Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-10-28
INTERESTING oFF1c1AL STA
TISTICS.

Of the principal articles Of foreign pro-
duction which entered into consumption
in the United States in the year 1868.
1t gives the quantities, values, rates Of
duty, aggregate of duties, ETC., With the
aggregate value Of all these products.
If it could have been issued earlier after
the year it refers to, it would have been
of tsn-fold more value. Late as 1t is,
however, there are figures in it that are
still worthy Of consideration-soms Of
them quite important, and some of them
merely interesting and curious. It APP
pears that 10 the fiscal year 1868 the
gross value of the foreign products that
entered Into consumption in the United
States was Ss57,25s,eo 900. This is an
enormous quantity of foreign goods to
be consumed in n year by this coun-
try, heavily in debt as it was in the
year referred to, and as it is now. The
amount stated 10 the invoice value in
gold-the amount paid was probably a
great deal more, as there 10 a chronic
disease Of undervaluation in far too
many invoices, made out for custom
house inspection. The amount OF du-
table goods in the aggregate above
given was $s2s, lss, lo4, and the sggrs-
gate of duties paid was $l5s, SOC, 500,
from which it appears that the average
rate Of duty on all dutiabls goods is
about 40 per cent. The list Of the
classes Of imported goods that are
taxed to yield the amount Of duty just
mentioned covers ls closely printed
quarto pages, yet it is curious to observe
what q small number Of articles yield
nearly all Of the customs revenue. With
bu. slight inspection of the table, we
have selected fourteen articles Tor
classss) that paid Slsl, s64,45s Of the
$3.50, 500, 500 Of duties on the foreign
goods consumed in 1868. These are
sugar and molasses, coffee, tea, wool
and its manufactures, silks, iron and
steel, cottons, spirits, wines, etc., fax
and its manufactures, chemicals, fruits,
tobacco, feathers, and hemp and its
manufactures. Tho three articles of
sugar, coffee and tea consumed in that
year paid S54, go, $50 in duties. These
figures show how simple the tariff might
be made il no other object than revenue
had to be considered in its adjustment.
Some of tho figures, as we have al
ready said, are both interesting and
curious. Thus, the quantity Of coffee
which entered into consumption in 1868
was S2l2 ,379,2s6 pounds, and its value,
as entered in the Custom-house, was
SEA, OILS, 3l6. If any one undertakes to
calculate the cost Of coffee from these
figures, no must remember that the
value given is in gold-that be must add
Eve cents a pound in gold for dut, and
also the cost Of transportation. Tho
quantity of tea entered for consumption
during the same was 81, 555, 733 pounds,
and its invoice value was Sill, e4s, ll2
10 gold, aud any calculation here will
have to include twenty-five cents q
pound duty, in gold, and cost Of trans
portation also.
We have made a hasty examination Of
the tables in another direction, viz,
among the articles Of foreign production
purchased in that year, which the pur-
chasers would have been as we'll of
without, and which add but little or moth
ing to the aggregate wealth of the coun.
try. In this list we iud (amoug other
articles not e%numerased) that diamonds,
jewelry, fancy articles, including
dolls, toys, artificial feathers, cologne
water, cosmetics, beads, ETC., beer,
spirits, wines, tobacco, cigars, %velvets,
silks, ribbons, false hair, furs, fruits,
etc., of foreign production consumed in
1868, cost no less than $685. 95 1872.
This great sum, it should be remem-
bersd, is but a part Of the foreign ex-
peuditures for articles that the pur-
chasers could absolutely do without,
yet even that part would 60 a long way
toward placing the balance Of trade on
the right side Of our annual account, If
the articles had been allowed to remain
abroad, and scarcely any n here
would have been a dollar the worse off
to-day. We End among these classes
Of articles an expenditure of $2os, 900
for human hair" cleaned and "un-
cleaned" rae
It is quite curious to look among the
entries under the head Of wines. Tho
observer seeks in vain here for those
high priced "imported wines" of which
20 much 10 heard when q bottle or case
is ordered. Over six million Of gallons
of imported wines are included in these
tables, but Of that amount it is notice
able that 5,3ss,2 I are invoiced at less
than fifty cents a gallon $4,000 are
invoiced between Fifty cents and a dollar
a gallon, and only 2o3 1852 gallons at
from one to two dollars a gallon. These,
it is true, are gold prices, and the du-
ties in gold are respectively twenty
cents, fly cents, and ous dollar q gal.
lon, aud % per cent. ad valorem. An
examination of the sparkling wines T"
(champagnes) shows that the 4ss,sss
bottles tquarts) Of sparkling wine,
which entered into consumption in 1868,
were iuvoiced At s44s, 43s Is, or about
ninety cents per quart bottle. This is
also gold, and the duty is fifty cents per
bottle in gold.
Duck SHooTISa.-The San Francisco
Bultsin Of Tuesday says: The thick
foggy weather Of the last few days has
been very propitious to sportsmen,
and wild duck and plover have