DUPLICATE INVOICES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1526, 18 November 1873, Page 19

DUPLICATE INVOICES.

We quote the following from the Wellington Independent of the 22nd Oct. : It has come to the knowledge of the Customs' authorities that certain mercantile firms in Australia are in the habit of supplying their customers with two invoices, one showing the true cost of the goods purchased, the other showing a considerable reduction, for the purpose, it is presumed, of enabling the consignee to exhibit it to the Customs and to clear his goods at less than their real value. We understaud that in all cases where the names of firms that act in this manner become known to the Government, the Customs officers throughout the Colony will be instructed to take especial caro to have the goods shipped by those firms properly examined, so that the revenue may not be defrauded by these spurious invoices. The precautions that Customs officers may find it necessary to take in these cases may probably have the effect of inconveniencing the consignees; but, both for the purpose of protecting the revenue, and in justice to the honest trader, we think the authorities are fully warranted ia adopting the most stringent measures possible to put a stop to the practice referred to. The same paper 0$ the 23rd October says ; Rcference was made in our columns yesterday to the practice adopted by some Anstralian firms of sending duplicate invoices to their customers in this Colony, for the purpose of defrauding the Customs. We ought, in connection with this subject, to have stated, for the benefit of storekeepers and others who purchase their supplies from importers, that the *'genuine and only" invoice of goods which are subject to the ad valorem duty is now always stamped at the Custom House when presented with the import entry. Ketailers, when purchasing goods at an advance on the invoice cost, would therefore do well to see that the genuineness : of the invoice is verified in every case by the Customs stamp,