this
| urgency regulation does not in any way
| excuse them from the duties imposed
uponthem by the statute with reference to
procuring stamps for all Instruments and
| things required to be stamped under
| schedules A and B of the war revenue
| laws of 1898, and neglect to perform any
| OF the requirements thereof except for
| unavoidable reasons. as above stated will
| render the taxpayer liable TO the penal
| ties provided therein and they will be
strictly enforced.
This emergency regulation is of great
! Importance to everyone who will BE
liable TO any of > the stamp taxes. It's
| effect Will be that Fin, case where the tax
| payer can successfully demonstrate to
| the collector of internal revenue his posi-
| tive inability to procure stamps on or after
| July /, the collector will be empowered
| to remit the usual penalties
Persons who use the new stamps but
who are unable TO procure them should
| notify the collector of their district and
| the latter can give them a memorandum
or what is due, which they can pay in a
| lump sum.
Particular attention is called TO the fact
| that this provision does not apply TO any
| one except those who apply 10 the COL
lector of their district or his recognized
| deputies for the stamps and are unable
| ~ PAONAiN { tAASAi4.
| The commissioner of internal revenue
will issue decision today relating to the
| construction to beir given to that portion
| OF the new war revenue act, schedule A
| imposing stamp tax on original issues of
| certificates of stocks and on sales. agree
| ments to sell, or transfers of such certifi-
| Gates 1t was the intention to hold that all
| certificates of stock should be Original is
| sues and thus liable TO the tax. but il
has now been decided that Original is
sues shall apply only to the original
| certifcates issued on the organization or
| reorganization of company and not to
certificates issued in lieu of these.
The Secretary of the Treasury yester-
day authorized the bonding of ware
| houses IN which free teas are stored
| without requiring the removal of the du-
table goods for a period of six months.
at the expiration of which time the ware
| houses are to be rebonded. The action
was In recognition of the emergency to
| save importers the expense involved by
| removing free tea.
The daily shipment of stamps contin-
ues to reach in the neighborhood of s20,-
| 900. At the Bureau of Internal Revenue
today it was stated that by July 1st the
| country would be well supplied with
| stamps. 1t is meant by this that there
| will be plenty of the Stamps in the hands
| of the collectors of internal revenue but
| the Bureau does not guarantee that these
| stamps will be in the hands of the peo-
| pie. 1t depends entirely on the readiness
| with which the banks merchants and
| postmasters respond to the invitation of
! the Bureau to act as agents for the dis
| bursting of these stamps as to whether or
| not the people will be enabled to procure
| them readily. A large number of banks
and mercf ants have written to the Bure au
| here in regard TO this matter and have
| in every case been referred TO the coIlec-
tor of their district.
1t is impossible to tell how many of
| these sub-agencies will be in operation by
the first of the month, but the reports
| from the different collectors are very en-
| couraging. Chief Johnson, of the Stamp
| Division, today said that if the collector
in New York needed 4O,000.GO0 of stamps
| as he seemed to think. he could have
| them by Friday morning.
| 1t must be remembered that it would be
| an impossibility to furnish to the large
| proprietary concerns a sufficient number
| of stamps at this particular time to last
them any number of days, but the Bu-
reau believes that if these manufacturers
| will be content to take their stamps as
| the collector is able to furnish them they
| will find no difficulty in procuring all
| they need.
The same rule applies to other corpora
| tons who expect TO use large numbers of
| stamps in their business.
Mr.. Davis's Services in Demand.
| Assistant Secretary of the Interior
Webster Davis left the city yesterday for
a visit to Missouri. He speaks at Kan
| SaS Civ naYt Saturday at the invita- tion