The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-22
NEED OF AN
APPRAISER
The Difficulties of
the Custom
House.
SAMPLES ARE NOW
SENT TO NEW YORK
Appeals Pending Upon CIassifica-
ton of Chinese Wine and
Bean Stick.

| If the visit of one of the members
of the New York Board of Appraisers
to Honolulu develops, as is expected
i by the importers here, it will result
| in the clearing up of considerable bust
ness which has been handicapping the
collector of customs for some time
| Under the law the appraiser is COM
PEELED to come to Honolulu the same
| as to any other port in the United
States when goods are held under pro-
test, but in view of the great distance
from New York, and the necessarily
tedious waits upon the appraiser, local
importers have always in the past sent
samples OF protested importations to
New York for appraisement there.
If this was not done the goods would
have been held here until the apprais-
er was able to make the long trip.
Now, however, the importers are anx-
IouS to have a test case made, and at
the same time have the appraisers be-
come accustomed to local conditions,
which according to Harry Johnson the
custom house broker, are different
from any other place in the United
States. Even at San Francisco, he
said yesterday, the importations of
Chinese and Japanese goods are very
dissimilar to those brought into Ha-
waiian ports.
In the matter of the appeal of H.
Hamano, for instance, where the gen
eral board of appraisers made the ap-
praisement, and from which an appeal
to the Federal court was taken, there
has long been a question as to the
class in which these Japanese shoes
should be placed. The importers claim
they are leather shoes, and should be
classed as such, while the appraisers
say they are manufactures of iron
The suit in court, however has not !
changed the status of the relations |
with the local custom house. Every !
shipment of these shoes from Japan to |
Honolulu are assessed at As per cent. |
as decided by the New York board of |
appraisers. The importers continue to !
pay this duty, but under protest, and ,
upon every shipment an appeal is |
taken from the collectors ruling. This |
means the mailing to New York of one
pair of slippers for examination by
the appraisers, and Mr.. Johnson esti-
mated yesterday that over fifty pairs
of these shoes had already been sent
to the appraisers, each pair represent
ing a new appeal.
There are always many classes of |
Chinese and Japanese goods coming |
into Hawaii which never are sent to
New York or San Francisco. and it is
for an examination of these goods that |
a visit to Honolulu is desired by the !
importers. One appeal which has been
pending for nearly a year is upon the
lppraisement of beanstick product
sent here from Japan. The collector
has assessed the duty as upon a vege-
able compound, While the importers
claim it is a manufactured product,
which bears a lower duty. However,
he shipments of the stuff still con-
inue, and the difficulty is obviated by
he payment of the higher duty by the
If the collector is reversed
he ~
luty is repaid to the importer. a de-
,ision as to the appraisement of this
IMPORT is expected now, very shortly, j..
IS the matter has been up for consid- ,
ration for a long time. and the pro-
ests continue to pour into New York.
A recent difference of opinion be-
ween the importer and the collector
5 upon the classification of Chinese
vine, which the collector has appraised
s medicine, and as subject to a duty
( 80 cents per pound. Consequently.
he duty is much greater than the
alue of the Importation. and as the
zine is very expensive, an appeal to
Jew York is rather a costly proceed
1g, in that sample bottle of each .
rand is sent to the appraisers for test
lg. A sample of every shipment of
inc, however small, must be sent to
lew York, as in the case of the Slip
ers, and unless decision Is made
BON by the appraisers, they will be
ell stocked with Chinese wines.
Considerable of the difficulty is at
resent remedfed by Special Agent ,
harp. who was sent here for the pur- v
use. but there are still many ques- -
ons which the importers believe re-
lire the presence of one of the APP
'aisers.
The court order signed by Judge Es-
e yesterday in the Hamano case. and
hich was forwarded to washington u,
the Sierra, directs Hon. H NJ. SOM
vile TO take further testimony, but
neither in New York or Honolulu is
u specified. The only evidence F.
ought before the board at the first N