CUSTOMS OUTWITTED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9544, 24 June 1921, Page 7

CUSTOMS OUTWITTED.

HOW IT IS DONE IN FRANCE. War has evidently sharpened the wits of -the Frenchmen m and axtfund Paris who make a practice of bringing produce of various kinds through the city sates. As the price / of necessities, especially oil and wine, steadily rose m Paris, some of the drivers began to scratch their heads and wonder if they couldn't devise some innocent-looking receptacle that they might . take through the city gates every day right under the very eyes of jthe inspectors and yet not be caught 'm the act of smuggling taxable goods. Accordingly they began to exercise all of their inventive genius, and presently they had evolved many queer receptacles that varied m capacity from a few quarts to several gallons. The men at the octroi stations (writes George F. Paul m the " ScientificAmerican") were deceived for several weeks by the boldest of these men. He was always very cordial with the officials, and sought to win their goodwill by giving them tobacco and other presents from time to time. Presently rumours reached them that he wns^ smuggling oil into the city every day."" This put them on the alert, with the result that the following day when lit 1 appeared as usual with his innocentlooking load of timber, they began tr tear it all apart. In vain did he protest that he was late even -then and that he simply had to hurry on. This only made them the more determined to go through the whole load. Presently they came to five boards that were nailed together m a manner that aroused their suspicions, and on examining them closely they found that the top board simply covered an opening through which a tin receptacle nearly five feet long could be passed to the snug place of concealment hollowed out for it. The driver, who had been very indigant and blustering up to thi« point, became very meek and penitent when several gallons of smuggled oil were confiscated. While this examination was m progress, one of the police noticed that the horses wore remarkably large and peculiar collars. He ordered the driver to remove the collars from ihe horses' necks, and when this was done it was discovered that the collars were hollow and so fitted up that, they could "hold oil. Needless to say, the career of this particular man as a smuggler ended that day. This experience seemed to arouse the inspectors at all the city gates. They almost turned waggons and carts upside down m their efforts to detect any smuggling. ' One of their first hauls was a magnificent funeral wi*eath that seemed uncommmly heavy. When some of the flowers were removed and a tap unscrewed, three jugs were filled* with the wine that was being smuggled through. Some abnormally large cabbage heads were examined closely ; each contained nearly a quart of wine m a flat flask hidden m the heart of the cabbage. Rolls of cloth also aroused the suspicions of the inspectors. These rolls were found to have genuine cloth at the ends so as to present the proper apnearance. but m the middle was a handy receptacle capable of containing several bottles of wine or oil. Even the cushions on which the drivers sat were pressed into the smuggling service. Of coutsp, they were made hollow, and filled with flat tanks that, were not comfortable, but the drivers did not care so long as these cushions proved money-makers.