The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-03
THEPLAYING Gard TRUST
Complaint About Selling Cheaper
Abroad Than at Home.
Managers of the Combine Ask the
Government to Prohibit the Re-
turn Here and Sale of Goods Ship
ped to Europe They Complain
That Their Business Is Injured.

The Playing Card Trust is in practical
command of the card market in America.
A prohibitive duty of 10 cents deck and
% per cent ad valorem completely shuts
out all foreign cards from this country.
AS a result of its monopoly, the trust in
the past three years has advanced its
prices from 20 to 100 per cent. The deal
ers have paid the advance; they have had
no alternative.
While showing up prices in this coun-
try, however, the trust has been exporting
cards to Europe in enormous quantities
As it does not have the benefit of high
tariff there, it has sold its goods at a
normal profit, far below the price demand
ed in this country. American dealers,
seeing cards sold by The trust in Europe
at n fraction of the cost here, have sent
abroad for these same cards and brought
them back. They have been admitted free
of duty, as are other products of the
United States when reimported. The only
cost is for revenue st&Hnps at the rate OF
2 cents deck. The dealers who get their
goods in this way have been able to UNDER
sell the merchants who buy from the trust
| rupture in the trusts business here. The
monopoly still exists, for the trust is still
| supplying ali the cards, but the merchants
who have brought back the trust goods
from Europe have been able to undersell
their rivals. The latter have complained.
In order to break up this condition the
trust lately applied tn Treasury officials
for relief 1t demanded that 1t be given
power to seize and confscate all its cards
thus reiE.ported, and urged that the Gus
toms officials be ordered to turn such i'm
portations into the hands of the trust
without regard TO the rights of the mer-
chant who purchased the goods abroad.
The demand. however, has not been COM
piled with. Assistant Secretary SPaulc-
ing,>of-rhe Treasury, has just issued a de-
| cision in which he refuses OF give the
trust the right OF conflscation that 1t de-
sires.
The request from the trust was made
several weeks ago by the United States
Playing Card Company. the New York
Consolidated Card Company, snd A. Daugh-
erty. They admitted that the dealers who
bought abroad were greatly underselling
the men who bought from the trust, on the
home market, since the reimporters ''vir-
tually buy their goods at foreign mar
ket prices, and sell them here without tho
payment of duty, thu. enjoying a profit
impossible OF realization from domestic
goods sold for consumption at domestic
prices
As basis for the demand that the cards
thus brought back be forfeited to the trust
the gentlemen at the head of that or
ganization pointed to the bond shat they
or the purchasers give before exporting
their goods. In order to snip the cards to
Europe without payment OF the revenue
tax, which is cents per pack. the trust
or the buyer gives bond 20 the Government.
1t provides for a forfeit OF 5000 to the
United States should the cards not be ex-
ported or should they be relanded in the
United States with the connivance OF the
consignors. Nothing Is said in the bond
about such a penalty unless the consignors
connive at relanding the unstamped goods.
In petition to the Commissioner of In.
ternal Revenue, under date of August TO-
the trust used these bonds as an alleged
reason for being granted the right to con-
fseate all its cards that might BE- returned
to this country. The trust asserted that
1t might be required to pay this forfeit IL
the cards 1t had cent abroad were brought
back to the United States Accordingly. 1t
asked for a Treasury regulation ordering
the collector Of customs to give notice 10
the trust whenever such cards should be
returned On payment OF any customs
charges by the trust. tAe goods should be
placed by the collector OF customs in the
warehouses OF the makers.
The request was referred to Assistant
| Secretary Spaulding, who promptly re-
! jected IT,