The inspectors have, however, felt that it is not right to tax wearing apparel that has evidently been bought for the traveller's own use, and has been worn.
The result of the conference of the Custom-House officials has been a petition to the Secretary of the Treasury, asking him to allow the Collector of the port of New York so to interpret the new law that innocent travellers may not be taxed as if they were importers trying to smuggle in goods.
The great coal strike still remains unsettled.
It was hoped that it would be brought to a close this week, as both the miners and the owners had agreed to meet and discuss the matter, to see if some understanding could not be reached.
The meeting has taken place, but unfortunately the two parties are as far apart as ever.
The idea of the conference was to arrange that the dispute might he arbitrated.
As soon as the meeting was called to order, the miners offered to return to work if they were paid at the rate of sixty-nine cents for each ton of coal mined, with the understanding that they would accept a reduction if the arbitrators found that such payment was higher than the owners could afford.
The owners refused this offer, and instead proposed that the miners should go to work at fifty-four cents per ton, and that the arbitrators should then decide upon a fair rate of payment. If it proved to be higher than fifty-four cents, the owners would then make up the difference to the men.