History of the Australian Customs Service in Western Australia 1832 - 1988 By Clayton Roberts -1- CONTENT S Preface 5 Introduction 8 The Origins of Customs and Excise 1829 - 1988 14 WA Milestones 18 Officers and Anecdotes 310 Appendixes I Statutes of Western Australia affecting Customs, 319 1832 - 1901. II Western Australia Revenue Comparison, 1829 - 1900. 333 III Western Australia Imports & Exports, 1870 - 1900. 336 IV Western Australia Customs Revenue, 1870 - 1882. 337 V Western Australia Customs & Excise Revenue, 1896 - 339 1900. VI Customs Revenue collected at each Port of the State 340 of Western Australia during the year 1901. VII Customs and Excise Collections at each Port and 341 Out-Station in the State of Western Australia during the year ended 31 December, 1906. VIII Gross Customs and Excise Revenue, Australia and 342 Western Australia, 1901 - 1960/61. IX Customs and Excise Comparative Net Revenue, 344 1951/52 - 1966/67. X Customs and Excise Revenue, 1967/68 - 1982/83. 345 XI Western Australia, total number of Entries lodged 346 with the Department, 1953/54 - 1966/67. XII Number and Values of Customs and Excise entries 347 lodged in Western Australia, 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988. XIII Number of Vessels, Aircraft and Passengers inwards 348 and outwards, Western Australia. XIV Collectors of Customs, Western Australia. 349 -2- XV Customs Related Salaries , Statement of disbursements 351 by Colonial Treasurer , 1835/36 to 1845/46. XVI Average number of staff employed , Australia wide and 352 Western Australia , 1953 /54 - 1987/88. XVII Extracts from Register of Unsatisfactory Conduct of 354 Officers , 1903 - 1951. XVIII Number of Customs Prosecutions & Enquiries under 356 Part XV of the Customs Act, 1925 - 1974/75. XIX Prosecutions under the Customs Act 1901, Western 359 Australia , 1954/55 - 1967/68. Customs Prosecutions in Western Australia , July 1981 361 to June 1988. XXI Bonding Warehouses in Western Australia , 31 December 366 1901. XXII Breweries in Western Australia , Annual total 367 production gallons, 1902 - 1952. XXIII Australian Diesel Fuel Rebate Figures, 1987. 368 XXIV Seditious , Blasphemous , Indecent , Obscene or Depraved 369 Imported Works, 1929 - 1957. XXV Narcotic Finds in Parcels Post ( Main Ports), 372 Australia wide and Western Australia , July 1976 - June 1981. XXVI Australian Customs Service , Drug Seizures by State, 374 1983. XVIII Australian Customs Service , Drug Seizures by State, 375 1984. XXVIII Australian Customs Service , Drug Seizures by State, 376 1985. Australian Customs Service , Drug Seizures by State, 377 1986. Australian Customs Service , Drug Seizures by State, 378 1987. Customs Control Points, Western Australia , 1834 - 379 1988. Illustrations Plates ( between pages 309 and 310). I 1905. Certificate of Domicile. II 1908. Fremantle Customs House. III 1987. Fremantle Customs House. IV 11 June 1940. Collector of Customs H. St. G. Bird raising the Australian flag on the Italian vessel "Remo" ( seized as a prize of war). V 1987. Customs vessels "HE Neal" and "ACV Edwin Abbott". VI 1957. Indonesian crew caught illegally fishing for live Trochus shell in Yampi Sound. VII 16 December 1965. Fremantle Preventive officers around undeclared radios, brandy and cigarettes seized on the vessel "Pearl Light". VIII 1985. Drug detector dog team at work on the Fremantle wharf. Postal Control , late seventies. Narcotics smuggled in the back of a post card. X 3 December 1984. Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (1984 model ) seized by Investigation officers because the owner produced a false and misleading statement to Customs. XI 1985. Mercedes Benz 230E Saloon (1984 model ) seized by Investigation officers because the owner produced a false and misleading statement to Customs. XII October 1985. Part of a large shipment of coffee percolators imported from Italy. Seized by Investigation officers for the reason that the importer caused a Customs Entry to be made which was false in a particular. XIII February 1987. Part of a large shipment of chair bases imported from West Germany. Seized by Investigation officers for not being invoiced or shown on the Customs Entry for Home Consumption. -4- XIV September 1986. Australian shingle back lizard detected in a parcel at the Bentley Post office. XV 19 March 1987. One male Macaque monkey seized at a Guildford address. XVI 12 April 1988. Illicit Still and Spirits seized at a Spearwood adress by Inland Revenue Investigation officers. XVII July 1988. Investigation staff around 89 cartons of documents impounded during a field operation conducted at the premises of a Perth company. Maps ( between pages 389 and 390). Customs Control Points in Western Australia, 1834 - 1988. Breweries , Vigneron Stills & Tobacco Factories in Western