The Washington herald., 1906-11-19
EVADED FRUIT DUTY
Government Makes Charge
Against Baltimore Firm.
CUSTOM OFFICER IS INVOLVED
Secretary shaw Directs Prosecution
of IMPORTERS, and Suit VIII he
Brought 60 Recover S2OO. .OOO-In-
vestigatirn started by Orange
Dealers against Seward Company.

Charging that the fruit importing firm
/ Of J. II. Seward & Co. Of Baltimore
/ through the connivance of Robert White
| ford. an assistant weigher in the employ
I OF the Baltimore customs Office. has been
/ eveding a large percentage Of the import
duty on oranges. the Treasury Depart
ment viii institute suit against the firm
/ TO recover S20o000. The suit will be brought
| by District Attorney Rose. Of Baltimore.
and it is stated that Whiteford will be
/ tried for completely. His resignation was
rendered 10 the department on September
/ /, but has not been accepted, although he
/ has not reported for duty In the Baltimore
/ Office since November ].
Whiteford denies the charge against
/ him, and stated yesterday that he had
not been informed that his resignation had
not been accepted.
| J. Il. Seward. the head Of the firm
also denies the allegation against his
concern and attributes its origin TO the
/ fact that his company has been able 10
| offer oranges at a better figure quoted by
dealers in Washington. Baltimore, and
/ Philadelphia
CuIIOm Made Report.
Collector William F. Stone has refused
to say anything about the matter, be
yond the fact that the report Of Special
/ Agent Leslie CuIlom. the representative
/ of the Treasury Department in BaIti-
more, is official and that the charges will
stand until heard in court
/ Upon the receipt of this report, Secre-
tary Shaw wrote to United States District
Attorney John c. Rose. instructing him
| to take either civil or criminal action
against the accused firm. and to give
Whiteford an opportunity to make a
statement. Rose will proceed at once
with the information at hand.
! The duty on oranges is / cent 4 pound
and in 1899 Baltimore importers secured
the passage of an order permitting them
to take the fruit from the ships to ware
houses, separate the good from the bad
and then pay duty on the good fruit only
/ The weighing is supposed TO be done un-
/ der the supervision of a special agent
and Whiteford represented the govern
ment in the Seward place. All oranges
were weighed when they came in. the
| fruit was culled, and then the discarded
| fruit, technically termed ''slush" weighed
/ the importer getting a rebate on its
weight
"SIush" Weighed Twice.
| Importers complained TO Collector Stone
/ that the Seward Company could sell or
anges at about the cost price to other
merchants. and Stone notified the Treas
ury Department Cullom was then as
signed to the case. He found. so it is
alleged. that the Weighing in the Seward
| establishment took place between mid
night and morning. when WhitefOTd was
not there, and that in instances the same
| barrels of 'slush" We're used several
/ times, after having been mixed with
water and saw-dust to give il more
weight. The result was that while other
| importers averaged about twenty per cent
''siush' in cargo of fruit. the Seward
reports showed from sixty to eight-five
| per cent ''slush," explaining. so it was
| pointed out how the firm could sell or
anges so cheaply.
Whiteford has been in the employ of the
Office in Baltimore since 1855, as assistant
weigher.