The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-05-13
THE HOME VALUATION,


The Compromise Act of 1888 directs that, after
the Both of June, 1912, the duties required by law
TO he paid on melchandlsu " shall be assessed upon
It's value at the port where it is entered under such
regulations as may he prescribed by law" The
lime has arrived when Conbress must make The
regulations for carry ing this clause into effect.
The value Of merchandise at the port where it
is entered, is lis value in market, It's value uscer-
lained by the price current, its value ascertaincd
by actual sales. Now the market value Of conf
uudnirs differs very much IN different parts of the
uned States. In Louisiana, for example, where
sugar is Produced, the price Of sugar is much low
er Than 1t is at New York. Assess the duties nc
cortlug 10 The honest value Of the article ut the
place where it Is imported and The greater par, of
the sugar brought from the West Indies will be I'M
ported into New Orleans, because there lis value
will he less, aid 1t will pay less duty; II will be
first imported at New Oleans, and then shipped
coaswiSe 10 New York and other ports
Again, if The importers want TO lower the duties
on their goods, they have only TO send them di-
rectly 10 some petty port Of the United States, A
small quantity of them entered and disposed Of at
public sale, will gut the slender market ut once,
and depression Of the price will be caused III
stanlIy. The importers will then be entitled BY
the terms of the law to take advantage of this dc
pressed price. 60 he duties says the law, 10
he paid on merchandise, shall be assessed upon its
value ut the ports where it is cnered;" the words
are explicit, and there is no explaining them away.
" hen the kind Of merchandise imported bears II
high value at the port where it is entered, the i'm
porter must bear the consequence, and pay high
duties; when by any means, by The management
o! his own, or otherwise, their value is lowered,
The duties must be lowered accordingly. 1t can
| Il. ~ II.
officers II those places, would be otherwise than
pleased At circumstance tending so greatly to III
crease their enoluncnls, and give consequence to
HE little ports where they are stationed, The re-
sui would be, that commerce would be diverted
iioui lis proper destinations from the larger ports,
and the re, venue would he ,rlrauded. We should
have u very different valuation of goods aud d-
ierem duty Al every port, we should have dicr-
enl valuation and different duties for every month
in the year, aud our trade with foreign countries
would be MS uncertain and chmngeIul us The luck Of
II card table.
To oh,aie some Of those objections, we have
seen it proposed that the importer should enter the
goods at his estimate, and that the government,
whenever It's officers see that the estimate is be-
low the true value, should take the the goods pay
Ing the importer the amount of his estimate, and
sell them for the benefit Of the United Sttles.--
This method would, IN some instances, occasion
loss to government, by the mistaken Judgment of
its officers: in others, ii would be exceedingly I'M
just 10 the importer, who would be deprived of the
benefit of any skful or fortunate selection he may
have made of goods not superior in quality or of
greater actual cost, but Of more attractive style,
and promising quicker sale.
Another method proposed for determining the
home value is to add certain per cenlage to the
invoice value, and to assess the duties upon the
sum total. This, however, does not satisfy the
terms of the compromise act; i. does not give the
true value Of the goods at the place where they
are imported. 1t takes the foreign valic after all
instead Of the home value, for the basis Of the es-
innate, and is only trick 10 obtain high duIy
by fictitious and arbitrary valuation. which, in
almost every instance, viii differ from the prices
current. or actual market value.
1t is probable, we learn from Washington, that
some such scheme as this latter will be submitted
10 Congress, by the administration. II that should
he done, we hope that the Secretary of the Treas
ur, will have the frankness to declare that il il
not in agrccmcn, with the terms Of the compro-
mise act but tina, IN arbitrary mode of valuation
has been substituted, p,rtly on account Of the I'M
praclicaby of the actual home valuation, and
partly with view of increasing the taxes
". Y. ErcaiRg Post.