The New York herald., 1871-02-05
THE TONNAGE TAX.
What Steamship Agent Has to Say About
Collector MurPhy's Latest Proposals.
The Public to be Made to Pay All Taxes en-
etsamships-What ths Companies Pay at
Present Something About the
Ceremony Of Fumigation.

The notes of coming battle which collector
Murphy has lately been vigorously trumpetng
forth TO an interested world have at last stirred the
phegmaic souls Of the agents Of the foreign
steamship lines, and they begin at last TO believe
that some action Is really going TO be taken
against them. Tney Go not, however, manifest
very extreme anxiety, apparently feeling convinced
that The jealousy of Congress has already placed
as heavy burden upon their shoulders as they can
bear, and that therefore unless the policy OF whole
sale subsidies to American lines be adopted-a very
improbable consummation OF the fght-tney are
toeeaIly safe. Ii Sill heavier taxes imposed
upon them they must either stop runEng or charge
increased rates for passengers and freight. But
perhaps their sentiments and plans may be
better understood from perusai Of the
following in,erview, which a reporter OF the HERALD
had yesterday with the agent OF the Cunard Com
pany. Passing from Bowling Green through o
gloomy hallway into The business oflce the reporter
was directed to the private room OF the asent-a
reom containing
EXACTLY ONE CHAIR,
which the agent himself occupied. This last ar.
rangement is q cunning transatlantic device
to prevent callers taking up too much
Of the agents time. No matter how
important may be the object OF VISIT 1t win scarce
y very protracted, while the caller is compelled
"a,
elbows upon desk. The pOIteness OF the trlck Is
OF course. something that English business mel
would deem altogether beneath tneir notice.
''What do YOU tlink, sir, said the reporter. "of
Collector
TO impose the tonnage tax upon every arrival OF
every vcsselt''
''Wel, don't think much ABOUT it in any way
with u shrug Of disgustl. 1t doesn't matter very
mucn TO Us what Congress does N these matters"
..How Is thatfn
Weil OF course we are only a business corpora.
"A ir
dividend on our capital. II Congress imposes this
tax upon us it win not come out of our treasury
but cut OF the pockets OF the merchants or the city
and the passengers who use our hIe. We shall
charge bigger rates, tnat Is all there is in II. We
shall have The trouble OF collecting ana paying tie
tax. but II Viii be
NO PEcUtlARY LOSS TO Us.n
"Is mat the way you arranged IL In the times
when you had TO pay the tonnage tax, as Mr.
| Murphy proposes you should do again ?"
well, no, scarcely; because We never paid the
tax except under protest. No attempt TO impose
such tax upon US was Mace until alter the war.
Then we paid II ior i0ar or tive years; but at each
payment put in protest To the effect that such
Tax was not only unjust, but unconstitutional and
contrary 10 The treaty Of commerce between Great
Britain and the United states. We nave now
A CLAIM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT
on that very mead OF several hundred thousand dol
lars and We snail press 1t until is paid. And II
the attempt IL maze again TO collect this tax we
Shall again protest against It's legality
Aud II 1t be decided by the courts that the gov
ernment has the power 10 exact itr'
''del, then, as have before said, our customers
VIII have TO pay IT. y
''EdYe you maze any arrangements In concert
with the other companies an 10 represent 10
Congress wnat you deem the injustice OF the mea-
sureY'
..No sirn with a very decided and wise shake OF
the heedl mot exactly. CONT care what the
American Congress chooses TO 90 with us. AS I
have sald, they can't toucn our profits because we
Shall sniIt all that they choose impose upon us
upon the backs of American merchants. il we
can't run our line here witn proht snan't run it
al ail.n
.'How much would this tax involve ~
about 500 or $500 eacn vessel. The tonnage
tax Is
THIRTY CENTS TON
vessel OF 5000 tons would therefore have to pay
$780, Perhaps the tax would be on ali our arrIva.s
about slO0, 100 year,
s'As much as thattn
''Yes, quite. You can see what big sum would
ours mind"
what other taxes have you to pay nowsn
"Well. the tonnage dues we pay once year-ihrty
upon every vessel tnat enters the port In
the course OF the year. Then we pay i've dollars
and ty cents entry dues each trip Of each vessel;
vessel; ten dollars for each death that may take
place al sea- ana lastly, hfty dollars lor fumlgatng
the Vessel on arrivai during the summer months"
'That iast Item II q curious one"
"fes, but II Is necessary ana right, and II there
was only anything done for It we should not mind
paving It. But uley do scarcely anything. Tney
certainly don't
EFFEcruAILy FUMraATE
sne e.s snip, except when perhaps there has been
do you pay any harbormasters duesY'
"No, we escape that because we have eur docks
came here as believe they wanted to make U.s. we
shsad pay cent and half ton on each vesseln
shape or another upon our profits; you don't pay
income taxp
"AND WHY SHOULD wEg,
swell, you make money In the country ana enjoy
the blessing OF doing business under q secure and
stable government; Isn't 1t fair that you should
mo; not at all. We don't get American protec-
iisp. We have the plstecti2N " oar swn nag, We