New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-06
SHIP CAME TOO LATE
SIGNING OF TARIFF BILL
COST SI5 900.
German Liner Pennsylvania Had
Been I'm pOrtuned by Ureless to
Hurry to Port.

one little message from Washington closed
/ dramatic scene at the Custom House yesterday
scene which reached its climax with the
passage of the tariff bill and the signing Of it by
/ the President At $50 o'clock Collector Loeb
was called 10 the telephone. washington wanted
/ 10 talk TO him. Customs brokers were crowding
/ his ROOM the corridors and cashiers Office, and
/ more brokers were swarming about the street
/ doors. which had been closed against them at
400 O'Clock. If the Treasury Department gave
/ permission TO keep open until midnight the nine
thousand tons Of freight the Hamburg
American liner Pennsylvania might come in
under the Dingley act and the importers thus
save about $4,000. That the stake But
the other hand other dealers saved large
sums when the tariff on their goods is lower.
Collector Loeb sauntered leisurely into the
room. He at least was not excited
We close" he said laconically.
There was a brief stiffness and then the
brokers. though disappointed. cheered. Word
was sent 10 the brokers outside, and they
cheered. and in ten minutes the massive build
ing in lower Broadway where the duties on
merchandise are collected was tenanted only by
the usual force Of night watchmen.
Early I'm the week Collector Loeb had received
orders from the Treasury Department to keep
the cashiers and entry Offices open until 400
o'clock instead Of closing at 3 o'clock, on the
day when the new tariff bill was signed. The
regular closing time for the building is 400
o'clock but the departments where the coIlec-
tions are made keep the hours usual i'm banks
There was no question OF extending the time
beyond 4:3O o'clock until yesterday morning
Then broker after broker came in and tried to
enter merchandise the Pennsylvania only to
meet with refusal. The situation became more
and more acute in the afternoon. when the vote
on the bin was made known. Two big ships
had cleared within a day. the Teutonic and the
Floride, and others not so big. but with good
cargoes.
TUG SPEEDS TO QUARANTINE
The Hamburg American Line officials got
word from the captain OF the Pennsylvania that
he would be off Sandy Hook AT 10 o'clock last
night telegraph message was sent 10 Col
lector Loeb asking that the Custom House he
kept open until midnight so that the big boat
might clear. While awaiting an answer tho
swiftest tug free was chartered TO meet the ship
at Quarantine and bring the captain. with the
ship manifest, to the city. In ordinary times
when ship has arrived within the port limits
brokers with the invoices and other papers are
permitted 10 pay the duties ~ the office is open
and the shipments are released But this was
not ordinary occasion.
Soon after o'clock Mr.. Loeb received a tele-
phone message from Washington 10 close az
$50 o'clock according TO the order He was
about TO enforce this when he received the Ham
burg American message and forwarded Il. Will.
waiting for the answer brokers were paying
duties on other shipments and making good use
of the short time remaining before the bin be
came operative. Then came the message deny
ing the German lines request.
Duties were paid far beyond the time OF clos
Ing. the last invoice settled being for cargo Of
lemons total collected yestardav
2lsOOO. representing 1.11s invoices. The amount
paid i'm not much in excess OF that the DAY
before. but well above normal So were
the Withdrawals from bond the day at the COL
lector's office beginning with batch Of six hun
dred invoices which all figured in the settlement
at the cashiers Office.
John T Rafferty,. president OF the Brokers
Association. the spokesman for the crowd
of more than three hundred men who were there
to pay duties as representatives OF the import
ers. each with invoices and bills OF ladng all
ready He called early for ruling the status
OF the cargo OF the Pennsylvania IL she should
arrive within the port limits before midnight.
In the big ante-roOm OF the Collectors Office
were Collector Loeb. II. c. Stuart, one Of his
deputies: W. P. Andrews. of the legal staff;
newspaper men and many brokers Mr.. Andrews
was delving into law books TO solve the ques-
tion Of what could be done II the office remained
open and the Pennsylvania came into port near
midnight.
MAY CONTEST THE DUTIES
The legal situation was solved just before the
closing message was received. and was 20 the
effect that the Collector might receive the mani
fest and permit the payment Of the duties. II
was at his option. provided he was ordered
TO keep his Office open. But as the order was
the other way he was not required To exercise
his option
Mr. Rafferty, and the Hamburg American off,
Gals will decide to-day whether TO contest the
application of the new duties to the Pennsyl-
vanias cargo. They held that If the captain OF
the vessel should get TO the Custom. House be-
fore midnight the cargo should be admitted
under the Dingley act. They will also try TO
find out whether the act cannot be con-
strued 20 mean that ION the day after" the bill
was signed the time when the law is effective
cannot be construed 10 mean twenty four hours
after the signing, which would make the act
operative this afternoon.
Jesse c. Grant, the Deputy Collector in charge
OF the entry department, said that under the law
il was required that the captain must flle his
manifest before the brokers can pay the duties
and that no shipments can be cleared until the
duties are paid That meant that the offices
would have 10 be open the arrival az the
captain. but the legal time for receiving mani
tests was between the hours Of and o'clock
any papers submitted at other times could not
be entered excepting special ruling OF the
Treasury Department
The brokers had everything ready for a night
wait for the Pennsylvania. The Battery Park
National Bank. with which most OF them do
business. had arranged for a night session.
which was declared off when the final word
came from Washington