THE CUSTOMS EXPERT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2064, 15 February 1889, Page 2

THE CUSTOMS EXPERT

DETAILS OF THE SEIZURE, Farther enquiries ao to the oltoom* stances attending the selsure by the Customs authorities, at the instance of Mr Shannon, of certain oases of soft good., have elicited some facts whioh may be of interest to onr reader.- It apptin that one of the lots sehs.d was a o.se, consigned to a firm of Ohrlstohuroh olothlets and drapers, and Invoiced aa containing cotton corduroys m the piece, whioh are duty free. In this case, now* ever, were some pieces of velveteen, which are dutiable. It Is stated that when the consignee ascertained that there were dutiable goods In the o.se, he at onoe vent to the carriers, Messrs Heywood and 00., to make the neoeajary arrangement! foe the doty being paid. He foncd, bowever, that the faot had been fonnd ont by tbe authorities, and the case ie!t«d. I a the other Instance m whioh goods were »eiz.d, they belonged to a firm of Importers lo Dunedin, who have a bianoh r establishment here. Two cues wees seised out of a consignment of 260. One of the oases eontalned irhite shirts, whlob are subj aot to a duty of 25 per oent. They were Invoiced as " whites," and wera passed as buttons, It is said, through a mistake of some person who mttuoder- . stood the invoioe. Shirts and tailors' buttons are free of duty, and, of course, i when a case passed as containing buttons^ was fonnd to oontaln shirts, Is was promptlf seized. The other case whioh was seliad,; was passed as containing tailors' ttlmmlfigi,' Amon? Us contents was' a quantity of bright lustres, intended, It is said, for ooat linings. As, aocordlng to the revised tariff, alpacas and lustres are subjeot to 20. per cent duty, the oaaa and Its content* were confiioatod. ,'_) la connection with ths examination of L goods by the Customs expert, some complaints are made on aooount of the bilei being opened at Lyttelton Instead of at Ohrlstohuroh It Is, It la said, Impossible 1 to fasten them up again so as to prevent any chanoa. of their oontents being pilfered; b.fore they reaoh tbe consignee's hands. -->■ (•Lyttelton Times.") !