The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-03
"COURTBSRS OF THB PORT"
RIGID CUSTOMS INSPECTION
FOR An.

FOR An.
Fer PaVored Perseas the E:xamlnatlou
May Ne Hurvied Under IN ''Rxpedite''
Oroer-ThAt Ne I-oageP Means Free
Entry Theugh-EStls DSas Away win.
When William Loeb. Jr.. became CollsctOT
Of the Port he found some Of his subOr-
dinaies. chiefly deputy surveyors and
deputy collectors. assuming functions
which no believed should DO exercised
solely bY the Collecsor himself IL had
been the custom Of several oflcials. now
retired from the service. to -expsdite'
the baggage Of friends % theirs or friends
of their friends. The inspectors whose
duty 10 was to look over the sEpsSiited
baggage usually made q perfunctory er-
animation. and IL may never be known
now many thousands OF dollars worth Of
dutiabls stun came in under -eIpedite'
orders.
This state OF Affairs had something TO
do with the decision OF the Collector aud
the Secretary u the Treasury to limit
the right 10 issue expesiits orders to
themselves. With this decision there
were sent out TO the baggage examining
force under Deputy Surveyor John J.
Raozkiewios orders that all expedit cd
baggage should he examined a. carefully
~ any other sort. The result Of this
order was that several persons OF cromi-
nence in other cities were caught trying
To get things In which they had not de-
clared. They had a chance to make a
supplementary declaration aud were
made to pay duty
Many persons who have received ex-
pesiite orders have the impression that
an expedite IL the same ~ free entry
There is q big difference. All that an
expedite entities the passenger to 10 .
specially assigned inspector. who make
Q swift but thorough examination Of the
baggage. enabling the traveller To get
away a little ahead Of some others.
Expeditinx was originally called -ex-
tending the courtesies of the port The
latter expression was abolished in 1901
under tho administration % Collector
Bidweil and Surveyor Croft because IL was
rrga ri-d as a misnomer aud led those re-
ceiving it 10 believe that their baggage
would not he examined at all Before the
coming 81 Collector Isosb the Surveyor
and his deputies did as much expsSiiting
as the Collector himself
Article SIS Of the customs regulations
% IsOs provides that the privileges Of
free entry and sXemptiOn from eHAmina-
ton ~ extended to the hagga &c and effects
Of the following officers and their families
and suites: Foreign Ambassadors. Min
isters charges d'AdAire@ secretaries
ma val military and other attaches Of en-
bas~is-s and legations: high commissioners
and Consiils General. similar representa-
tives 81 this Government abroad returning
from their missions. and such high officials
he the subjects % special instructions
from this Department.
Exsmption from duty extends To homo
hold effects and personal property % the
officials designated. hut not 10 shipments
made 10y them whil~ residing abroad. To
get these shipments In free ~ duty a spe-
cial Application mus, be made 10 the Sec
rotary 81 state. who Notifies the Secretary
% the Treasury. who in turn Authorizes
the Collector To deliver the shipments free
~ duty. IL 10 always assumed that per-
sons who obtain free entry are honest and
that they win no, bring in things 20 sell 20
others or things that they have bought
abroad for intimate friends here
Col Roosevelt had the right a. q special
ami a-rariOr "a the funeral Of King Edward
70 bring In any quantity Of pers"nsi prop
erty, but he decided that he would come
In like any other citizen. He vas not
permitted 10 do this. however. ~ his old
friend Collector Loeb decided ~ least
to honor the Colonel with an expedite
which ~ what much less distinguished
citizens receive every time big steam.
ship gets in
A first the deputies did not like the
order that did away with q privilege that
made them power with their political
and social friends They are used To IL
now and they vigorously enforce the rule
49, eAA la ~.
thoroughly inspected.
The Collector Jaw that under q sub
division Of power among q large number
OF deputies there were big possibilities Of
corruption. That 10 another reason Why he
decided TO concentrate all power and re-
sponsibility for its exercise and its en-
cheney under one head. that " the Col
lector himself.
Since then no one who has watched the
examination Of baggage will deny that
conviction Of high class smuxxlers
show that this efficiency was necessary
even in the cases Of well known men and
women who in the past when obtaining
an expedite was an easy matter might
have brought IN all the stun that dill gent
inspectors and deputies uncovered.
There have been many dark hints about
some men who we're permitted TO leave
the service after the right to issue ex-
pedits orders became practically the Col
lector's alone. II IL said that several Of
those who were let 20 for the benefit OF
the servioe,' a. IL IL euphoniously called,
OF denoted were ON too Intimate terms
with certain dressmakers who later got
into serious trouble With the new Custom
House administration. IL b. said that
some Of the friends Of these dressmaksrr.
posing 40 foreign residents, actually got
expedite orders and that the INSPECTOR
on the job. who naturally we're In league
with the men who secured the expcditer.
permltted the dutiabie goods slowed ~
the bottom OF trunks TO pas
The name 'oourtesies OF the port still
cling 60 the expedite orders. hat the
oourtesies are not 80 erwhelming as
they used 20 be when they were given ont
by deputies who saw that the inspectors
merely lifted the lids Of trunks and pesp@d
in. Truly in the old days under the old
system an expedite was equivalent To free
entry.
TRY THE ESCALATOR.