Show end wa 1 thefts at A american m e r port ports U S department of commerce plans to open pilfering prevention bureaus washington the department of commerce plans to suppress pilfering at american ports theft prevention alou bureaus be established at new york san francisco and other important places in making this announcement the department explained that the losses from theft constitute a heavy tax on our export trade the transports tran transportation tion division of the buret bureau ju of foreign and domestic corn COM pierce merce during the last fix six months mouth has been making a it 8 study of the best method of export packing a 5 subject ab which tor for some years has been a matter of increasing concern to the exporters portera ex of the country and to the bureau burean till investigation has been condu conducted acted at the request of the house marine and committee on merchant fisheries many targe large indus industrial trial centers in t the he united state states have been visited in or der to get at first hand modern ideas on oil packing and pilfering prevention packing will do much to alle jahile proper prevent theft and pilferage it does not entirely solve sole the problem skilled thieves well ell organized are AV able it to remove goods from packing cases sith out leaving any trace of the robbery and the loss Is not discovered until the case Is opened on its arrival at destination separate investigation in following up these losses the marine insurance companies the steamship owners and the rail coelers aih riera carry on their separate investigations in other words there has been litt little e coordination of effort each interested element making its own fight against the evil it Is for this reason that the transportation por tation division suggested the establishment lish ment of a central bureau of information mation at each of the principal ports 1 so that there might be an exchange of information which would simplify the work of the investigators and I 1 strengthen their efforts so that a united collaborative evort could be made to check this spreading menace this idea met with the utmost approval of the various interests involved and at a recent meeting in to new york the transportation di islon a asked to assist in the formation of such a bureau for hat that port to be supported by the marine under the steamship companies the railway lines end nd the shippers organizations all of which would be benefited by its acrivi ties A committee was formed on june 28 at the customs house in new cw york to devise ways and means for establishing tab such a bureau and hs its bation Is assured at an early date it Is expected that similar orga hiza tiong ft III be formed at each of the large ports so go that be before fore long the pilferers hilll be convinced that it be poor policy to tarn tamper per with interstate mid foreign shipment kiel klein explains director mein of the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce explained I 1 perhaps one of the main reason reasons why tills this evil ha has grown Is the fact that it has been difficult to obtain convictions vict ions in the local court kourts even biben ben a trained instigator discover discovers the stolen goods in the possession of a fence or catches an employee in n the act of stealing there Is to great difficulty in n absolutely identifying the merchandise and without such identification convict conviction an Is impossible the carlin act set which seeks to provide benalt penalties leg fr the pilferage of good goods moving in interstate commerce provides penal alel tie only for the stealing tea jing of baggage from a public track truck or van neither freight nor express matter being ape pe provided for it Is evident that the federal legislation on the subject should be in mended if the full usefulness of such a central bureau of information Is I 1 to be attained it Is understood tho an on effort will be made to secure amendments to th the carlin act so 0 o as to provide eifle penalties for sten fing from shipments loaded on trucks or stored la in warehouses with IN he hope that this will have a marked effect in pilferage losse t |