611.00244/112
The Secretary of
State to the British Ambassador (Lindsay)
Washington, July 9, 1935.
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: With reference to
that part of your note of June 17, 1935, requesting information
regarding the meaning of the terms “summarily” in Section 5 and
“districts” in Section 6 of the Anti-Smuggling Bill (H. R. 7980), I
enclose the pertinent excerpts from a letter received from Acting
Secretary Coolidge, of the Treasury, giving the desired
information.
I am [etc.]
[Enclosure]
Excerpts From Letter Dated July 1, 1935,
From the Acting Secretary of the Treasury (Coolidge)
“The British Ambassador has requested information regarding the
meaning of the terms ‘summarily’ in section 5 and ‘districts’ in
section 6 of the bill.
“For the purpose of saving the Government delay and the expense
of proceeding by judicial condemnation of property seized for
violations of the revenue laws when the seizure is of
inconsiderable value, and also to prevent loss through
deterioration of perishable property or property the safekeeping
of which is disproportionate to its value, summary provisions
have long been in force which provide for the sale of seized
property upon advertisement of the same should its appraised
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value be less than a
certain amount ($1000 in the case of seizures made under the
customs revenue laws and $500 in the case of seizures made under
the internal revenue laws). These provisions afford reasonable
notice by publication of the commencement of the proceedings,
and of the cause of seizure, and preserve to the persons
interested in the property a reasonable opportunity to assert
their claims and have their rights judicially determined. Sale
or other disposition of property in compliance with these
provisions is equivalent to similar disposition under a judicial
condemnation. Provisions of this character in the customs
revenue laws will be found in sections 606, 607, 608, 609, and
612 of the Tariff Act of 1930;8 in the internal revenue laws, in
section 3460 of the Revised Statutes. It is statutes of this
nature, providing for administrative forfeitures of seized
property of slight value, to which the term ‘summarily’ in
section 5 has reference.
“For the purpose of collecting the customs revenues, the United
States and its territories are divided into 48 customs
collection districts in each of which there are designated ports
of entry where merchandise may be entered and duties collected.
These collection districts constitute administrative units, each
one of them being under the direct supervision of a collector of
customs and all under the general supervision of the Treasury
Department. The term ‘districts’ in section 6 of the bill refers
to customs collection districts.
“I shall be glad to furnish you with any further information
which the British Government may desire in connection with the
Anti-Smuggling Bill”
