The New York herald., 1869-11-23

The InvestigslIon Confinued-StartiinR Dis
cIosures-Frss6s 10 the WeiGhers' DEPART
ment-HaHy Importers Implieaied-The
Whole Establishment to be Overhauled.
The discovery of ils internal revenue drawback
conspiracy, n which proniasaE olicsrs Ia the New
YorE Custom House are charged with being impl-
Gated, has resulted Ia one good ihing-tne govern
ment mas determined to overhaul the entire estab-
lsRment, from turret to foundation stone" and to
examine into the whole system a. 10 how the pubic
business was done during the last three or four
years. This investigation has proceeded quietly
under the general supervision Of Judge Edwards
Pierepont and the solicitor OF the Treasury at
Washington, and many startling disclosures have
already been made. Ii was discovered that great
Iooseness prevailed In nearly all the departments or
the Custom House. which had crept In by careless.
ness more than by premedltated roguery a. tho
start, but OF winch the rogues Afterwards took ad.
vantage aud, using the adopted course OF routine
and brbing some OF the less scrupulous subordl.
mates, turned 1t TO their own profit.
Thus In the weighers' Department frauds upon
the revenue have been discovered to amount ex-
ceedlng 100000. Some time ago great noise was
made about fraudulent pay rolls OF welghers, draw
| Ing pay from the government for assistants they
had never employed These alleged frauds were
thoroughly examined into, and 1t was found that,
on the whoe, tley amounted 20 only the psltry sum
Ola aieW hundred dollars. That matter was dropped,
for TO institute prosecutions for such trivial mat
ter prosecutions which are SO costly Ia the United
states courts. would have been equal to shooting a
sparrow with ten-inch Rodman gun. But IN tue
course OF thls investigation tue cover was llted
| IRON an accumulation or other frauds In
| the same department., in winch not the weighers
nlone but large number Of importers were found
| 10 have been concerned. These were false entries
| by the WeIghers In their "d0cK DoOks,u and on
their returns ~ the Custom House. OF the quantity
| or imported dutlabe goods weighed by them.
| Smith, for example, imported two million pounds
OF coffee, but the Weigher returns tha quantity at
| only million and a hai; Oh the latter the duty IL
paid, and OF the import duty the half million
pounds omitted the revenue Is cheated. The I'M
| porter pockets the amount aud pays the welyher q
| bonus for his connlvance. quite number OF such
| cases, covering every Imaginable quality OF Inn
| ported wares, nave been uuearthed aud the evil
| dence il now being slfted and arranged az Judge
| Iierfepong IA determined very soon TO commence
legal proceedings.
| Another class OF frauds have been discovered in
| the matter OF drawDacks on goods re-expOrted on
watch the duty had been pai1 at the time OF tnoir
impOrtatiOn. some OF these goods were exported
| az ALL some were myserlOuslT changed IN bulk and
| quan.ily before exportation, aud higher amount
| oi drawback money was received than legally and
Justly Que Bus tue investigation IN THESE cases nas
| not vet gone far enough to Ok with anything Ike
approxInative guess the extent OF the frauds prac
tiaed Collector GTnDell IL rendering every iacllltl
ia his power TO the ofhcers conducting the inquirl
and IL aiding them " the iu limit Of his power