DEFRAUDING THE CUSTOMS.

Northern Advocate, 4 September 1913, Page 3

DEFRAUDING THE CUSTOMS.

The Committee of Public • Accounts

has unearthed an extraordinary case of fraud, extending over a number of years, by which the British Customs suffered a loss admittedly fixed at something like .C 26,000. The game was so simple that throughout this period it evaded the attention of the trained, officials-employed in the warehouse where the plot was carried through. It is apparently the custom for the employees of firms re'liioving tobacco from a bonded warehouse to perform the task of weighi 1114,- it. In this particular ease the men habitually called out under weight. *hus sec-iring a certain propcriion of tobacco free of duty. One day, by accident, the process was fiqtc'.cti'd, an*l discovery .made that for years it had gone forward under the noses of the Customs officials fj'hc firm concerned denied! cognisance of the plot, leaving it to be presumed that, their workmen had invented it for their own amusement. Certainly there was no opportunity for them to make personal profit. While ihus disclaiming complicity the firm offered to make reasonable amends. After some correspondence with the law officers of the Crown the proposal assumed the definite shape of payment of a yearly duty from April , 1904, assessed on the basis that all casks of tobacco taken out from that, date had been under weighed to the extent of the detected attempt at fraud. The amount due was fixed at £20,336 10s, which has accordingly been paid into the Treasury.