DUTY ON CAMEOS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16186, 24 July 1923, Page 7

DUTY ON CAMEOS.

CHARGE OP SMUGGLING. IPer Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. An intersting case in which an Italian fisherman named Francesco Cataldo was charged with smuggling 200 cameos into \ew Zealand, unshipping them here without a permit, was heard before Mr E. Page, S.M. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr P. S. K. Maeassey, conducted the case for the prosecution. The defendant was represented by Mr J. S. Hanna. Mr Macaßsey said the defendant had arrived in New Zealand from Italy on June 6, 1921, and had 200 cameos in his possession, KW" of which he sold to a" local jeweller, -S’, G, lloss. The ease was then brought under the' notice of the Customs. The greater number of the cameos Vere recovered,. Basil Warring, clerk in the Customs office, gave evidence that the Customs Duties Act, 1908, imposed a duty on all goods imported, with certain exceptions. On various fancy goods the duty was 30 per cent. Cameos imported were classed as fancy goods, and this had been the case for the past 15 years. According to the Finance Act, 1915, a duty of 1 per cent was due on all goods |mivorted into New Zealand. In June, 1923, the Minister definitely stated that cameos made of shell were fancy goods. Mr McLaurin, Collector of Customs, said cameos were classed as fancy goods by the head office in 1882. Duty had been pa-id on canpos fop the past 40 years. A , 1 A purchaser of the cameos said she had no idea at the time of purchase that the goods had not been through the Customs. Defendant said he had purchased the stones from a boat which came alongside the steamer tat Naples. Decision was reserved. ' , ■