The evening times., 1899-02-02
NEW CUSTOMS RULES
MAKE TOURISTS ANGRY
THRILLING WORK OF INSPECTORS
Passengers Kept Waiting for Hours
While Their Baggage is In
spected in .Piecemeal Order.

speefed in Piecemeai Order.
New York, Feb 2-There became opera
tive yesterday new Treasury Department
at this port must not only make q sworn
declaration as to what his baggage con-
tains, but must submit to a piece by piece
inspection of all its contents and see every
article purchased abroad sent to an ap-
praiser whose duty it is to value the
article from a Dingley bill and Merchants
and Manufacturers Board of Trade stand
point, with still another official to declare
what duty should be assessed, and yet an
other to decide as to whether payment
should be exaeted or the article entered
free.
When TO all this is added the amount of
time consumed in this bootless scheme Of
tariff the annoyance it must cause-and
yesterday did cause-it viii be seen at once
how vast and varied are the powers OF
veXation and delay which the Treasury De-
partment has combined in this regulation.
AS an Illustration OF how it worked, four
steamships came into this port yesterday,
and while a mighty tax was levied on the
patience of the passengers, not l cent OF
extra duty was collected. although double
the usual number OF custom house officers
were on hand 10 enforce the new provision.
Taken in ALL the declaration the search
of baggage the examination and appTdIse-
| Inent OF articles was q long and tedious
/ process, so long and tedious that IT eX-
/ hausted the patience OF the victims. And
! the grand result was that two bicycles, de-
| clared by their owners to be OF American
/ make were sent To- the appraisers stores,
| pending a decision as TO whether they are
| of home manufacture Or of foreign make
In one case. they will be admitted free, in
/ the other they may have 10 pay duty. The
victim in this case is DR.. otto Sasse, OF
F.! Toledo a saloon passenger b. the steam
( ship Westernland.
TO avoid the annoyance OF search. Dr.
Sasse said. 4 overvalued the things which
had bought on the other side. l vas vii
/ ling 10 pay duty on 1a1 marks worth OF
things, ami here / am held uD for search.
! These men don't know the real value o.
! things and doubtless my things viii have
/ TO go to the stores Tor appraisemeut after
ali this fuss at the dock. ] have two blcy-
/ cles with me which were made IL this
/ country, but which l bought in Germany
! as cheapIy as ! could here. They should
/ be admitted free. Now, il [ wanted 10
I ride one of them today / could not, for
/ they with my boxes. are to BE- sent 10 the
! appraisers stores for an expert 10 look
| at All this despite the fact that my dec
/ laration is 4 truthful ore, and if there IS
any error over valuation il IS III favor OF
I the Government.
/ On the Wilson line pier the proceed ngs
/ took an opera houfe character. The steam
ship Buffalo, OF that line. arrived from
Hull during the day, bringing oie lone
I passenger. He had no belongings purchas-
ed abroad except one suit OF clothes.
which in his declaration he had valued at
! So. Inquiry as 10 the whereabouts of that
/ suit revealed the fact the passenger was
/ then wearing it.
! 1t is easy TO see how the situation might
! have been made embarrassing, as any ar
/ ticIa purchased abroad must be
/ submitted TO the appraising officers for ap-
praisement. But the appraisinS officer
was there. so there we're no complications
over the foreign made garb Of the passen-
ger.
The Westernland. from Antwerp. had
only seven saloon passengers, but IN spite
of that small number it was nearly three
hours after they had reached the pier be
fore they were free 10 repack their tuni-
bIed belongings and go their way. One of
the voyagers. Mrs. :. E Kaler. Of Boston,
had in one OF her trunks q dress upon
which she placed valuation of $50. The
! examining inspector took the garment to
the appraiser and a duty OF SIS was as
sessed The deputy collector found that
! he dress Rad beJn worn anu IN dItl'4"
was admitted free.
Victor Wilcox. Of 30 East Tenth Street.
/ this city had in his possession the usual
/ belongings OF traveller. which he had not
| declared such as several suits OF under
! wear haudkerchefs. shirts. collars. and
| cuffs These were all bundled on 10 the
| appraiser. but no duty was eXactsd. and
! the articles were returned to the owner.
| w Peel another saloon passenger b. the
/ WesternIand. brought with him hand
! satchel trunk. and a book. Tfe inspec-
/ tors found nothing dutiable except the
/ book. which Mr. Peel said he had purchas-
/ ed abroad and had paid 40 cents for. The
book was taken 10 the appraiser. where 1t
was valued at 30 cents Here again the
! deputy collector decided that no duty could
be collected. and the book was returned
| 10 Mr.. Peel.
] Over in Hoboken the Aller was engaged
! in landing score of saloon passengers
| from Genoa and Naples. 1t required two
| and a half hours work to get that small
number through. The ManitOu. from Lon
! don brought seven saloon passengers. and
| these spent two hours on the pier