The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-16
No OPEN HEARINGs.
Important Conference Regarding the
 Customs Inspection.

Important Conference Regarding the
 Customs Inspection.
 Washington, Feb. 15.--An important conference was held at the White House this afternoon, after which 1t was de- cided that there should not be open hearings before the Board of General Appraisers in cases of contested valua- tions of imported goods.
 The conference today grew out of a request made by certain importing in- terests in New York through a commit tee of the Merchants Association of that city. Importers, particularly of German goods, desired that the hear ings before the Board of General Ap- praisers should be made public. In their desire they had the support of the German Government
 In view of the fact that the new maximum and minimum German tarin goes into effect March 1, and of the wish of the German Government that the hearings in, contested valuation cases should be open, the conference assumed international importance. Among those present at the confer ence besides the President, were Sec retary Root, Secretary Shaw, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Reynolds, President Devries and Messrs. Fischer, Waite and Sherretts, members of the Board of General Appraisers; Mir Barn hard of Marshall Field & Go. of Chi cago; J. B. Kemp, counsel of the Board of Appraisers, and Thomas H. Down. ing, W. W. Smith and ". E. Mead of the Merchants Association of New York.
 The question of open hearings was considered in all of its phases. It was developed that on the part of many of the great importing interests. including large concerns in Chicago and New York, there was no demand for open hearings. MT. Barnhard said that the enforcement of the customs laws and regulations was the least of the trou- . bles of his company, and that 1t had no more difficulty about such enforce ments than 1t had with the enforce ment of the law against murder.
 It was pointed out by Secretary Shaw that the demand for open hearing came from import brokers in New York and to some extent from German merchants who are exporters to this country. He explained that under the law and the treasury regulations, the importer was protected absolutely as he had a right to appeal to the various courts, clear I'D to the United States Supreme Court.
 Ii was finally decided that there should be no open hearings and that the board of general appraisers should continue to handle contested valuation cases as heretofore.
 Although the decision against open hearings is final. there were other sug- gestions looking to the modification of some of the more stringent regula- lions of the customs service which commended themselves strongly to the President and Secretary Root and which have been submitted through Baron Speck Won Sternburg, the Ger man. Ambassador on behalf, of tho German government
 Al the conclusion of the conference at the White House Secretary Root re- turned to the State Department. where he held an hours conference with Ba- ron sternberg during part of which Baron Bussche. the first Secretary of Embassy, was also present At this conference the Ambassador was in- formed that although 1t had been found inpracticable to upset the present sys- tenn of appraising or to permit the In . troduction of testimony and cross ex- animation at the hearings, the Wash ington government was prepared to instruct It's agents in Germany to CO., operate in every way with the German boards of trade and other similar or Eanizations as well as with leading