Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-25
THE WING FROM
OCEAN VESSELS
GROWING ACUTE
International Organization
Believed to Be At Work
Stealing Merchandise; In
crease Becoming Alarming

tsS MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wIREI
Buenos Aires, Feb 24.-Belief
that a widespread International or
- gani2ation is at work stealing mer-
1. chandise from steamships is ex-
pressed in a report of the United
States Chamber of Commerce in
Argentina. The chamber investi-
gated the loss of valuable rnerchan-
@-dise by pilfering from ships plying
to this port and found that the
same characteristics are visible in
thefts of merchandise from Italy,
Spain and England as from the
United States"
The investigation was made ut
the request of the Allied Chambers
OF Commerce which asked all the
members to make similar investiga-
ations.
The increase in pilferage during
the past few months had been
alarming" says the report AN
effort was made to deduee from
the evidence received the value of
the goods stolen, but this was inn
possible, although in general terms
1t would seem to run into hundreds
uof thousands of dollars gold.
"One curious feature developed
which was that pilferage occurs
with frequency in articles sent by
parcels post, for which there is no
RECOURSE if no value has been de-
claFed.
$ THE thefts have all the charac-
teristics of systematized robbery
by people who know the merchan-
disc and also know the peculiarities
Of the shippers. 1t would seem, !
! moreover, that a widespread inter
organization was at work
for the same characteristics are
2 visible in thefts of merchandise
from Italy, France Spain and Eng
land as from the United States.
Zone house imported a lot Of /.
thirty automobiles 1t is the GUS |
y tom of this factory to pack the set |
OF tools in one special corner Of !
the case. A hole was cut into this |
particular corner of twenty-ninA |
eases and the tool sets were re-
moved. Apparently the thieves
Knew exactly where to took for |
Nfhe articles they desired
4 Another house which imports |
dry goods found that ztne-liled |
ceases had been opened, :he silk |
!. contents removed and an equal |
weight of coal put into the cases
which We're nailed ap. Another
house which also imports dry |
GOODS had several cases Of silk vel |
vet completely rifled ana in the |
cases were found cotton goods Of |
\ an inferior quality. Each If these
cases involved losses amounting 20 |
nearly $4,000 gold. One exporter
of silk, from Europe. with the idea /
= of deceiving the thieves changed !
Mis- form of packing ana also his |
shipping marks, but the thieves |
went direct to the packages md RI |
lied them as though they kneW be- |
forehand what they contained, |
Two separate shipments, each con-
tanning 100000 sewing machine |
needles were stolen, the empty
boxes arriving in Buenos Aires, al
g though in this case the shippers
have complete security that tho
merchandise was loaded on the
steamer in proper condition in New
York. merchant makes his Gus
tom house declaration "A harmony
with the shipping documents re-
ceived from abroad and must pay
duty on goods that were stolen.
1.-THE British steamship COM
panies at first and more recently
the American steamship compan-
les have included in their bills #
!ading a clause to the effect that
the steamer will not be response
BILE
Insurance companies are in
creasing their rates and threaten to
make still more increases. The at
titude of the steamship companies
and the captains is a direct invita-
tion to unrestricted theft on board
ship. AS theft increases, insur-
ance rates will increase and the
eventual prejudice to legitimate
commerce threatens to be very
grave. ..-
1.-THE opinion of responsible
maritime insurance agents and ad-
justers who are in close touch with
the situation is that the only
remedy is for the steamship COM
panies to reassume responsibility I
for pilferage and in case they are
unwilling to do so governmental /
pressure should be brought to bear
to compel them to eliminate this
clause" -aah a.< s-, aiE I,