§ MR. EVANS (Southampton)asked the Secretary to the Treasury, If his attention has been called to a case in the Courts at Southampton, when a man, named Robert Woodcock, in the employ of the London and South Western Railway Company for 30 years, and a daily attendant at the docks for a period of 40 years, had been stopped at the dock gates and searched by a Custom House officer, named Nathaniel Johnson, under circumstances so unnecessarily painful and offensive as to cause the Bench to inflict a fine of £5, or one month's imprisonment, upon this Custom House officer; whether he will cause a searching inquiry into the matter; if the Customs have the power to fine persons with smuggled goods a fine equal to double the value the roof without taking the matter before the magistrates; and, if the Customs still retain in their employ this officer who has been found guilty of such misconduct?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. JACKSON) (Leeds, N.)The attention of the Board of Customs has already been directed to this case, and they considered that the extra man in question, who is not on the established staff, had shown great want of discretion in the examination of the dock labourer, and gave directions that he be no more employed at the dock 106 gates at Southampton, where the alleged assault took place. The Customs have no legal power to inflict fines for smuggling without the intervention of a Court of Law; but, in practice, it has been found that the persons who have been detected in attempts to avoid payment of duty on goods brought by them to this country prefer to pay a sum equal to the amount of the legal penalties rather than be taken before the magistrates. The Board see no reason for discontinuing the employment of Johnson.