268  SELLING  LATIN  AMERICA

ing  in  the  days  when  the  “auto  da  fe”  was  common ­
  and  Torquemada  reigned  supreme.  Let
me  illustrate  by  a  few  custom-house  rulings
taken  at  random  from  different  Latin  American ­
  ports.
In  a  certain  Central  American  country,
clinical  thermometers  are  admitted  duty  free,
according  to  the  government  tariff  schedule.
Laboring  under  this  belief  a  local  druggist
ordered  one  hundred.  Imagine  his  surprise
when  the  customs  collector  charged  him  the
duty  assessed  on  cut  glass  decanters,  classing
the  thermometers  as  “etched  glass  containers.”
Their  contents—mercury—was  classed  as  an
explosive  at  a  prohibitive  rate  and  for  “trying
to  evade  the  customs”  a  fine  of  $500.00  was
added,  or  instead  of  getting  the  goods  in,  without ­
  charges,  the  importer  was  obliged  to  pay
$642.50  or  go  to  jail.
In  a  shipment  of  pickles,  because  the  invoice ­
  failed  to  state  whether  they  were  put  up
in  vinegar  or  mustard,  a  fine  of  $100.00  was
collected.
On  a  box  of  candy  weighing  five  pounds,