New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-02
INTERNAL REVENUE REPORT.

80 - ~ =
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
INTERNAL REVENUE REPORT.
We present today from the st. Louis
nspwblican of Tuesday, . fuller abstract
than We published yesterday Of the internal
revenue report, which was given to the
representatives of the press Monday:
Il contains many important facts and
Recommendations. The Commissioner says,
that the estimate submitted IN MS annual
report for 1859 of the probable receipts from
infernal revenue sources exclusive of the
direct tax upon lands and the duty upon
The circulation and deposits OF national
bsnks for the fiscal year 1870, has been
more than realized. The estimate was
3I75, 100000; and the aggregate receipts
under the then existing laws are shown to
be SIS, 235,8 1867 81, an excess OF SlO,235,S67 81
beyond the estimate. This aggregate in
cl1des the sums refunded for taxes illegally
assessed and collected, amounting to $780,
6O9 81. as we'll as the amount of commits
eions Of the collectors. The total receipts
for the first six months of 1870 are $84,468,-
288 81, and for the like period of 1869 they
are $69, l84, 725 -, being an increase of y
per cent, or q total increase Of S15,2S3, 563 "A.
The total receipts Of the last six months
OF 1870 are $780, 81, 597 40, andfor the like
period Of 1869 were s9O,S54,6l9 16, being an
Increase Of eleven per cent, or a total in
crease of $9,9l2, 800 "a. A comparative
statement is here submitted, from which it
appears that the latest receipts for the fiscal
year of 1870 are $l85,235,S67 81 the total
receipts for the fiscal year Of 1869 were
Sl6o,Os9,Sa4 %, showing vi. g, 9 net ne gain tor the
going statement it will be seen that there
has been a continuous increase in the re-
.ceipts from the excise taxfrOm June 30,
1870, a~ggregating the sum Of $25, l96, SOB sc.
These figures and the deductions therefrOm
satisfy the Commissioner that there is no
i~nsnfmountable difficulty in enforcing our
excise laws. The employment of spies and
informers ahd the policy Of paying moieties,
IN his opinion, are no longer necessary, and
this revenue service would be improved by
disseminating them. He recommended that
the detectives be continued under the desig-
nation Of assistant supervisors.
WHISKY.
The number of distilleries, other than
fruit, registered during the last fiscal year is
40: the number of fruit distillers regis
tered Is 2l2O; total 1880. The spirit-prO-
-ducing capacity of the registered distil-
leries for each tw~enty..fOur hours is ascer-
tained by surveys e! az TO- follows;
lasses, $4,000; from fruit, IL, 27l; total daily
4sp~iritrproducing capacity, 9lO,55l gallons:
The returns to this Office for the last fiscal
year show q total production OF taxable
gallons from material other than fruit, of
Tl,337, 099; from fruit, 938,254; from fruit,
not yet returned, but estimated, 100000;
total yearly production, 72,425,3o3. The
Commissioner says the production of spirits
fom fruit is likely to be largely increased
for the current year, owing to the extensive
crop Of fruit grown in many parts OF the
United States, and because the act OF July
has relieved the manufacturers from many
of the requirements applicable to grain dis
tillation, which, when applied to fruit, were
found to be burdensome.
The quantity of spirits in July l, 1863,
was 1865, l66 gallons; the quantity entered
in bond for the year ending June 30, 1870,
was 1857, 069; the quantity withdrawn
from bond during the last period was 76,-
.339. 807, and the quantity remaining in bond
on July /, 1879, was II ,682, 458; the quantity
remaining in bond July !, 1869, in excess Of
the quantity stated in his report for 1869,
shown by corrected report of collectors re-
replrt for 1853, is 81 1928, The Commissioner
thinks there will be. no material falling off
in the proportion of spirits during the cur
rent year. The plan of surveying distilleries
on the basis Of the forty-eight hour ferment
ing period for sweet mash, to which atten-
ton was called in his last annual report,
has been fully carried out, and its results
are highly satisfactory and advantageous to
the government.
The distilleries now very generally seem
to be disposed to obey the law, and comply
with the orders and regulations Of the
bureau. In regard to the selection and
adoption of the same saccharometer, the
COMMISSIONS says the result of the investi-
cations made are favorable to the selection
Of q standard article, and its use by the in
ternal revenue officers having direct super
vision of distilleries. There is no authority
of law for procuring this instrument, and he
therefore recommends that Congress grant
the Commissioner the necessary authority.
The experience of the past year has served
to strengthen the Commissioner previous
opinion as to the impPlicy Of changing the
law taxing spirits, and induces him to re-
peat the recommendation in his last annual
report, that the rate of tax and the
of its collection be left as they are now pro-
yided for. The receipts from this source for
1870 are SIS, 581 500 Is, already within ST.
$4,000 Of his estimate. ..o
TOBACCO.
The receipts from tobacco seems to be
highly satisfactory. The receipts for the
last fiscal year from this source were
$31, $50, 7O7 08; for the preceding year they
were 23,430,707, 81; showing nj increase OF
81, 800, 900 81. Thus an increase of nearly
eight millions has not been ~spasmOdic, but
is a regular monthly increase, averaging
over $60O, 900 per month. The late crop OF
general drouth in many of the tobacco
growing districts. The Commissioner calls
attention to what he thinks are defects in
the law by which great iniquities exist; and
he claims that there is but one remedy for
the frauds perpetrated, and that it is to
make the tax on all descriptions of tobacco
uniform. Less inequality would then exist
under a tax Of thirty-twO cents per pound,
than under the present rates. With this
uniform rate on all manufactured tobacco,
the revenues can be collected with much
greater facility than at present.
He is also satisfied that the honest and
larger portion of the tobacco trade are gen.
orally in favor of a uniform rate or tax on
all descriptions and grades of manufactured
tobacco; and while a portion of the trade
favor a tax Of sixteen cents, a large majority
are Indifferent as to the rate, whether six.
teen or thirty-tw0 cents per pound, provided
the tax Is uniform and thoroughly collected,
AND the manufacturer left free to manipu
late his product as he pleases. There are
fifteen export tobacco bond warehouses fol
the storage Of manufactured tobacco in bond
for expectation. These are all in the eastern
cities, except one at New Orleans and one al
San Francisco. Repeated applications have
been made for additional warehouses, but
believing that it was the design of Congress
not only to abolish the old system Of class L
warehouses for tobacco and snuff, but t(
limit the facilities for bonding to sucf
goods as were in fact intended for exporta
tion, and also believing that the distinguish
ing feature of the present law and tha'
which made it radically different from pre-
yious laws on the subject Of manufactured
= xol.cno~ -cc <1~a ,wo nj vyrnonf nf tho fcv II,