The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-21

| House after crossing the line tnat Ill
vides the two countries, and make their
own report and entry under oath. Up
on the fulness and truthfulness of this
report and entry, the safety OF the inn
porter depends. The Importers also
REQUIRED to produce, upon entry, the
original purchase bill or invoice, which
purchase. ifmadein the vicinity ola L. :.
| Consul abroad should be certified to by
such Consul. but merchandise purchased
at points remote from the Consul, may
| be imported and entered at the Custom
House In the United States without the
| COnsurs certificate, when the foreign
value of the merchandise does not eN-
| ceed 500. and there is no evidence ofany
fraud. To the cost of the purchase must
be added all expenses to the vessel or
carriage in which the merchandise ar
rives in the United States, and the val
Ne thus obtained must not be less than
the wholesale market value ia the prin-
| cipal markets Of the country from
whence the article is imported, which is
the value upon which duties are required
to he assessed. If the importer would
be protected by the laws, he must, in the
first place, answer the requirements Of
the law; there is no property Of the inn
porter in the importation until the reve-
nue. laws have been complied with. If
the importer fails to remember his duty
in reporting to the first Custom House,
and the officers proceed for him, it viii
always be to the disadvantage ofthe i'm
| porter.
The times have been frequent, when,
if there had been no obstacles in the
way, European, China, and East India
goods could better have been cladestine-
| ~ brought through this back door than
have been imported direct from these
countries to the Atlantic cities, and pay
duties there. This class of goods can
never be regularly imported into Cana
da, be assessed duties there, and upon
the value so obtained, be imported into
the United States, again be assessed du-
| ties, and compete with impOrtations
made direct from those countries into
our Atlantic seaports. They must be
struggled in order to make them pay,
and hence the inducement.
1t is unnecessary to inquire what IS
dutiable, because everything on arriving
in this country is dutiable, unless made
free by Acts Of Congress or treaty stipu-
lations. The same report and entry are
required for free goods as in the case Of
dutiable goods No merchandise upon
| which duties are assessed can be deliv-
cred to the importer until It's duties are
paid OF secured to bepaid. Merchandise,
| the growth, product or manufacture
ofthe United States may be returned to
the United States exempt of duty, if the
| laws regulating them have been COM
piled with. 1t Is necessary that the same
should have been properly reported and
entered at the frontieroflice in the Unit
! cd States, through which the expectation
was made; that the foreign officer Gus
toms Identifies il a. the same which was
received in his country and is being re-
turned: that the internal revenue tax
/ has been paid and has not been lefun-
ded, and, finally, that il is returned in
the same condition as exported. The
! law presumes this class of goods with
others to be dutiable, and the proof rests
upon the importer to show why duties
should not be assessed
Merchandise offoreign product, growth
or manufacture, is required to pay du-
ties upon each subsequent importation
the same as upon the first importation.
The Collector Of the District is held
responsible to the Government for the
proper valuation, classification, assess
ment and collection of duties upon all
merchandise arriving in the United
| States in his District; and this is no
easy task under our present tariff laws,
fixing rates of duty which are the most
complicated, we think, Of any in the
history of the world. Records are kept
at the several offices of all imports and
exports, and a copy Of all records is pre-
served at the Custom House, Burling-
ton. a record is also kept there Of the
registry Of vessels owned in the District;
an account of all vessels arriving in the
United States in this District, and de-
parting therefrom, together with the
ships crews, the amount of tonnage
dues collected Oh vessels, Light House
expenses, &c. From a small beginning
the customs records now make Il library
Of large proportions.
1t Is not saying too much to suggest
that the cares of General Stannard, the
Collector, are exceedingly weighty.-
Probably there is no other office in the
State upon which SO many responsible
ties hang, and yet upon whom could the
duties of the office more appropriately
fall. Upon whom could the trust be
more generously bestowed than upon
him who moved with such dauntless
| heroism through the Nations war with
Rebellion. Others may falter, but Gen.
Stannard never. BY an active life of
| severe executive Discipline as foreman of
the foundry and machine shops in this
| town, and in the service of his country
as a soldierand officer, he has been pc
| culiarly fitted for his present position.
We have endeavored in our limited
| space, TO give something Of an idea of
the revenue laws, the duties of import
ers, the responsibilities of officers, and
the extent of business in this Collection
District. tits an idea only, that we can
hope to give; to publish digest of the
laws, our paper would not suffice, and
statistics are not furnished for the press.
We are looking forward to the time
when our neighbors will not be 0 init
mately interested with these things !:
when these National lines, which run
so near us, shall be removed. Coming
events east their shadows before,u and
we think the time is not far distant
when the iron posts that stretch across
our border, viii stand upon the Gulf of
st. Lawrence, and the shores of the
ocean. We desire no National lot lines
to run through the farms and villages OF
a people SO closely allied with Us in in
terest and affinity, nor do we think