The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-18

BEEN able either 10 retire from business with
handsome fortunes, or divert their profits INTO
less questionable channels of trade.
When Mayor Miles came into Office in 1855,
the Police department was reorganized, and Us
n,tural sequence all unlicensed dealers of
every description were hauled over the Goals.
The Mayor recommended to Council that an
ordinance should be passed which would regu-
late the junk-shop dealers. In accordance
with his suggestion the following regulations
were adopted, and have been continued in
force from that time without any variation.
MUNICIPAL REGULATIONS.
The ordinance regulating junk-shops was
passed in 1857, and has been in force since
that time. 1t provides that the junk-shop
keeper shall pay license of $50 appGca-
ton to be recommended by three respectable
f.eeholders, and when the license is granted, a
bond shall be executed in the sum of $1,000,
with two approved sureties. Each person re-
ceiving license shall put over the entrance of
the shop sign designating the name and
number of the license. The ordinance also
provides that the junk-keeper shall have
book, in which shall be written description of
the articles purchased or bartered for, the name
and residence Of the person from whom re-
ceived, and the day and hour when the pur-
chase was made. This book was to be at all
times open to the inspection of the Mayor, or
sny official authorized to inspect the same.
The shops are not to be opened except between
sunrise and sunset, and the keepers shall never
either directly or indirectly, purchase any arti-
Gle from a minor or apprentice, except when
written permission is produced. Persons vio-
from $40 to $50; and all persons who keep o
iunk-shop without license, are fined from $50
TO $100.
1t will be seen that even at that early day
these shops were carefully watched, and the
amount OF the license and fine was proportion
ed to the chances afforded for rascality.
FINALE.
Junk-shops now form an important branch
of trade. Their notoriety has considerably in
creased of late, and chiefly, we must add, in
the police courts. There are few thefts of
metals where the Stolen plunder has not been
traced to some unprincipled junk dealer.
The ordinance passed in 1857 was intended for
those peaceful days when the baneful influences
of war were unknown. Since that time, how
ever, these shops have multiplied, and have too
often Ito their discredit be it said) proved but
harbors for rascality 1t would be unjust to
charge the whole fraternity with the faults OF
few, but the facts We have stated are notorious,
and call for some remedy. The license tax now
paid is but the small sum Of fifty dollars, and
the United States Revenue requires but ten
dollars per annum when the sales ore under
twenty-five thousand dollars, and fifty dollars
when they exceed that amount, which is con-
sidered wholesale license tax. The tine
for selling without license is, however,
placed at $500. In Savannah the municipal tax
is $3.50, and this is readily paid, those engaging
in the business finding it profitable even with
that outlay. With the exception of Messrs.
Moses Goldsmith & Son, the junk dealers in
this city pay only the retail tax to the United
States, and the municipal tax is but trlfie
when deducted from the enormous profits that
are made on their miscellaneous stores. Each
of the small dealers collect their congomcrat-
ed piles and cell them either to Messrs. Moses
Goldsmith & Son or to Mr.. William Meade, by
whom they are shipped to Boston. The letail
dealers, of course, make their profit, which is
generally more than doubled by the shippers.
The latter do not, however, confne themselves
to this small trade, but are themselves pur-
chasers to o large extent and secure every
thing in the shape of iron, from columbiad
to steam engine. The large amount of dam
aged army materials recently sold at the
Charleston Arsenal and other points, was most
ly bought in by the wholesale junk dealers at
comparatively small sum and shipped to Bos-
ton.
While juuk-shops may be considered an i'm
portant accessory to largo city, it is necessa-
ry that they should be regulated by proper Or
dinances. They have doubtless relieved
Charleston of large amount of unnecessary
rubbish, but they unfortunately offer an in
viting opening for receiving stolen &c ods, and
unless the laws are made more stringent, not
only citizens, but corporations will BIZ suffer-
ers to large extent. Tho South Carolina
Railroad has for some time been robbed Of its
iron. Through the exertions OF the city de-
tectives the stolen plunder was traced to
junk-shop, and the thieves arrested. AS We
stated before, these are exceptional cases.
The majority Of the junk dealers con-
duct their business in accordance with law
and order They are as necessary to the city
as scavengers, and il they can contrive to make
money out Of their odoriferous collections, and
to make it honestly, we can only bid them
"God speed, and say that it is good riddan-e
Of bad rubbish.
Some quaint philosopher has said that tho
blood of On Alexander may finally become, in
it's concentration, the buug of a beer barrel,
and who can tell the richness OF the stores col
lected, sold and remodelled into new and useful
shapes after they have passed the eagle eye OF
your first-class dealer in junk?
NOTICES IN Observation-Disclosures OF the
creditors of the under mentioned bankrupts, to
i