The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-19

treasury their partners in the profits or their bro
kers to resell at profit. We are tempted with rea
son. to exclaim against such anomaly. 1t is
sary however to remember that the spirit OF gain
not the only motive which instigates Turkish func-
tionaries to endeavor to obtain the farming Of the
tenths. They obey, at the same time the idea OF the
government, which wishes to establish on this sub
ject the most serious competition Thus the price OF
these purchases has been considerably augmented,
and the government knows much better the extent
OF its resources. 1t is, in every case, minimum re-
suit, il we compare it with the immortality OF the
speculation, with the waste which the system pro-
vokes, and in word, with the enormous losses tnus
caused to the people and to the treasury to the pro-
toms.
The capitation tax (haradje N djisic) extends
oDly to the rayasthat is to say, to the
man subjects OF the Grand Seignor. Every male
adult is liable to the harade, which is divided in
proportion to their fortunes into three classes The
most rich pay sixty piastres annually; the middle
cla s. thirty piastres and others only fifteen. Gene
rally this tax is considered compensation for mill
tary service, to which the rayas hive not hitherto
been subject For long time the haradje WI col.
lected 10y special agents, who spared the rayas
neither gra'uitOus humiliation nor exactions. Al
though these abuses have disappeared it is only just
decreed that the mode OF collection shall be changed,
but in the meantime there is doubt the character
of the impost will be modified. Hereafter the Patri-
archs, heads Of the different Christian communities,
as we'll as the Kh0kam bachi, or chief of the Jews,
will be the Intermediates between their coreligiOn.
lists and the treasury 1t is difficult to believe that
this new mode of collection can be more profitable
to the treasury than the former.
We shall now touch upon subject Of an interest
net less great and which takes less from the
nomic ideas of the West-tle customs The custom,
system Of Turkey is based upoa treaties concluded
with the European powers. In 1888, the Porte ne,
simultaneously with France and England first,
and France shortly afterwards, signed with the
Sultan. According to this treaty merchandise i'm
ported into Turkey pays an import duty Of five per
cent which is divided thus-thre per cent for the
import duty, properly so called, and two per cent
supplementary duty on leaving the Costom House.
in replacement of ancient traffic dues in the interior
Merchandise the produce Of the soil or the industry
Of the Ottoman empire pays an export duty ottwelve
per cent nine per cent, upon its arrival at the place
where it is to be embarked and three per cent upon
embarkment. This duty Of twelve per cent re-
places many duties, which necessarily varied, to
which merchandise was subject when monopoly alb.
solutey prohibited sale and expectation. To lay
duty OF twelve per cent upon the export Of native
products when the importation of foreingn mer.
chandise is only subject to duty Of five per cent,
may appear to some minds runous absurdity.
The arrangement, in fact, seems contrary to the
principles which regulate the customary relations of
Industrious and commercial countries. Bat indie
pendenty Of the political interests which made it the
duty Of Turkey to sign this treaty two fundamental
circumstances justified it in the eyes Of the Sultan.
An agr cultural power he imposed nothing upon the
land; he might then and ought to impose q duty
upon is products. From this point of view the or.
ganiZaton of the customs is the least prepared for
criticism and is the least susceptible in itself of
improvements profitable to the treasury. The Turkish
government may at once draw from it very supe-
rior revenue to that which it receives. In what
manner! Not by enceavorng to modify its COM
ercial conventions with foreign powers, put by
couragipg production and circulation at the same
time within the bosom Of the empire. VINO can
doubt that upon this territory at once vast and
fertile, agriculture could not do wonders, il with
practicable means OF communication for conveyances
between all the great cities, and in the neghborhood
OF the sea /?
1t remains for US now to describe the difficulties
which constitute deplorable clog to commercial
development and financial progress. We wish to
speak OF the coin Of Turkey, and of the enormous
difference which exists between the intrinsic and the
nominal value Of the greatest part Of its circulating
medium The necessity OF arresting the depreciation
OF the pastre has provoked the organization Of an
ensemble Of operations called ut COnstantinope "ie
system du znainien des changes" 1t is useless to
add that the efcacOusness OF these measures is as
important to European commerce as is to Turkey.
Commerce is no longer possible where barg ain for
time the stipulation being in Piastres, may, by
sudden depreciation not unexampled be attended, to
the seller with loss of SO per cent. Admitted that
commerce may be Proteus sufficiently skilfal to
find other means of exchange, it is manifest that the
transition canuot be accomplished without some
great financial catastrophe AS to the Turkish go
vernment in the position in which the nature OF its
riches ard commercial treaties place It, it ought to
Iorean money, instead of losing at single coup al
the difference which there is between the real and
the nominal value Of the Turkish piastre.
For more than century the Ottoman sOvereigns,
perceiying tie amount of their extraordinary ex-
penses have adopted the raiDous and immoral prac-
lice Of altering the standard of the mint leaving to
their successors the unmeriled chastse nent Of an
imrrovident abuse OF Their absolute power. The
isb ,la ~ spOudp1 AT the first
ST. Zoe. Since its last alteration, at the time OF the
against Russia in 1925 IL has become, under the
form OF bechliBs, or piece OF i've piastres, coin
Of standard SO reduced that in where lis
rent value, if regulated by the real value should be
eight Iiastres, it will pass for only 1t. The two
extreme terms then are The piastre before the
year ITO worth more than five francs; while the
piastre of 1928 does not correspond to twelve
times 1t estimated that there 400 900 900 pias
tres of this coin in circulation These pieces with
notes, (Kaymes constitute almost alone che original
Turkish money in the Ottoman empire The other
coins current IN Turkey are, with the piece OF six pas
tres (aiik Of an altered standard which formerly
contained about 462 memes of pure silver, the an
cent gold pieces 20 pastres the new gold pieces Of
100 plastic and OF so pastres the new sverpeces OF
20, 10, s. 2, and piastre, which contain IN gold or
in silver, proportion equal to the quantity admitted
into the fabrications Of money by the European GO
vernmehts. 1t is estimated that about 200 600 600
pasres is about the value OF the money tru ok in these
coins since 1874 Unfortunately they have been by
son Of tie speculatons which they have caused. To
this enumeration of coin of Ottoman origin must be
added foreign coins, The number OF when varies
cordng to the rise fall in the prices attributed to
them. The following is the tariff established by the
Turkish government for the principal foreign moneys
in the ConstahtnOple markets:
Coed Spanish pastrey % piastres 80 paras.
Talsris OF Austria. Il 30
Five franc pieces. u 10
Carboianz kusses.. 10 81 -
Duca's - holland, Venice, and
There are 40 paras in pastre. Unfortunately,
this official tariff never has been, and is still less
likely to be, the measure OF foreign values. In COM
merca transactions the carb0ranz is received for Is
piastres, the ducat for ST. and SO on for the rest
From 1928, the date OF the last alteration in the
piastre, to 1884 the exchaDge-that is to say, the
pra ticai relation between the piastre and the pound
sterling has varied from 60 to 98. 1t has not since
exceeded these figures although, by reason of the
intrinsic value OF the pieces of five pasres tue piece
Of English gold had real value OF 225 pastres. We
may conceive what disastrous fuctuati ms resulted
trv IL ne IN Eur0p cnInp in Turk