The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 44, September 9, 1897 | Page 7

a protest he and his mother and brother were hurried away to the offices and searched.
In spite of their best endeavors the inspectors were unable to find anything dutiable in the belongings of this charming family, and finally the young Frenchmen were permitted to go on their way with their mother and their belongings. It would have been a little interesting to have obtained from them their first impressions of America.
The officials were, however, so angry that these good people had not turned out to be smugglers, that they gave the next few passengers who fell into their hands a very unhappy time.
One man who had bought a two-dollar doll for his little girl was obliged to pay $1.50 as duty on it. Another who had spent $200 on new gowns for his wife had to pay another $126 before he was able to take them to her.
One father was loud in his protests because he was taxed for the dresses his daughters were wearing, and which he declared had been used by them for a year and a half.
Nobody escaped on that unlucky day, and from eighty passengers about $5,000 was collected. If this keeps up, our treasury will soon be overflowing.
So annoying has the Dingley Bill made matters for travellers that a consultation has been held by the customs officials, to see whether it is not possible to make things a little easier for them.
The bill was aimed at importers, or people who buy and sell goods manufactured in foreign countries. It was not intended to harass the lives out of tourists who have merely purchased a few pretty things while they have been abroad.
It would of course be unjust to allow these said pretty things to be brought into the country free of duty, lest unscrupulous persons should take advantage of the Government's kindness to avoid paying duty on articles they intended to sell.
The inspectors have, however, felt that it is not right to tax wearing apparel that has evidently been bought for the traveller's own use, and has been worn.
The result of the conference of the Custom-House officials has been a petition to the Secretary of the Treasury, asking him to allow the Collector of the port of New York so to interpret the new law that innocent travellers may not be taxed as if they were importers trying to smuggle in goods.
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The great coal strike still remains unsettled.
It was hoped that it would be brought to a close this week, as both the miners and the owners had agreed to meet and discuss the matter, to see if some understanding could not be reached.
The meeting has taken place, but unfortunately the two parties are as far apart as ever.
The idea of the conference was to arrange that the dispute might he arbitrated.
As soon as the meeting was called to order, the miners offered to return to work if they were paid at the rate of sixty-nine cents for each ton of coal mined, with the understanding that they would accept a reduction if the arbitrators found that such payment was higher than the owners could afford.
The owners refused this offer, and instead proposed that the miners should go to work at fifty-four cents per ton, and that the arbitrators should then decide upon a fair rate of payment. If it proved to be higher than fifty-four cents, the owners would then make up the difference to the men.
This offer being refused, the owners said they would pay sixty-one cents, and make up the difference if the arbitration went against them.
The miners, however, refused to listen to these proposals, and the conference broke up.
Both miners and owners declare that there is no present prospect of reaching an understanding, and that there is nothing for it but to fight the battle to its end.
The owners intend to try to open the mines with non-union men. The miners are preparing to prevent these men from going into the mines.
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There has been great excitement during the past few days over the sudden rise of the wheat market.
Nearly all of the great countries of the world, with the exception of the United States, have had poor wheat crops this year. Our crop has been considerably larger than any we have had for several years past. People cannot do without bread, and in consequence of this failure of their crops, other countries have had to come to us and buy. They have of course had to pay whatever price we asked, and as a natural consequence the price of wheat has gone up enormously.
All the people who were clever enough to foresee this demand from abroad, and buy up the wheat before the orders came in, have made fortunes during the past few