The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-29
SOCIETY GREATLY EXCITED.
MisapprehcnsiOn rs to New Custom
House Rules.

MISREPRESENTATION rs to New Custom
House Rules.
| Polite society is very much excited over
new regulation adopted by the custom
| houses relating to the examination of bag
/ gage of travellers returning from Europe.
1 II would not be too much of an exaggera-
ton to say that polite society is agog.
certain New York newspaper recently
| printed somewhat startling story de-
! scribing an alleged new order Of the Treas
| ury Department, and picturing the con-
sternation OF future passengers from
abroad who would, it said, be ruth!essly
treated by the customs officers, examined,
questioned, overhauled and perhaps thrown
into prison. if their baggage contained a
pocket handkerchief that had not been
carefully described in an elaborate dec
laration."
But, as a matter OF fact, the method of
examining and appraising the baggage Of
travellers is not to be revo.utioniZed, and
their custom house trials. already great,
are not to be intensified beyond bearing.
These statements are made on the author
ity of Assistant Secretary Howell of the
Treasury Department, who has well nigh
supreme charge of the customs service.
This. then, is the new rule as it was Of
ficially promulgated by Mr.. Howell in a
letter to the collector of customs at New
York:
Referring to your letter of the 18th ut.
in the matter of certain charges preferred
against Inspector - for passing free of
duty dutiable articles found in the baggage
of passengers arriving at your port, | have
to direct that hereafter whenever the bag
gage of passengers arriving from abroad IS
found TO contain any articles purchased
abroad which have not been declared by
the passengers, they shall be described on
. ..rs
inspector and submitted 10 the appraising
officers for appraisement, and the inspector
will be held responsible for the failure to
so find and report such articles, regardless
OF their value. You will please see that
this rule is strictly enforced at your port
The remarks OF Assistant Secretary How
ell to a reporter for The Times yesterday,
when reproved for the alleged harshness
of this order, are fully explanatory:
II understand that there has been some
thing of commotion over the matter. IL
is surely based on an entire misapprehen-
sion. The rule OF the service under the
present tariff law. and. indeed for a long
time, has been that the baggage of pas
sengers must be examined. We are max
ing no innovation in this respect. II seems
to be the impression that trunks have
never been examined before. The news
papers are responsible for this.
The meaning of the new regulation Is
simple. II has been the custom of the in
spectors to appraise the value OF unde-
clared dutiable articles heretofore except
in cases which seemed to them to be OF
more than ordinary Importance. They
have been somewhat lax in their appraise-
ments. it has been found. and sometimes
have passed over articles which should
have been made TO pay duty. 1t is this
defect in the old system that We are en-
deavoring 10 remedy, and that Is the whole
OF the story.
You will notice that the words 'arti-
Giles purchased abroad which have not been
declared by the passengers are q part of
the order. and very important part. Re
turning tourists have always been required
to declare all dutiable articles in their
baggage. They make out regular declara-
ton describing all the articles. This is no
new fad OF mine, either.
THE words of the rule and the inspec-
tor will be held responsible for the failure
to SO find and report such ar
ticles' may sound harsh and sug-
gestive OF a very rigid examination
| of baggage. but inspectors have been ex-
pected TO make exactly this examination
heretofore. The only effect OF the new or
| der will be TO cause the inspectors to at
| tend 10 their duties. If any returning
| passenger is incommoded by it. there is no
escaping the fact that such a passenger
must have expected 10 evade the law No
| new duties are added to the list