The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-22
THE GOLDEN ERA.
Embarrassing Enactment bN
Congress.
Loss from Abrasion on Gold Coin To Be BorneOT
the People-Unless Coin Is Full Weight Goods
Must Go Into General Order Warehouse
Importers Apparently Have No Rights
Which the Government Is Bound to
Respect-Oficial Correspondence.

Which the Government Is Bound to
Respect-OHicial Correspondence.
At the tail end OF the session OF the last Congresg
IAN act revising and amending the laws relative
to the mints assay ofnces and coinage Of the
United States" and known as the Coinage act, was
passed, which, among others, provides that every
coin received at custom houses and sub-ueasurtea
must be OF the proper standard weight.
For the guidance Of public officers and others q
table has been prepared and inserted in Mint Cir
cular No. /, showing the standard and least cur4
rent weight OF all gold coins OF the United StatesA
In single pieces and quantities Of 500, $500, lO00
and $6ooO with due reference to the date OF coin{
age, which are made
LEGAL TENDER AT THEIR NOMINAL VALUE
and which may be received as such but as prac-i
tcal and safe construction OF these provisions Of
the law will not permit the indiscriminate receipts
by customs ofricers and others at a valuation I'M
proportion to their weight Of coins which lal beS
low the legal limit as to weight and tolerancest
with due Difference the date OF coinage land yex
such coins are made legal tender at such valua-(
tion) all such officers are hereby directed to reA
celye them when presented in payment OF public
dues, giving conditional receipt therefor shOwS
ing their nominal and estimated value in the age
gregate, and, after registering the amount IN q
book, to be kept for that purpose, forwarding To
the United States Mint at Philadelphia, Pa, or
San Francisco, CAL, whichever Is nearest and
most convenient. with statement as to the perl
son from whom and on what account said c0na
were received.
The Superintendent thereof will at once asA,
certain their true value, and deposit from the
bullion fund of their Oices with the United States
assistant treasurers in said cities, in the name Of
the officer forwarding them and on account Of theI
proper source. amount equal to such value OF
COINS OF LIGHT WEIGHT,
forwarding the entire sets of certificates OF dep0ei
to be issued by the said assistant treasurers iUs
duplicate, to said officer; the deprecated coin TO-
take the place in the bullion fund OF that depOaited3
and to be recoined at the earliest practical momenty
Upon receipt OF the certificates of deposit thet
original will be disposed OF as usual and the dupl@
cate handed to the person who paid the coin.
In receiving coin OF this description, hOweverJ
customs officers will IN no case allow mportationa
to be withdrawn until the certificates OF deposit
therefor shall have reached them. No coin OF lesA
than the least current weight will hereafter be-
permitted to be dsbhrsed by any government
officer. The
DIFrouLmEs LABoRED UNDER BY THE CASHIER, !
Mr.. William ID. Robinson since the enactment Of
these provisions by Congress have been manf0ldl
Business in his Office has almost come to standj
still. To carry out the act to the letter five times
the amount Of clerical labor now employed In ha
division will not suffice as soon as the Fall busnesa
properly sets in. The department has provided q
paid, which is a marvel Of accuracy in weighing
large sums from $1,000 to $4,000, but when il
comes to smaller COINS this expensive piece ta q
lsfaction exists among the importers at the annoy1
ing regulations imposed upon them by this gOfdj
business. Every individual paying duties has
more or less light coin among the funds Designed
for the cashiers office. If one more Of these3
coins are below the required standard the cashiers
is compelled to return the same to the importer
for redemption, and should it happen to be artery
banking hours and the payee unable to secure Others
necessarily
GOODS MUST GO INTO GENERAL ORDER"
and be put under an onerous and unjustifable ex-
pense. TN the other hand the law demands OF
those possessing coins which are found under5
weight to forward the same to The nearest mInH
and receive the returns minus the deteri0ration,i
which In itself is gross injustice to the public who
are made to suffer the loss OF abrasion, which iny
every country but this Is assumed by the gOvern4
ment, and Tor which the authorities received FUN
value at issue.
Numerous instances have occurred since the(
enactment OF this law when recently coined gold
has been found short on weighing, and when sent
to the Sub-Treasury was Invariably returned as
such. The cashier OF the Custom House, while
testing every piece, endeavOrs to execute the law
to its utmost provision, yet has had coin rejected
by the Sub-Treasury, which shortly after waa
again accepted without a murmur. Even gold,I
which was drawn by importers at the last nameU
when again deposited to the credit OF the United
States, was sent back, marked "shOrt weight"
The following official correspondence passed be
tween Collector Arthur and Secretary Rchard-i
son on this subject
April Collector Arthur wrote to the Department cong
value. until office is furnished with proper
%foe to w s s as hsn H
which the Sub treasurer declined to take dopSsit
e
s sa 1 ct their sssa
ceived Mint and entail and expense to the
HI aas
o Sy ae % S %
Importers embarrassing those engaged in the
the cashier shows arbitrary exercise literal
he
'Ss
Of
to the Collector that ts % be hoped that
sideratlqn O the difficulties encountered IL attempting
will exercise the necessary moderation and forbearance.
s w Anna sp S s s
Is requested to again present the coin rejected to he
ssSs dsSo,s 6st Ills order
from due vigilance in again discovering and rejecting il
in iniure payments" -.. Co., ,,,,.
the same date complaining Of the arbitrary manner IN
Sartment conJ NOT hone for an imnndiiase Strict
anes w SHn Che e0 R
epos By YOU So
Weight on the scales used az Custom cuse found to
be Of fu weight and that 4 Is impossible determine
the balances either once, and that the new scales
promised to be forwarded TO Collector Arthur de-
An order from the Secretary, May g. instrcts General
Arthur Ito receive all United states gold coins which
have not been arthcially tempered with. and which,
according to best Judgment do not indicate natural
abrasion OF more than halt per cent regardless OF date Of
COINAGE
June the Secretary writes that having forwarded
the properly adjusted coin balances, IL expected the
partment, under April l. receive IN payment
ofduties nj their nominal value, all gold falling
within the least weight the single piece with
out regard 10 the year of coining.n
Collector Arthur, under date OF June TO- tho
balances not at all adapted for the purpose
were that day returned by the which
found OF tuli weight by the cashier.
June Is secretary Richardson writes that .thc loss
Whatever may be, received must be borne
the person receiving the same at It's nominal value in
violation of law ana instructions and that another bal
for the accurate weight OF single pieces similar
the used by the Treasurer would be forwarded
If importers are Inconvenience there are
ways by which the inconvenience NAV be materially de-
creased. Let them bring coin ofegal weight and coin
NGatn q II 10 ea alia i4aa.l In Nm. X.-L