Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-30
Some Secrets OF The Customs
FACTS THAT ARE WORTH kNoWi NC If YOU AVOID
TROUBLE OFFICIALS

- correct and Tie port OF shipment,
name OF Vessel and port of entry
When this shipment reaches IFS
port IN this country, which in this
case would be New York, an agent
Of the express company or railroad
that is to bring il to Kansas City
flies an Immediate transportation en-
try. which signifies that il is To como
straight through in bond To Kansas
City, and the customs officer there
cords and seals the boxes. or seals
the car, and it comes to Kansas City,
consigned to the Surveyor al the
Port
When it reaches Kansas City the
express company or railroad must no
tify the Surveyor of the Port within
"a hours and send him the manifest
which gives the number OF the ship
ment, corresponding to the number
on tile Immediate transportation en-
try. the ultimate cousignee and the
marks. description of packages and
contents, name of vessel by which
imported, where from and name of
shipper As soon as this manifest
reaches Mi. Clarke he gives II to
clerk, who marks it upon u black
hoard IN an anteroom of MIR. Giarkes
office.
There are four customs brokers in
Kansas City, each of whom has his
clients and has power of attorney.gto
act for each Of them. These brokers
look at the blackboard every day In
the case Of plumes from Paris the
| customs broker Of that importer
would go Il him and get his consular
invoice and lie would pay the duty
Wien the appraiser had decided how
much il Was thus relieving the i'm
porter Of ali that detail
Before the importer can get his
goods The customs appraiser must ex-
anime the shipment and determine its
value and the amount Of duty to he
| paid, as the consular invoice is not
always correct, The appraiser here is
| II. &. kreger lie has been doing
that work for - years. and is very
expert on the values OF goods aud all
| phases 81 the tariff laws. To appraise
q shipment one-tenth of it is taken.
| That is If there are ten boxes in the
| shipment, one is taken to the APP
praiser's office at Fourth and Wyan-
| dotte streets. over the Offices OF
| transfer company and there an OPP
ener opens the box ard Mr.. Kreger
compares the goods with the invoice
ana classiiies them and estimates
their value and notifies the importer
in writing that his goods are ready
| and what the duty amounts 10
II the importer is not satisfied with
| the decision Of the appraiser he may
appeal to the General Board ri APP
prlsers In New York, which consists
II
one of The nine men of the board, and
| If the importer is dissatisfied with his
! decision it goes before three members
of the board for decision Ii the
importer Is vet dissa tisfied he may APP
/ peal to the customs Court, New York,
and it's decision is final and cannot
be appealed from.
| Disputes do not often arise but
| they sometimes do. For example, the
law provides that if 81 or more threads
in each 100 Of fabric are silk it must
| he classified as all silk and pay duty
as such while If more than 50 threads
are cotton il is classified as cotton
fabric.
| Rec ntls department store here
| imported a ease of marble pedestals
| Of great value and the appraiser de-
| clared they We're machine made and
| should pay a duty of IS per cent The
| importer said they were hand made
and need pay duty of only Ii
| per cent An appeal was taken
| aud the Board of Appraisers in New
| York sent one of its members here
| TO hear and decide the appeal. The
| board notified Mr.. Clarke then that it
would send one of its members here
| in each case OF appeal and thus save
time and money to the importer.
Sometimes the appraiser discovers
collusiou between the shipper abroad
aud the importer to undervalue the
goods and cheat the government. OF
| ten the appraiser has to send samples
of olive oil and other food products
I" tie pure food laboratory in the
Federal Building for testing as to
Their purity.
It is not generally known that. the
duty 10 be paid on all zinc and lead
ores imported into this country is de-
termined al the customs office in
Kansas City about 2n6 cars of these
| ores are imported each week. From
each ear six ounces is taken by the
customs officers at the port of en-
try and sent to Mr.. Clark, who turns
IL over TO Charles S. Curtis, The gov
ernment assayer here, who determines
the per cent. of zinc or lead in the
shipment aud notifies the proper GUS
toms officer who collects the duty of
| one cent a pound on, zinc and one and
| half cents on lead The most of
this ore comes from Mexico. Some
comes from British Columbia and the
Orient
The assay oflice here is the only one
OF its kind connected with the Gus
toms service in this country
Last week Mr.. curtis received a
sample of an ere received at Port
Nogaies Ariz.. from Mexico. He as
saved it and found 1t contained sS =,
10 of molybdenum a rare metal used
in hardening steel It was the first
sample of this ore ever sent to him
for assav--Kansas City Star.