The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-18

i
I the TRADE T. AMect ted. I.
TO fHx BDzr0e or fM HERALD. III 4
We iesrn rona tho Treasury report that the rcgsp
FROM soternai revenue have fallen short OF the esti
made ySar ago ~ Sls SIC; or In other words whs
expected that the government would receive fro
this source SsS sos, IL has realized only ss7
and IL 10 suggested. % remedy against such dsdcu Ia
future that tho present Congress should mako such mod
Hcatons Of the Revenue law win insure larger amount
OF money hereafter II is proposed as means 70 this
eId, 70 ada considerably to The tan imposed oer
tain articles Of manufacture, and quos and tobacco ere
designated 40 the articles which can best bear further
augmentation. Now, while II Is mot 70 be questioned
that additional taxation absolutely necessary may
very properly be applied 70 the articles Chosen
were exercised BY tho assessofs and isrent mode q
laying the tax on some articles was adopted, much
the present careless and system ssss
able The manner OF administering the oath persons
making their monthly returns also needs alteration;
ior as now performed the oath has no more
influence or effect upon great number 81 those srupg
than hemiy upon moral ethics would have upon can
nba and Tor this simple reason the business OF the Do
partment Is SO loosely transacted most ALL the
collection Offices that II IL impossible tor the officials 70
Determine whether has made lair return or not
has been nlmaled thai exertions on the part
OF the assessors would have beneficial OBJECT the
d"n ,he finances ana there probably Is not an nd
their movements but who II asked would bear out the
assumption The large number OF persons 10 every col
these gentlemen, and wno the same time ought 70
have done 80 long ago, evidence enough Of this fact
What Congress ought to DO, and what Il should have
done the outset 10 tax material or first pro.
ducts be they OF whatsoever kind they may and then
worth produced in the country and il never Can unless
this is There Is spce tor extended
but !ake Manufactured tobacco for example and for
During the month OF Msrch, 1862, a Committee on Se
gars appointed by the trade this city submitted
Q report 70 the Revenue Committee then sitting at Wash
irgon in which u was stated. after other remarks that
eve therefore feel that the should be either levied on
the material wholly on the article
and II, from the action Of the Segar Leaf Committee we
could arrive at equal and just tax we would prefer
see tho whole tax raised from the leaf believing that the
would be sure OF It's just dues than can
be y any way by collecting from the manufactured
tfurther stated that tho average importation OF segnrs
for the preceding five years had been about $40
per annum that the domestic manufacture during the
same period reached 800 900 per annum that
sumo Is 900 cases OF seed leaf yearly and that
trade and adequate proteconsuch the morrill, tariff
aordedthe trade Yold increase 100 600 0O0 requiring
then 900 OF seed annually Experience has de-
monstrated that the estimate Of the committee Is
sumed by the trade The probability Is that 40 Oc0
per annum would hardly the actual quantity used
In the United States during 1s62-63
Taking this number, however, tho basis for cacua.
ton and supposng tax Of thirty cents per pound had
boon laid uron oil seed tobacco, irrespective Of grade
the time the Internal Revenue act into operation
instead Of the one and half. two and half and three
ard half dollars levied on every thousand segars
government has lost by adopting and following the pre-
system collection and what it would have gained
b ID the one here recommended prevailed.
The average weight OF case OF seed four hundred
pounds forty thousand cases would net therefore,
million, I pounds Yielding At thirty cents per pound
ease. eight hundred million segars should be the pro-
duct OF orty thousand Now, OF this number Of
half dollars per thousand hundred thou
sand at two and haf dollars per thousand $500 600
lars per thousand $500 OO0 and altogether So 200 900
showing difference 10 favor Of taxing the raw material
Of 90 900 Should be objected that this disparity
exists because per ccntage was chosen which could
have no other result Is may be answered that thirty
cents per pound was fixed upon az the ratio because i
seemed to the writer TO be rate most likely TO afford
the government the amount Of revenue anticipated
from this source, and which would be most accepta
wsua serve 70 Illustrate what the s government
seeks TO obtain BY the proposed increase. but |
on sssars as win presently sppsar Again Should Be
objected that thirty cents 10 100 high rate should be
~ sUs oan inc ry y q; rate
is ancthor way OF presenting this subject. which will
mako I, appear in stu more favorable light. gen
e.a thing takes about pounds OF tobacco
70 make thousand scgars and this too, whether the
segars sell for ten sixty dollars per thousand At
eight dollars and ten per thousand instead OF
and half three and a half-she minimum and maxi.
Or the whole number Of ssgars manufactured in the
United States Il may DO presumed that NOT much
pay promptly when called upon for every
thousand manufactured. But there millions upon
y oi &c
rests upon and Of which consequently return
T. ever made THIS D.saes bS.s gigantic fraud on the
nerant and covert bosses 70 uadsrse the regu
u, ,S Ss.'s,s N q: MARKET oomo.a m r,.n,
deslers g resort % espsds.s !. order 20
chasing their entire sto from them, snda depending,
less upon the for the cheaper grades OF
Nor are the regular dealers in thus acting 70 reality
parties presents himself at the counter OF regular dcaar
md says have Ave- ten Or twenty thousand segars 70
soil, at such price; and the dealer wants them he
buys neither knowing caring whether the tax has
been paid upon them or not. few months ago Il
almost impossible. and oven now is diicut 70 obtain
sufficient workmeu for the manufactures in this city,
Of many ourneymen having transformed
This was especially 90 in reference 70 The better class
w0rkmen, each OF whom had his circle OF porterhouse
keepers who gladly bought all tne sesars ne made some
irregular knd establish manufactures throughout the
city, with from four 70 dozen workmen n them and
those es,solisSmenss rom the supsrinisuaenss Of
.us stop 70 this condition q ssngs and shs.
Ia 10 levy tax on the leaf ITSELF and IL Is useless TO
oscco used and every seear made VI. BE- accounted and
possessed BY honest mon The prsp.! time 70 IVY the
government A seasonable moment ~ any, perhaps,
after the saf reaches the hands q the ns purchaser
seed tobacco Il bought on the nela before cutting
after delivery 10 packed In cases and weighed. when IL
can easily be- assessed.
higher rate than thirty cents per pound 10 not ad
vsabls and even this unless the duty on foreign leaf
raised will BY some be considered excessive, because
would render the domestic dear desrer than the i'm
ported and manufacturers would have recourse At once
TO the latter In view Of It's greater intrinsic value. Be-
Sides general resort BY the trade OF this country TO
Spanish tobacco would exhaust the entire product OF
Cuba, and, 40 . necessary consequence, diminished
consumption and diminished revenue would be the rc
suit Excessive 90 q the rst glance this hgure seems
i Is believed, other circumstances being favorable ths:
the great majority Of ssgar manufacturers would
heartily concur u s ADOPTION. Care should be taken By
our national legislators In theft future legislation on this
subject that they do net, In their anxiety 20 subserve
the general veal, bear down too vigorously upon al
ready heavily burhsnsa object One after another OF the
long established usages cherished habits and profitable
relsnces Of the trade have renquished, - they
have felt the pressure Of ths existing tushens Tho ave-
the ten, We esa, the twenty and the twenty-five dol
lars per thousand grades sgrs having oil passed away
and others aye 20 follow thore must BE- some compcn-