The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-22

duties are not paid In sixty days Tor ninety days i
imported from beyond the Cape Of Good Hope)
The goods, or a sufficient amount TO pay the duties
pre required be sold at auction after an appraise
ment by the general appraisers II the owner doe
not claim the residue III y 70 be redeposted AND
disposed OF under the thirteenth section Of the same
act, the provisions Of which shall explain. The
lime Of advertising before sale Is prescribed by the
Treasury Department, and has been liked al thirty
days, as under the act Of 1893.
Such is the warehouse system, il il can be so
called, existing under the 18th section Of the act OF
the 30th August 1912 and twill be perceived that
i differs from that established by the act Of 1893 in
many essential particulars. af $50 30
l.. By the act Of l542 the maximum time during
which goods allowed 10 remain In store before a
sale TO realize the duties, Is reduced from nine
months 10 sixty or ninety days. "'
= Under the act OF l799 the superintendent was re-
quired to be made by two or more reputable mer-
chants. Under the 18th section Of the act Of 1912
no special appraisers are named; and u Is therefore,
construed to intend the general appraisersthe OF
sial persons appointed under the general law. The
appraisement is accordingly made by them. .'
B. Under the act Of 1893 all the goods To be
sold at the cod OF nine months. Under the l2th
section Of tho Of l842 only sufficient quantity
to be sold the end OF 60 or 80 days to pay the
duties, charges, and interest. .."'. ' '
4. Under the Seth section Of the act Of 1899, the
oyerplus Of the proceeds Of the sale after paying the
duties and charges TO be paid into the treasury
Of the United States, for the Of the owner. I'm
der the 18th section Of the Of 1872 the residue OF
The goods, after selling sufficient quantity 10 pay
duties interest," and charges, is to DO delivered 10
the owner, II claimed by him, II not claimed TO
be redeposited in store.
| S The act OF 1899 required an inventory and ap.
prusement OF the goods before a sale. The act OF
lS42 requires in addition, that distinct printed caa
ogues descriptive Of the goods, with the appraised
value annexed, shall be distributed among the per-
sons present at the sale, and a reasonable opportu-
nifty given TO purchasers 10 inspect the quality Of
the goods. These additional requirements are Of
great importance. Under the old system these sales
were ordinarily mere package sales. The officers
Of the customs and persons in their confidence might
know all about the goods To be sold, while the pur-
ehasers could know very little about them-thus
opening wide door 10 COLLISION and fraud.
There other differences Of minor importance
not necessary TO be specified.
/ The 18th section Of the act Of 30th August, 1912,
differs materially from the 18th, and is, in its gen.
eral provisions, more analogous TO the 56th secton
Of the act Of 1893. The appraisement is required to
be made by two or more respectable merchants, and
all the goods required to be sold. This section,
first glance appears have been specially framed
for the purpose Of finally dsposing OF all unclaimed
goods, in whatever manner they may have found
their way into the public stores but, by construc-
ton Of the Treasury Department of the lth July,
l640 IL Is decided 10 embrace only suCn kOOus as
are redeposed in store under the preceding section,
after partial sale to realize the duties such
are liable for charges Of storage &c. The time du-
ring which goods may remain in store under this
section is fixed by the seth section Of the act Of
1899, which is in this respect unrepealed, and the
sales accordingly take place once in nine months,
. Ia all cases, both under the acts Of 1899 and
ls42, there is provision for tho speedy sale OF per
ishable goods-a provision equally important to the
government in order that the duties may be real.
lied before the goods become worthless and TO the
owner, who may not always know that his goods
are in store, and who might, without such provis-
ion, lose their entire value. Y ...........
, | have thus stated the provisions OF existing
laws in relation to the storage and final disposal Of
imported goods in all of failure neglect to
pay the duties ehargeable on them, and OF goods
unclaimed by the owners within the time limited
for retaining them in store. comparison of the
act Of 1893 in respect the storage Of goods with
the act Of 1842 will show the latter to be much
more stringent in its provisions II diminishes the
time during which goods allowed TO remain in
store from months to GO and 90 days, and it exarts
interest on the duties from the date of the entry of the
goods on which they chargeable.
The tariff act OF lS42 introduced the most thor
ough revolution in this department Of the revenue
system Of the United States which has been known
since the foundation Of the government, by aban-
donng the old plan Of giving credit for duties and
requiring them to be paid in cash for the largest as
well as the smallest sums The old system gave
credit for duties, without exacting interest during
the period for which the credit IS granted Under
the act of l842, If there is a failure or omission
to pay the duties on imported merchandise on the
completion of the entry, interest is charged from the
day the duties accrue and the importer pays 1t with
the duties when he claims the goods; or IT, in de-
fault of voluntary payment by the importer, sale
takes place. the interest is added the duties, and
the amount, together with the charges for storage,
&c :, is realized from the proceeds T the sale
| desire to say here, Mr.. President, to avoid mis-
apprehension, thai | am aware of the provision in
the tariff act of 1888, the compromise act, it is
called, requiring ddties to be paid in ready money
but this provision did not go into effect until the lsr
Of july lS42; and by the same act all duties were
reduced to 20 per cent on the same day, while the
liberal provisions Of the act of 1893, in respect
to the storage Of goods, if | am not mistaken, re-
manned in force. | also desire to say that have
no, overlooked the partial provision in the act of
1892, requiring duties wooilens to be paid in
cash. or If stored, exactipg interest on the duties.
The introduction of cash payments for duties,
though believe 1t is generally conceded to have
operated favorably far as the government is con
cerned much 80 that few, any DESTROYS OF dis
turng it, at least by reinstating the old system Of
credits, bears heavily the mercantile interest in
comparison with the latter The forbearance Of
payment by the government was, in practice, equiv
alent to cash capital for the merchant to the
amount of the duties during the time for which the
credit or forbearance Of payment was granted.
II was, unquestonably, a valuable mercantile ia
cty for those who had the benefit Of it, and the
discretion to employ it judciously. But it had it's
public inconveniences, and it was very properly
abolished. 1t was, however, forcseen and foretold
at the time the change was made, that great hard
ship would be likely to result from it, unless pro.
vision made for storing goods for limited Pc
Rod, and forbearng during that period to exact the
payment of the duties. But it Is singular fact
and one which is not easily to be accounted for on
any principle of public utility or CONFERENCE.-The
when the extraordinary and violent transition took
place from credits to cash payments, the maximum
time during which merchandise was allowed to re-
main in store, before sale TO real re the duties, in
stead Of being enlarged as one would suppose 1t
should have been, at least continued as it then
existed, was actually reduced, as has been seen,
from nine months to one-third Of that PERIOD and
for most merchandise to still shorter time. The
change took place, too, at tho very moment
when tho rates of duty were enormously increased
on large class Of imports from 90 per cent, the
maximum under the compromise act Of 1888. The
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