New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-04-23
ITALIANS ENGAGED IN
CoNTRABAND TRAFFIC
Provisions and Metals Struggled
Across Frontier TO Austria.


all the vigilance of the Italian Gus
toms officials, large quantities of con-
aband, chiefly provisions and metals,
are daily crossing the frontier to
Austria. The traffic is mostly by
rail through Pontebba, but a good
deal is also going by sea from Venice.
Austrian and German agents are
travelling all over Italy offering most
eXorbitant prices for all kinds Of sup
plies urgently needed in those coun-
tries. So long as through freight
trains are permitted to be sent from
Italy to Austria it will be practically
impossible for the customs officials
to prevent this traffic.
Many and ingenious are the tricks
to which the dealers in contra band
goods resort. Sulphate of copper
was found in a shipment of 1900
tens of sulphur, and a ship pur-
porting to be loaded with sand was
really carrying flour, hidden beneath
thin layer of the sand.
Several railway passengers have
ben travelling with suspiciously large
quantities of baggage. When the
trunks of one of these were opened
they were found to contain several
hundred pounds of tin.
Officials Lenicnt.
common device is to store large
quantities of provisions in some point
near the frontier, and then SNUG
gle them across in carts, and even
py hand. AS there is only one Gus
toms officer to about three miles of
boundary, it is comparatively easy to
do this. Moreover, in these cases
-
Gals are inclined to be lenient, think
ing that it will go chiefly to feed
their Italian fellow countrymen i'm
the Trentino.
Needless to say, everything possible
is done on the Austrian side of the
border to encourage and facilitate
all this contraband traffic. The small
storekeepers and peasants are freely
permitted to cross the frontier and
sell anything they can to the Italians
in exchange for food
Small steamships and sailing yes
sells are daily leaving Venice and
other Adriatic ports with cargoes pro-
fessedly destined for some other Ital-
ian port. These creep along the
shore, and finally slip across to some
Austrian or Hungarian port. prefer
ably one where Their is no Italian con-
sui or agent to ask announcement
questions when the ships papers
have to be authenticated for return
ing to Italy.
+, Customs officials say that the only
way to prevent this traffic would be
to place an official on board each
vessel until i. is un1oaded, which
can hardly be done
Enormously Profitable.
This contraband business is largely
conducted by Italians living in Aus
ria-Hungary. 1t is enormously
profitable. Recently one of these
agents purchased tin in England a,
$3.50 a ton, and resold it for ship
ment to Austria for $1,750 a ton.
For grain, especially wheat, and also
for rice and macaroni, the most ex-
travagant sums are offered. Copper
and other metals and American lu-
'bricating oils are greatly sought af
ter.
The port of Genoa is crowded with
shipping, and the dock warehouses
are filled to overlooking with goods
largely contraband intended for Aus
tria and Germany. Immense stocks
of provisions and metals are stored
at this moment in Venice awaiting
the first favorable opportunity for
getting them across the frontier.
Four freight trains are going daily
from Italy into Austria, through
Pontebba, besides trains passing other
frontier gateways. Many of the
closed cars are sealed by the rail-
way officials at the point of origin
and it is impossible for the frontier
officials to ascertain what is in them
The only effectual way to stop this
Contraband traffic would be to have
every car unloaded at the frontier
and the contents reloaded into Aus
trian cars.
Holding Italian Cars.
At the present time Austria Hun
gary is said to have some $4,000 COW
cred freight cars belonging to Italy,
and which are being used for con-
veying troops and munitions of war
And all the efforts of the Italian
railway authorities to get their cars
returned are said to be in vain. Some
three hundred of these cars have been
captured by the Servians.
There seems no reason to doubt
that the Italian government and it's
off1cials--customs, railways, gem
darmes and police, are really endea-
voring to prevent contraband goods
being sent to Austria Hungary. But
the physical difficulties are so great,
that unless the official staff could be
very largely increased, all efforts to
control the traffic will prove vain.