New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-25


frccst from objections OF all kinds. -, -o.o,,
Senator CasseTy-Do you consider that tho present
Customs system is an economical one In the charges IL
imposes cominercoi A. think 1T Is very oxtrava-
giant.
WHY MuRI1IY's ADMINISTRATION WAS NOT REALLY ECO
NoMlCAI.
O. IL ia claimed that by Of the percentage OF ex
pense calculated upon the whos collected the
present administration OF the Customs here Is econom
cal ia that proper testi A. think not
@. whyi A. Because the per cent would vary accord
rg to the import and the import may vary according to
circumstances: with reduced import the percentage
would increase II the import increased the percentage
OF expense would be diminished.
O. Have the imports Of duty paying goods increased
within the last two or three years at ths port A. thK
they have.
O. In tina. tho percentage would necessarily fall
fall upon free as well as dutiable goods and the free
goods considerably increased within two or three
O. Where the tariif was placed at high rate as to
produce largo amount OF revenue on the same amOUn
Of goods would not the percentage appear to be lower
@. And with a reduced tariff tho same amount Of
goods the percentage would be hiRherf A. YES, sir.
O. Will YOU state the ground upon which you consider
the present Customs system an expensive one IN IT'S
inf that ali which charged for various
poses at the CustOmhouse are unnecessary ana ought
to fall upon the Government.
HOW IMPORTERS ARE TAXED.
O. state an instancei A. Well, we pay for the stamp
which Is put upon the invoices have to pay for every
permits we have TO pay much for every ORDER and SO
much fos every entry OF goods and so much for an s
dav these cost from 81 so TO 81. according to cir
cumsapces they have come to form very severe tax
O. Can You state whether or not those charges are
allowed by lawf a. have never ascerained that they
O. Do you include the large charges under the General
Order system part of the oxpensei A. Yes, do.
Q. Charges for cartagei A. Yes, Sir; very serious.
Senator Bayard-Have yen found that your expenses
General Orderl A. Insurance In all bonded warehouses
is much greater than private establishments do mot
know that greater IN the General Oruer store ha IL
Q. What has been your experience In respect 70 tho
abstraction Of articles of merchandise from packages
while in the custody of the Government A. II has not
been experience to find any abstraction OF merchan
disc lately formerly 1t happened occasionally when
renonstrance wasimade an effort was made TO
correct 1t. ,
system that existed before Mr. Grinnels time and sub
shutting the present system one ground alleged by the
authorities that the General order business on tho
Jersey side OF the river the hands OF foreigners
What do you think OF that as ground OF 0DJectlcnI a.
| think It is very foolish one.
o. Was there anything detrimental to commerce in
having the business IN the hands OF foreign steamship
cOmpaniesi A. Not TO my knowledge.
O. DO you regard the control of the North River Gene
raj Order business as it conducted by eet STOCKING
should say 1t was q very valuable privilege.
DIVIDING THE SOILS.
O. Do you know whether the persons hay!ng.the Gene
raj Order pay portion OF the receipts TO parties
not namedi A. 1 do mt know, Tiny own knowledge;
have heard 1t stated so.
knewf A. did not hear It myself; but 1t told me
by to whom II was mentioned by the person WHO
knew. 49,
@. Do you know anything Of the extenti A. That
was one of the reasons why the charges General
Order goods was great; II Leet Stocking wero not
subject TO such expenses the charge would be less
O. Did you understand, then, that such tribute was
paid to considerable extenti A. Judging from what
my informant told me. should say so.
@ There u PRONUNCIATION by Mr. Murphy in Octo
s Se these U Fl the rates to Wien You have referred A.
Sir; but always found them very exorbitant and I'M
Senator Pratt understood you that you had heard
that Leet Co divided thor receipts with other parties
A. The question as understood was general
O. You did not refer specially TO themi A. No. Sir:
O. Did you refer to their predecessors A. 10 their
O. What particular frmi A. do MT know that am
at liberty 10 mention il; 1t told to me conilentially
aT WHAT - n1e S ' ore hay that L
Stocking divide their receipts with third party A.
have lone, Sir.
STORAGE AND LABOR CHARGES.
O. Can you state the average charges for storage and
labor made by the Cunard and German lines when they
had the General Order hnsnessf A. Think. in covering
several years, used TO pay them 60 cents package
then 1t got up to cents, and finally 81; with few
ceptions 81 the charge that they made at time
abandoned: they continued 10 charge 81 package
up the time the General Order business left there
O. Then they really charged for labor ard storage sub
santiay what Leet Co. charge now, did they not A.
No. SIR YER never charged so m"ch they rucked the
O. For the items Of storage and labor what per-
& stocking nowi A. should think about one-third or
onehalf higher we always demonstrated against the
side of tho river and they would putt down to 6o Oc
must sgs ssen qS69 me- sa mast
shcd that 12cO pounds shoud be load that after
same into Office he asked my opinion OF the rates he
had established. and told him; his answer was that
to regulate the charges for the Governments what
the Government was to pay those goods had moth
ing to do witt any arrangement between the importer
O. You testified before the Committee OF Investigation
on the nth OF January, 1871 did you not A. did.
tohouse management since your acquaintance with i'll
A. II did not, should have done so.
O. You said 81 think there better In the
house at this moment than there have been
Eve six years-than have known in the Department
in all my experiences" and again, "There Is longer
the kind of lOoseness in the Of doing bust
that existed years ago. all that has been improved
rected, and decided effort has been made to insure
faithful collection Of the revenue" Do you still adhere
to this statement A. so far my observation goes
that tho at that time, and have
Senator Casseriy-what proportion of the General
Order business at this port Is the North Ryerboth
sdesl A; very large proportion: A.. ..,-,
in the hands Of concern A. No. Sir not until these
gentlemen Geet & Stocking came s in d.,
@ Was 1t done before Leet & sockingt A. think
moi, Sir; it may have been under Mr. Grtnnell; my
opinion is he gave 1t all to person named squircs but
think that was Of brief duration.
O. Was this concentration Of the business IN the hands
OF Leet stocking regarded as an unusual proceeding,
A. so far as my knowledge goes II was.
HOW TO REDUCE THE RATES.
The Charman-What In your Judgment, would be the
effect upon II the General Order stores should
be increased TO six eight in number and put charge
Of men who should compete for the business the
In the Of bonded warehouses A. think the
charges would be considerably less.
@. What would be the effect II the Government should
take the entire business IN Its own hands A. II II
should become merely selfsustainng business think
1t would be the best system that could be desired
chants would then be protected from rapacous charges
on the part Of storekeer RS, aud the tax upon them
would be very much lessened.
Q. The merchants would not object to paying necessary
charges A. They would not although under the exist
ing OF duty merchants think they have enough
pay TO the Government To warrant the payment OF
these minor by tho Government these charges
should come in the duty for they merely an add-
La IN a 81