The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-06-16
AIR SMUGGLING
IS new PROBLEM
Customs Officers Puzzled to Find
Way to Prevent Threat
ened Evil.
HARD TO ENFORCE RULES
Treasury Department Bombarded
With Requests for RuIings-Air-
planes and HydropIanes Classed
as Automobiles for Time
BeinQ


Being.
Westinghouse Smuggling by airplane
sounds exciting, and is proving so to
the customs division of the treasury,
which is, so to speak, "up in the air.
about it. For the time being, the de-
partment has ruled that airplanes and
as 1t is concerned, but it is well aware
that calling bird wagon will not
bring It, down to earth where it can
tell what kind of bird it is.
So far there has been no report Of
illicit importations by air line, but ex-
How to prevent it is perplexing prob
lem, growing more and more pressing
as requests for rulings come from dep
uty. collectors on our northern and
southern borders. In the latter case
they have had to do with tobacco
brought in from Cuba by way of Key
West and Tampa.
Here is an entirely new problem for
the treasury TO deal with in the col
lection of revenue through customs du-
ties. 1t is one to be solved by treas
ury regulations (born of deciSiOnS) for
which no additional legislation is need
ed. THAT it may be solved by a COM
prehensive order. is almost despared
of because the best thought of the de-
partment, although the need of deal
ing with the situation has been long
foreseen, has not been able to hit upon
q method to close this door to secret
importations thrown open by mod
err method of transportation most diff
ficult if not impossible, to control.
May Require Registration.
1t is believed that some scheme may
be worked out whereby all airplanes
leaving the country will be registered
at the nearest custom house on the
border, where certificate will be is
sued to be presented at any custom
house in returning as is done now in
the case of automobiles. This would
in most cases be mere formality, but
would permit search in suspicious
cases and would tend TO keep down
smuggling. "Wil be registered" Is rec
ognized as puttingsi 1T strongly, as it
is admitted it would be impossible to
compel such registration Of machine
miles above the Clouds The auto
mobilist finds it best to comply be-
cause without. his certificate to surren-
der on return he must prove his car
is of American make or pay perhaps
45 per cent ad valorem duty There
would be no way to stop the flying ma
chine, coming or going.
Deputy Collector Hayden L. Moore,
at San Juan, Porto Rico, seems to
think he has them going, If not COM
ing. To him airplanes are not auto
mobiles but seagoing vessels. Serious
Inquiries from business men on the
island have caused him to make this
ruling: 53 88. .4e. al s
I'm. the absence of, specific instruc-
lions from the department, shall re- |
quire airships clearing from Porto !
Rico for foreign ports to be properly |
under the rules of the de- |
partment of commerce In the same |
manner as seagoing vessels are regu-
lated, entries and clearances to be
made. and all. dues paid !. at custom
houses in districts where landings are
effected or voyages started"
Difficult to Enforce Rules.
This is very simple, but airplanes
are peculiar In their mode Of travel.
The. collector does not say how he pro-
poses to enforce this requirement, and |
has received suggestions from some of
the Porto Ricans that an aviation
school for customs men be established
to bestow degrees Of "sky inspector"
and "custom ace" Service windows In
he custom house also are urged bear
ng the legends "Airships entered" and
'airships cleared"
Deputy Collector Bragassa, at Key
West, has his troubles over what is an
airplane.. He recently wrote to Collec-
or Arthur G. Watson, at Tampa, that
t was almost q daily occurrence for
lirpianes to go over to Cuba and re-
urn. One day his messenger boy over
,eard a man who had been passen-
,er on boat from Havana tell the
Inference between travelling that way
md by airplane. He said he had just
,aid $50 duty on a lot Of cigarettes,
When the other day he had brought the
anne amount home by air and did not
,ay cent. Collector Bragassa want
ID to know, SLOW about it?r" Collec-
or Watson told him to talk to the
lavy people about it, He replied:
st have conferred with Admiral
Decker, who has issued instructions to
he Key West air station that civilian
passengers will not be permitted to be
arried in airplanes unless permission
las been granted by the customs Off
er in charge of the port, and also have
ssued instructions that all alrplanes
rrlving at this port from foreign
ountries will comply with the navy's
nd of the regulations In connection
With the reporting to the customs Of
cer the arrival of American naval
essels from foreign ports"