Australia, 1909. Customs Staff and Locations, 1893. Bibliography 390 In about 1986 , the Australian Customs Service ( ACS) canvassed the States for Bicentennial project ideas . Two suggestions were submitted from WA relating to a written history and the production of a Colonial Customs uniform, respectively . The latter suggestion was adopted early and proved an instant success for the creator Richard Coleman. Quite unexpectedly in February 1988, a minute was circulated in all States concerning a national historical record to be prepared as an ACS contribution to the Bicentenary. Part of this record was the production of State histories and fortuitously for me this development coincided with tertiary historical studies I am currently undertaking. Customs and Excise has played a prominent part in Australian history and their significance has sadly been neglected by Australian historians. It soon became apparent that very little had been written about WA Customs history apart from short unpublished summaries prepared by former Customs officers C.S. Carne ( 1935 ), B. Corr ( 1959 ) and R. Warren ( 1985). Furthermore , I felt that a narrative form would not do justice to the many significant events that have occurred over the period 1828-1988. As a consequence , this work endeavours to fill in some of the gaps by drawing together a quantity of important and interesting factual material from widely scattered sources. The information is not designed to compete with encyclopaedic works, but rather to present a concise factual statement which can be used as a guide to further exploration of a subject. From the outset let me say this is not a definitive history as the many gaps attest to lack of material . Sadly, over the years , many records were inadvertently destroyed by Customs staff without a sense of history. This work is divided into nine parts: Contents Preface Introduction Origins of Customs and Excise -6- WA Milestones ( 1828-1988) Officers and Anecdotes Illustrations Appendixes Maps Bibliography Entries under WA Milestones are presented under six subject headings depending on sufficiency of information: Legislation New Developments/procedures Perth/Fremantle Activities Outport Activities Personnel References The appendixes have been prepared to reflect the political , legal, economic , social and administrative trends of the subject period. It would have been an impossible task to compile this history without the advice and assistance of many people and agencies . Firstly, the Management of the ACS in WA and in particular John Stitt , gave the project administrative support. The members of the WA Bicentennial Project Team John Oakford , Richard Coleman , Bob Hodge , Jim Wilkinson and John Waight all helped in various ways. Outside agencies such as the Australian Federal Police, Attorney Generals, Australian Archives, Fremantle and Battye Libraries provided valuable information. Contributors to this work were: Keyboard operators Del Plummer, Pat Field , Hilda Harris and mainly Kim French who undertook the bulk of the typing with professional skill and patience. -7- Bob Hodge for photography. Bob Douglas who prepared the 1893 map showing locations of Customs staff. Max Gerryn who drew the maps showing locations of Breweries, Vigneron Stills and Tobacco Factories in Western Australia and Customs Control Points 1834-1988. Greg Bolitho for designing the title page and Geoff Wolski for Computer support. Les Morrison who prepared pre federation revenue statistics , Appendixes III, IV & V. B. McCallum who prepared the 1901-1961 Revenue Statistics , Appendix VIII. Alan Clarke who prepared the Diesel Fuel Rebate figures, Appendix XXIII. Pam McGregor who prepared statistics on Drug Seizures, Appendixes XXVI to XXX. Customs Officers Bob Stone , Bill Gardner , John Chescoe, Haddon Rudkin who supplied anecdotes. Retired officers Ivan Olsen, Mel Jarvis, Les Alp, Vern Westley and Bill Gardner who shared their reminiscences and provided valuable information. Customs agent Ian Orr for his recollections about the early Perth Wharves. A special thanks to my wife Suzanne for her understanding during my moments of preoccupation. In attempting a broad canvas it is inevitable that mistakes will occur. Readers are invited to inform the writer of entries which they can show to be misleading or inaccurate and to suggest any new entries which they feel should be included in any future editions. Finally, if the window to the past offers a better understanding of the present then this work would have achieved its purpose. -8- S N T R O D U C T Z O N On 10 June 1985, Parliament established the Australian Customs Service ( ACS) as an independent agency of the Australian Public Service. Historically , the ACS can trace its origin directly back to Federation when a national