Customs Administrative Act--Licensing of Customhouse Brokers

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... from Europe to America, is only the same system of business that is practiced in this country by most of the manufacturers in this country. There are hundreds of them in this country selling their goods in various States, where there is no tariff and no motive for undervaluation, who will not sell their goods at their factories to ever7body who comes there, but insist upon selling their goods through commercial agents. Secretary Shaw. Can you name one of them? Mr. Smith. I have no doubt there are gentlemen here who could name fifty of them. Secretary Shaw. I do not think there is one. Mr. Smith. I say that the reason people consign their merchandise is not because they want to undervalue it. I do not deny that many of them do it for that purpose. I do not deny that there is a great deal of undervaluation. I do not deny that there are wicked men trying to defraud the Government in this business. I never did deny it; and I have helped to prosecute some of them. But what I do say is that the misdoings of these people afford no reason why you should do a great injustice to all others who are honest. I will close what I have to say by repeating the suggestion with which I began, that when a man comes to you, whether you be a private citizen or a general appraiser, and says that he wants to tell 'ou something disparaging or detrimental to another man, and he wants to tell it to you behind the door, under the promise of secrecy, there is a very strong presumption that he is going to, lie about the other man. Now, Mr. Chairman, that is all I desire to say except this. That there has been some suggestion here, by the learned Secretary of the Treasury, that the people behind this movement are consignment houses, and not American houses; that we do...