The evening times., 1899-01-26
REQUIRED TO GIVE DETAILS.
Ocean Travellers Must Tell Exac1
Value of Articles Imported.

New York Jan. 26.-PersOns 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 recent ruling of the Treasury De-
parrment they will have 10 declare in de-
tail to the customs officers any and all
articles they have purchased abroad.
This will not be agreeable news to trans
Atlantic yOyagers, for heretofore they have
been required to declare their purchases
in d general way only, giving the total
value and il that proved 10 be less than
800 then the purchases were exempt from
duty. This will not be the case hereafter.
This ruling of the Treasury Department
was brought about. Collector Bidwell ex
planned last evening. by a combination OF
circumstances. An inspector of customs,
he said, had had charges preferred against
him for failure to declare certain articles
dutiable. The inspector appealed TO the
collector. asserting that his action was
justified by the tariff act. Other cases of
a similar nature were cited and, for his
future guidance. Collector Bidwell refer
red the whole matter to the Treasury De-
partment for a ruling.
In response TO his inquiry he received
the following instructions:
Treasury Department. Jan. H. lS)9.
Sir: Referring to your letter of the 18th ult.,
III the matter OF dutiablc articles found in the
baggage of passengers arriving al 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 he described the back OF the baggage
declaration by the inspector, and submitted the
apprasing officers for appraisement, and the in
spector will be held responsible for the failure
hVF fTglac -
their value. You will please that this rule is
strictly enforced your port. Respectfully yours
W. b. HOWELL, Assistant Secretary.
Collector Bidwell said last night that
this new regulation would go into effect
on February l, and that he believed that
while at first it might cause some COM
plaint on the part of passengers, it would
ultimately be found beneficial. He said
the rule now was that returning passen-
gers were not obliged to declare any per-
sonai baggage they had purchased abroad
that was valued at less than 500, 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 dsc-
laration of the value of each, will be re-
quired of passengers. In addition a de-
scription of every such article must be
written on the back of the passengers
trunks.
For example" Mr.. Bidwell said. sup
pose passenger has a comb in his bag
gage and declares he purchased it for 81
| 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, man,
| again. may have a coat which he says he
purchased abroad for $50 If the inspector
knows it is worth s12O it will go to the
arpraising officer accordingly"