Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-04
WAKEMAN FACES COMMITTEE
FORMER APPRAISER AT NEW
YORK WITNESS IN HEARING.
Mentions Apparent Weakness in Ad-
ministration of the Customs
Law-Makes Members Laugh.

Wilbur +. Wakeman, appraiser OF the
port of New York. who was removed by
President Roosevelt in 1901. following
Mr.. Wakeman's exposure of the now ia =
nous silk frauds. was heard by the
ways and means committee at today's
tariff hearing. Mr.. Wakeman is now
treasurer and general secretary of the
American Protective Tariff League.
Mr. Wakeman told the committee that
he appeared today especially to call at
in the administration of the customs
law rather than to the law itself
According to section 29O1 Of the Re-
vised Statutes" he said, "one package
of every invoice and one package at
chandise must be opened, examined and
appraised.
Law Only Seems Strict.
Under your laws he said, 'all pack
ages on an invoice may be ordered to
the appraiser for examination. APP
praisement and advisory classification
Consequently as I have intimated, the
law seems to be strict enough for all
practical purposes. but in operation it
is found that whenever the collector
chandise on an invoice. he is told that
the merchandise has gone into con
sumption. and it is my experience that
all of the merchandise on an invoice
cannot be secured more than once In
100 times, unless the entire merchan-
disc is demanded upon entry at any
port
Under these circumstances the ap-
praiser has one package In ten before MIN.
and supposing he advances the value OF
L, n NJ
able to secure the balance of the mer-
chandise or the nine-tenths. and the ad.
vance made according to the decision or
the courts, only applies to merchandise
which was before the appraiser.
Revenues Suffer Seriously.
1T is my Judgment that the revenues
of the government suffer very seriously
on account of the failure of importers to
comply with the law in furnishing all OF
the merchandise on given invoice when
demanded.
81 remember of one case which came
under nv personal observation, where the
leading importers in a certain l1ne CON
stantIy had the one-tenth advanced ana
it was scarcely ever poSslble TOT 1he ~
obtain all of the merchandise on an IN
voice. On one occasion reiuseo 10 nlahe
a return or apprasement of SAID merclan-
disc and found that the importers aetua'.
ly went out into the market ana pousilt
a low grade of goods. packed them III
foreign cases and submitted them 10 me
as appraiser as the or1slna. soous
wrought in upon this invoice. You can
anpreciate what loophole this amounts
to in the honest administration or the
customs laws
Champ Clark Gets Busy.
Champ Clark of Missouri asked Mr.
N,ker,ap questions designed to show
that Mr.. Wakeman had exposed the SILK
frauds, that the Treasury Department
had given the silk importers clean bill
of health and that the President had dis
charged Mr.. Wakeman.
That's what I call quick work, Mr..
Clark remarked, while the other members
of the committee grinned audlbly.
Mr.. Wakeman added. when he got
chance, that he was very grateful to the
President for removing him.
Submits Recommendations.
The former appraiser recommended to
the committee that a provision be insert
ed in the new law to the effect that when
all of the merchandise on any invoice is
called for by customs officials and not
furnished intact, that the appraisement
of the one-tenth apply to the whole in
voice.
Il believe" he said, that this provision
would be accepted gladly by every hon.
est importer, and it certainly would have
a most important influence In favor Of
good administration.
Mr.. Wakeman made number of other
recommendations which, he asserted,
would result in more equitable admins
tration of the customs law. His testimony
was heard apparently, with great inter-
est by the committee.