Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-30
DIAMOND VALUATION
CoNSIGNMENTS OF PRECIOUS
STONES RELEASED.

NEW YORK, November 30.-Several
shipments of polished diamonds which have
been held up at the appraisers stores pend
ing an Investigation as to their value will
be delivered to Irving Baum. an importer.
the Treasury Department having been de-
feated in an effort to prove differentiation
In the invoices. Several importers of the
Maiden Lane district have been called In
the last week to testify to the worth Of
the stones before General Appraiser Nc
Clelland, who has decided that the invoice
figures were correct
The advances which the appraiser of the
port has failed to sustain were unusually
heavy averaging about 20 per cent. II the
general appraiser had agreed with the APP
praiser all the diamonds would have been
forfeited to the government, this being the
rule when the invoice figures are increased
more than 80 per cent. Among the customs
employees and the importers the present
case Is said to be due to the agitation which
began last summer when Eduard Van Dam
of this city was obliged to pay about $4,000
in penalties for undervaluations. The Van
Dam incident led to the dismissal of George
w. Mindi. the chief examiner. the stones
having been advanced while he on his
vacation, on the advice of his assistant,
William b. Treadwell.
Marked Up by Mindil.
Mr.. Baum's diamonds were marked up by
MI ulHull lHc uhy lie TeilhQuisiieu
his duties. No such large advances as in
these two cases have been made before on
diamond imports in years. AS importers
frequently get shipments Of diamonds cost
ing from $50, 600 to upward OF 500, 900, they
are disturbed by reports that under pres
ent conditions delays in deliveries of the
stones might be more common than hereto
fore. Delay in delivery means loss in trade
and interest on their money. the importers
say. because they are obliged to pay cash
for the diamonds before they leave Europe.
At the appraisers stores 1t was said that
there would be more delay than In the
past for importers whose invoices are &C
curate.
have been trying to get Endorsements.
There are two examiners now in the jewelry
department who were Gen. Mindils assist
ants, Mr.. Treadwell and Frederick Rosen-
berg. Until recently they gave their atten-
| ton mostly to jewelry and precious stones
! outside of diamonds Appraiser Fowler has
assigned Mr.. Treadwell to pass on dia-
| monds, which was the work OF Gen. Mindil.
| He has also ordered that after diamonds
| are passed by Mr.. Treadwell they shall also
| be appraised by Mr. Rosenberg. The reason
! given is that with imports amounting to
| 35,GO0,OOO there is too much responsibility
| in intrustng the examination entirely to
| one man.
| campaign. is being started by Gen. Min
| dis friends to convince the authorities at
| Washington that he did not get square
| deal. They say that 1t was not just to ac-
| cuse him of winking at differentiation be-
| cause one invoice with figures too low ar
| rived in his absence. 1t has been said that
| the Treasury Department officials did not
| like the action of the Diamond Importers
| Association, which sent to Washington a
| telegram expressive of the importers con-
| fidence In the former examiner. then under
| charges. This weighed against him, accord
ing to report, the officials holding that his
popularity with importers was not in his
| favor.
Objections to one of the present examiners
| are likely to be urged by Gen. Mlndil s
| friends, it Is said, because a brother is EN-
ployed in one of the large jewelry houses.