The Portland daily press., 1872-10-21
Kennebunk Custom HOuSp.

To the Editor Of the Press:
Not content with assailing the custom
houses at New York and at the great natural
seaport of the Canadas the Argus-nosed De-
mocracy have scented out spoils in the hum
BILE brick building dedicated many years ago
to the transaction of Uncle Sans business in
this quiet village; accordingly we are surpris-
ed to find it heralded all over the land that
considerable unnecessary expenses are con-
nected with the custom house at this place
where there are no dutiable entries; and
some ofthe weak brethren are made to offend
by this foolish talk. This was made port of
delivery in 1899 and one Of entry and delivery
May 10th, 1901, under the administration of
Thos. Jefferson, ever since which time the
collector, deputy and inspectors have quarter
ly, for the intervening three score and ten
years and more, drawn their salaries punctu-
ally and in the honest belief that they actu-
ally rendered to their Uncle Samuel fair
equivalent for the money received from him,
till now they are greatly astonished to find
that the erudte mathematician of the New
York World has ciphered them out fraud
and corruption.
1t is true that at the time this was made a
port of entry there were several small vessels
engaged in carrying fish and lumber to the
West Indies and bringing back rum, sugar
and molasses; for the difficulty of intercom-
munication by land between different parts of
the Union then diffused our imports and ex-
ports through many more seaport towns than
they are with our present railroad and steam
boat facilities but, while this business is now
more concentrated than formerly and monop-
ollzed by the larger and more favored ports
other commercial interests have intellectually
increased all along shore; and it may also be
suggested that but for the appointment of
customs officers here and at many other, SINH
larly-stuated, small places the imports at
such points would be much larger than they
are but the United States would derive no
revenue therefrom; and the larger ports
would soon perceive the difference in their
entries and invoices.
Kennebunk now has forty-six vessels with
an aggregate tonnage of over eleven thousand
preceding the present, 43,767 72-100 tons,
notwithstanding the fact that this has noto-
rlously been period of great depression of
the ship-building interest.
We trnst we see the dawn of better day
and the promise of revival of the activity
and prosperity of 1878. This year sees
more vessels of various sizes built and con-
tracted for than in any one of the past fifteen
years, and with unusually fair prospect of
their finding remunerative employment. A
splendid new ship (the Friedlander) of near
" 1000 tons, sailed week before last for New
York, there to load for San Francisco, at
rate Of freight equ-l to any ever paid such
vessels, and which will give a net profit of
the fifteeen-month's voyage equal to two
thirds (almost) of her cost. In the river is a
new three-masted schooner, of about 500 tons,
of an elegant model and build, fitting for sea.
She is now owned by Providence parties and
is named for the wcll-known merchant of
that city Earl P. Mason. The ownership OF
all this tonnage is constantly changing, in
volving change of the documentary and re-
cord evidence Of title. To compel parties to
go to Portland on every such occasion would
be unjust, veXatious, and probably unecon-
omical too.
This district comprises the large towns of
Wells, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, with
twenty miles of seaport, six rivers, navigable
by boats or vessels suited to smuggling pur-
poses, and five harbors. The nearest custom
house east is Saco ten miles off and the near
est west is at York, twenty miles, If Mr.
Greeley's revenue reformers should see fit to
abolish this port they could hardly retain
Saco and York as ports of entry, and Port
land or Portsmouth, twenty-five miles dis
tant, would be the nearest Custom House.
Our Collector is paid wholly by the fees paid
by parties, and receives nothing from the
United States; the deputy and inspectors have
small salaries for the services performed; the
former 5000 and the inspectors at Wells,
Ogunquit and Cape Porpoise, S156 each, ag-
gregating S1068, while formerly they were
lin ally S2306, under Democratic economy.
The large fishing business and the flocking of |
mackeral fleets from the westward into these
harbors requires the number of officers we
have; and while the duties were at the high |
est point every vessel coming to an anchor |
had to be actually boarded and examined. |
The tonnage dues collected here during the |
imposition of that tax were about $SOOO-so
Keanebunk has paid directly into the U. S.
Treasury from her ships no small sum as a
tax upon her industry, and by her persistence
in ship-building throughout the war, and
since, has done much to foster the CONNER
cial interests of the State and nation.