"RED TAPE RUN MAD"

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 23, 26 January 1918, Page 9

"RED TAPE RUN MAD"

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir, —Under the above heading, in your issue of the 22nd inst, I ,read with amazement, that while eugar is all but unprocurable in England, at any price, the Powers that be will not allow gifts of small quantitiea from friends outside the United Kingdom to be landed, unless the consignee has a license to import same, which aa stated in the article, is co much trouble to obtain, that the sugar is thrown overboard. Apparently to enforce this stupid proceedure, parents, relatives, and friends of our boya, have recently, when forwarding paixels from New Zealand to men on active eervice, been compelled to .fill in a form, giving in detail, gross and net weight, commercial valuej and nature of contents, and this manifest is gummed to the outside of the parcel; the penalty for undervaluing, or any variation between manifest, and actual contents, being conI fiscation of the lot.

Now, to test the accuracy of the manifest, tho parcels muat be opened, which the sugar dumpers could do anyhow. Unfortunately, there are far too many parcels consigned to our, boys, wrapped and sealed, with a mother's love, that never reach their destination, and I look upon this public advertising of contents and value (which 1 am informed is not to aid the collection of Customs duty) as vastly increasing the temptation, to hungry, if not dishpneet persons, to pinch the lot. And it ifi exceedingly irritating, and unpleasant to any decent-mfhded man or woman, when' sending these proofs of solicitude, to be compelled to advtrtiss how much it cost them. May I ask you, sir, on behalf of parents and friends of our boys, to use your influence with the authorities here', to get this nonsensical, pound of sugar, and irritating advertising of wh*i we send to our boys, removed.— I am, etc.,

JOSEPH PIPER. Petone, 33r4 January.