The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-08
MODERN SMUGGLING
The Many Difficulties of Our American
 Inspectors

From the London Globe.
 Many years ago there was in Corn wall very interesting duck pond. In appearance 1t was a small circular basin of water on which the ducks swan in ordinary fashion while the owner stood and watched them with proprietary pride
 He would invite the revenue officers to dine with him and take them out to ad-
 mire this among other attractions of the garden. But when the excise men left
 a strange thing would happen. The duck pond would swing around on pivot and reveal spacious cavity beneath in which were stored many kegs of good spirit which had never paid their duty. Snug gling is not conducted in this way now,
 nor are cargoes run during dark nights into the coves and caverns of our coast The risk Is too great, the coast guard service too thorough. The smngglers of those old romantic and interruptions days have long lain in their graves; we have become less romantic If not more scrupuious. But the desire to baffle the customs Is by no means extinct any more than iy the wish to make great and speedy profits Smuggling was always a fine art with the more intelligent of ite votaries It has become even finer
 now, though perhaps few of its devices
 are more ingenious than this Cornish duck pond. zr lH In small way many persons who would be indignant if their honor was questioned enjoy the pleasure of robbing the authorities. Not many visitors re- turn from the Channel Islands without trying to bring few cigars, a little tobacco bottle or two of scent, and the adventure has mild touch of excite
 nient-especially when the customs offi- cors prove keen enough to detect it. Sail ors also are still inveterate smugslers and most seamen ashore seem to have supply of tobacco that has never been through bond. But the average person
 perhaps does more of piracy than of
 smuggling. being content to buy pirated
 copies of books or music, of which the
 supply Is generally equal to the demand.
 This of course, is different from snug
 gling. or perhaps it might be more sue
 cessfully dealt with! it Is the song writer,
 the author, who is robbed, not the gov
 ernment. But direct robbing of the gov
 ernment still goes on merrily and with
 the high duty on tobacco especially this
 is not wonderful. Such smuggling is
 said to have increased in late years with
 the rise of the tax. Loaves of bread,
 Bibles, coffins and plum pudding have all
 been used as receptacles for choice cigars
 or contraband tobacco. Saccharin, also
 heinz very heavily taxed, has. caused
 the authorities great trouble; its value
 per bulk Is very great, so that even in
 small quantities its smuggling is a pay
 irg affair As saccharin can be mixed
 with other fsubstances and afterwards
 separated without detriment, the detec-
 ton is rather difficult, and much has
 been smuggled in the form of dyes, sul-
 plates. chalk or even sugar.
 It Is natural that countries with high
 tariffs should suffer more from snug
 g,ing than those where few articles are taxed, and America has been compelled to enact very severe penalty. though even that is not sufficient deterrent. It is believed that about s1,00O,O0O worth of cut diamonds are smuggled into the United States yearly yet the customs of- 'flcers of America are among the sharpest
 IT. the world The stones have been Introduced within the hollow walking sticks. in revolver cartridges, in babies rattles or sugar candy images.