The times., 1899-01-27
REQUIRED TO GIVE DETAILS.
Ocean Travellers Must Tell ENnct
NnIue of Articles ImpOrted.

New York. Jan. 2S.-Persous returning
from abroad after February /, will find
they must comply with still another un-
pleasant formality of the law with regard
TO such articles as they may have pur-
chased abroad.
By a recent ruling of the Treasury De-
par,ment they will have to declare in de-
tail to the customs officers any and all
articles they have purchased abroad,
This viii not be agreeable news to trans
Atlantic voyagers. for heretofore they have
been required to declare their purchases
in a gen,!.I way only. giving the total
value, and if kat proved to be less than
Sl00 then the purchases were exempt from
Guy. This VIII not b he case h-saaf CT.
mis- ruling of the Treasury Department
was brought about, Collector B dwell eX-
= Z IL Il .a.v evening, By a combination of
IL, u;nstaICEs. An Inspector of Gus oms,
h said, hdu Eal charges preferred against
hiIa or failure TO declare certain articles
u-t.aL.G I.e Inspector appealed to the
collector. asserting that his action was
justified by he agiff act. Other cases of
a similar nature were cited. and, for his
future guidance, Collector Bidwell refer
rcd the whole na sr TO the Treasury De-
partuent for a ruling.
In response to his inquiry he received
the following instructions:
Treasury Department, Jan. 12, 1899.
Sir: Referring to your letter of the 2Sth ult.
in the matter OF dutiabe articles found in the
ha=,aLc 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 the back of the baggage
declaration by the inspector, and submitted the
app:asing officers for appraisement. and the in
specior will be held responsible for the failure
TO find and report such articles, regardless OF
their value. You will please see that this rule is
strictly enforced at vour port. Respectfully yours
W. d. HOWELL, Assistant Secretary.
Collector Bid ell said last night that
this new regulation would go into ell CT
on February /. and that he believed tn t
while at first it might cause some COM
plant on the part of passengers. it won d
ultimately be found beneficial. He id
the rule now was that returning pass n
gers were not obliged TO d,cIare any per-
sonal baggage they had purchased abro d
that was valued at less than $f00. but that
this rule had been found unsatisfactory
Accordingly, he said. under the interpre-
tation of the tariff act made by Assistant
Secretary Howell, a complete list of all
the articles purchased abroad, with a d C
laration of the value Of each. viii be re-
quired of passengers. In addition a de-
sc-iption of every such article must be
written on the back of the passengers
trunks.
For example" Mr.. Bidwell said. Sup
pose a passenger has a comb in his bag
gage and declares he purchased it for ST..
The inspector will say, knowing the mar
yet value of course, That comb sells here
for So In such a case the comb would go
to the appraising officer who would fix
the duty to be levied upon it. a man,
again, may have a coat which he says he
purchased abroad for $50. If the inspector
knows it is worth $120 ii Will go to the
aupraising officer accordingly