New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-02
NEAR-RIOTS OVER
WAR TAX STAMPS
Delays Irritate Swarms of
Buyers Thronging Gus
tom House.
GREAT RUSH SWAMPS
COLLECTORS OFFICE
Anderson Begs Merchants Not to
Send Noisy, Ruffianly Mes
sengers To-day.

"The greatest rush that ever
swsmped any internal revenue ONCE
in the country"
That was the way Charles W. An
derson, Collector of the I'd New York
District, described the surging thou
sands that besieged his office in the
Custom House yesterday seeking the
war tax stamps.
Mr.. Anderson found it necessary to
obtain a special ruling from Commits
sioner Osborn, at Washington, per-
hitting him to date all special tax re-
turns on November 80, the time limit
for filing them, so as 30 relieve from
the prescribed penalties the thousands
who could not be accommodated yes
terday or the day before.
The demand was so great that the
supply of stamps required for per-
fumery, cosmetics, chewing gum and
numerous articles sold by druggists
and small dealers had nearly been ex-
hausted at the close of Office hours.
Mr.. Anderson decided last night that
to-day he would permit these articles
10 be sold unstamped until stamps
could be obtained, provided record
of the sales was kept and stamps pur-
chased later.
Before the Custom House opened
several hundred men and boys were
waiting outside. All day long a line
three abreast wound from Battery Park
to the fifth floor, where Collector An
derson's Office is located At the Office
door the line was formed four abreast.
In all more than ten thousand persons
got supplies during the day. The Col
lector of the Port lent fifteen of his
clerks to help out Mr.. Anderson's staff
Of sixty.
There was a good deal of disorder
in the crowd. Men and boys standing
in line for three or four hours became
impatient. There was much delay, for
the reason that many had no idea how
much tax they had to pay. Collector
Anderson issued a statement complain
ing that many of the young men in
the line were extremely noisy and some
were boisterous and even ruffianly in
their conduct" and asking merchants
ito aid TO the extent of having their
messengers conduct themselves prop
erly"
The same conditions prevailed at the
Sd District offices at 10th st. and Third
ay. Collector Marshall's force found
early in the day that they were going
to be buried nnder a human avalanche,
and the police were summoned.
The internal Revenue Office in
Brooklyn was swamped by a similar
crowd, and, as on Third av., the
method of closing the doors and let
ting in a few at a time was resorted
20. Collector Anderson relieved the
strain by depositing large quantity
of stamps with the Hanover National
Bank and directing hundreds there.
Soon three lines of applicants were
formed outside the bank
The Collector CT Internal Revenue
is allowed under the new war tax
law to deposit stamps not only with
q government depository bank, but also
with the Assista MT United States
Treasurer at the Sub-Treasury, and
with the postmaster.
Collector Anderson refused to dis
cuss the possibilities of calling upon
the postmaster 20 sell the stamps at
all sub-stations, 20 as to relieve the
crush.
The filing of papers in the Office of
the County Clerk was retarded for
two hours for lack of stamps. When
the Office opened at 9 a. m. a crowd
of lawyers and clerks began to come.
When they found County Clerk
Schneider had no stamps some of the
lawyers were indignant and sent clerks
posthaste TO Collector Anderson's of
flee, where they had to join in the
waiting line.
Collector Anderson had been unable
TO get documentary stamps from
Washington in sufficient quantities. A
supply which came later in the day
will, it is expected, meet the emer-
gcncy to-day. In all classes of stamps
desired yesterday the Collector had to
limit the number given to each person,
because of the short supply.