Show 1 00 Million in Diamonds TV s Smuggled Into U Ua S. S Sy Yearly early Jewelers rs Cla Claim By HERBERT LITTLE United Press Staff Correspondent W WASHINGTON Dec 29 29 The The a a. year diamond smuggling smuggling smuggling smug smug- gling racket will be taken up by congress in the next few weeks American jewelers jewe are expected to renew be bet before re rc the wa ways ways' s sand and means means' committee hearings on the new tariff tariff tar tar- iff bill their demand for reduction or elimination of the 20 per pel cent import duty on these precious us gins gems Tho The high protective tariff on gems has been almost the ruin of legitimate legitimate legitimate mate jewelers a according t to complaints complaints com corn plaints previously made by them because of the ease in smuggling diamonds Recent raids by customs officials who have ha seized h hundreds n reds of ot thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of dollars dollars' worth of diamonds off ships in Norfolk have merely nicked the the surface of the tie illegal megal business the they claim The diamonds are brought In in from Belgium and H Holland where most most- of the worlds world's diamonds are cut The value is so eat that the 20 per cent duty is a sizable item and the jewelers who purchase legitimately leglU- leglU imported stones are faced with ruinous competition Many are smuggled across the Canadian border after aftel being legitimately imported im im- mi- mi ported from Europe Canadas Canada's tax being m much ch small smaller r. r The Import duty on diamonds will be ba considered late in February committee officials said today There are arc two schools school of thought on the import t tax x one ope that at the pr present fent tax brin brings s In ina a large rev reve flue nue and should be continued and th the other othel that the tax protects protects' no no American b business and discriminates discriminates nates against legitimate importers The former school also fears elimination nation n of tho the tax might provide an outlet for tor large numbers of stolen di diamonds monds from thE South South African fields American diamond cutters also have asked fop fog elimination of the tax as protection because the Belgian and Dut Dutch h cutters work work- at cheaper wages and h herice ce get most of the diamond cutting business Ono One expert rec recently estimated that as man many diamonds are are smuggled smuggled smuggled smug smug- as are are legitimately Imported This would amount t to ab about ut a year If It taxed these smuggled diamonds would add 20 to the United States trea trea- sUl sury Few other Othel nations have import import import im- im port taxes on diamonds |