CUSTOM-HOUSES 
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ceiving cases short of their invoiced contents. 
Complaints to the authorities did not remedy 
matters. Finally the thieves became bolder 
and the thefts more extensive, many merchants 
being offered their own goods for sale at prices 
less than they originally cost abroad. Con 
certed diplomatic pressure was brought to 
bear, and an investigation promised. The day 
before the official hearing, the entire block of 
custom houses involved was burnt, a strange 
coincidence being that the four car tracks in 
front thereof, were occupied with loaded 
freight cars so that the fire engines could not 
get near enough to stop the conflagration. All 
records were thus destroyed and nothing could 
be done, the loss, involving millions of dollars, 
falling as usual on the foreign merchant. 
Pages could be filled with similar data. 
All of our consular offices are cognizant of 
these outrages, yet nothing definite has been 
attempted to stop them. No matter what pre 
cautions the exporter takes, or how closely he 
follows the shipping instructions, his customer 
can always be victimized by these scheming