Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-05-20
rce pres s,
RURLINGTON,vT
FRIDAY MORNING MAY 20, 1853.


i'm povnmens Of late, in regard to the reve
I,io livs. These movements so far as Gus
toms on foreign goods are concerned naturally
draw attcnlo n on this side of the water Free
':falc"---" duties ad valorem," has been the
English preach for our ears, and i'll the ears OF
Tie party now III power the music of the phrase,
lre1 = ,.le, has been very enchanting. The
Wings have sail, let us interpret the English
,,,fci W. The English practice. The prlctlce
laay be A safer guido for the Americans to fol-
l,w. We had better look sharp to sec if cir
,uns,ances do not alter cases, in the imposing
al duties, as well as III other things Before
"" ,oin in that music, let us sec how the
c4"a,}Se is proportioned.
We have marked thing or two for remark
20 tins subject presently but to-day we can
not DO better than TO give our readers CON
rjner4ble extract from the leader of the Mon
ireni Transcript, Of May 18th, on the same top.
-. fl IS worth reading by Wings and Demo
erals 100. The points are not new ones by any
means but coming from the quarter they
10 they may cxchc few thoughts in minds
that would be closed against any thing origi-
rl.i". IN the wing papers"
Ia tae English House of Commons in April
u. hir. wilson, the Assistant Secretary of
1.t I}oaru OF Trade, the we'll known Editor OF
She Ecou9ntst, reported the proceedings Of
onuittee on Customs; he obseryed that ih5
Committee had recommended a change with
I.rarI to al ra'0rcm duties, and iinanciers are
Impressed now to have almost entirely aban-
,rileI them few articles viii sill ho liable,
-, he duty might perhaps be reduced from
,,n % five per cent. This suggestion appears
.gye been received with unanimous appro-
I.u.a by the House.
We have always ourseif felt the s,ronges!
t'.ke 10 nd ra'orcm duties, excepting where
,h,v relate to works o. fancy or art, TO which
weight ard measure are inappcable. The
whole experience and opinion of Britain have,
Il ate years, set in favour of specific duties.
Bat, few years previously, the public opinion
vas equally AS strongly in favor of al ralorenl
duties and efforts were made BY Mr.. llusks'
son lad other statesmen TO act in accordance
with t. 1t was urged that specific duty fell
with very unequal weight, upon the poor and
upon the rich that the duty on low>priced
vine, or low priced tea, consumed by the
poor, was as much AS four hundred per cent.
Wide that upon the orange Peko, or chateau
z1dtgcqu;r, was less than fifty cent of its value
This was exceedingly specous, convinced
men. people, and made great agitation
But little experience speedily showed, tina
cj ra!orem duties were merely premium tc
fraud. The coarser and the worse TIE article
imported, the larger was the inducement tc
dcfaud the purchaser. Those who buy smal
quantities OF goods are usually the most indf
ier2n' judges OF tAcr quality. An njncemen
to buy llr worst goods instead of the best, il
equally p7ejuIca TO the morals Of the seller
and the interests Of the buyer. Ii is charity
10 &c poor an! ignorant consumer that no one
,n.u'd be allowed TO import inferior articles
without paying such Laty as shall make it hi
,a.o.e3. to import the bes! and; the most whole
t'ao.
Independent Of the fraud upon the cornmu
ni.y, there is 4 fraud, or a temptation TO
fauf, on the revenue. Lord Egn assigns
n he despatch, a part of which we publis
.o--ay, as reason for the apparent dfparit
o'cur exports 10 our imports, that the latte
arc sent to markets where, being rated od raj
,j.m, the exporters place upon them the loves
value, A very modest expression for drec
fraud or clean shaving. The frauds in tn
port, If the United States, where the ad rolor2n
la:cs run from twenty TO forty per cent ar
Notorious ami infamous, and lave brough
many british Houses into disrepute. Ia lhi
cHso we thnk His Excellency rather oyerre,e
'ae rascay Of his delegated subjects.
igud may be easily committed in the valnatio
D. lace, or broadclorh, or perfumery, or harl
ware or groceries. Indeed, continual dispute
SGD to arise on the valuation Of such mcr
edandise; but with difficulty in that Of four, {
timber or ashc7.
The rule which now appears to b adopte
Il the leyying duties on valuation is a very ct
=. but at the same time, a very fallacious on
J. is, it appears, to levy it on the valuation
TIC invoice of the goods. Now it is perfect
notorious that invoices are, and have been f
many years, prepared in duplicate one, gel
rIo one for the importers use, and the otht
fictitious one, at higher rates, to show to Gu!
tom"rs. This is, technically, called satin
the invoice and questions of the kind COT
s1n'ly arise in actions Of account. There
"o'hing 10 prevent an inTolce being " sailed
"a tie other side, to deceive the custom hous
We do not say that respectable houses
these thiHgs; but, still, the plan of ta,lug Il
invoice as the test is a great premium
ir7uA"--.Nontem Transcript
WHITEHALL AND fLATTsBURGu r. r.
Tho Whitehall CAron Gle states the survey
progressing rapidly. A corps of twenty-w
men, under the direction of Mr.. Green
Chief, and Messrs. Sergeant and Wotkyns,
assistant engineers, have been engaged on Ii
route since January. They are now in The
entity of Port Kent The line of this Road
found thus far to be better than was cxpecte