HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 231 
Mr. Witey. Yes, I think so; but I may be mistaken. I will say, 
since this has been suggested, that this arrangement has been made, 
which has worked satisfactorily, and it might be well to let it stand. 
That the Secretary of the Treasury has decided that this bond can 
cover both the duty and the goods, because he takes this view: That 
no dealer would undertake to sell goods that we had found contraband 
anyway, because it would ruin his trade, and allowing him to take the 
goods, if he should dispose of some of them innocently or without 
thinking that they were contraband, he would pay double their price, 
and he would not likely repeat the offense; aad: the result is that they 
are keeping the goods intact until the entry is liquidated. 
Mr. Grarr. That is under existing law? 
Mr. Wixey. Yes; that is under existing law. 
Mr. Hauern. He would have to pay three times the price, then, 
would he not? 
Mr. Writer. Two prices to the Government and one price to the 
person who brought them there—yes, three times the price. 
Mr. Scorr. He would only pay double the price to the Government 
in case the duty was not paid? 
Mr. Wier. He would only pay double the price then; or, if the 
goods were found contrary to law, double the price to the Government. 
The Cuarrman. If found to be contrary to law, they would be 
returned to the Treasury Department and given back to the country 
from which they came? 
Mr. Wirzy. If you will allow me to say a word, I think I can clear 
the matter up. I will make this additional statement: That the Secre- 
tary of the Treasury has instructed the collector and appraiser not to 
liquidate any entry at all until inspections are completed; so that the 
bond holds perfectly good, and we have had no trouble at all since 
this form of bond was allowed to cover the goods during inspection 
and in only one case have we required the return of the goods, an 
they were found to be intact. 
The Cuarrman. In all your examinations you have only found one 
case—— 
Mr. Wiitry. No, I mean under this particular procedure, which has 
just gone into effect. Goods were all stored in bonded warehouses at 
the expense of cartage and storage tq the importer until the inspections 
were completed. We have only lately made this new arrangement, 
and under the new arrangement, which is perfectly satisfactory to the 
importers, there has been only one case where there has been a return 
of the goods. 
Mr. Scorr. Why not strike this out, then? 
Mr. Winey. That was what I was about to propose. If I had 
known of the adoption of this method that has been adopted then the 
language in this bill would not have been proposed. 
Mr. Grarr. What are the conditions of this bond they have to give 
now ? 
Mr. Wiuery. It is arranged by the Secretary of the Treasury. I do. 
not understand it very well, but they give a bond in double the value 
of the goods that they will pay the full duties. They make an esti- 
mate of what the duties are at once and pay a certain amount and take 
the goods away, and then they give a bond that they will pay all duties 
assessed on the goods on liquidation, and upon that bond they take 
their goods away. 
