New-York tribune., 1874-03-23
AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS BROKEN UP.

AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS BROKEN UP.
rpsTOv-HoUsR SPIES AND APPRAISERS DRIVE
LARGE MANUFACTURING HOUSE OUT OF BUsl-
EKss-ONE OF COL. FRANK Z. HoWEs RAIDS
NO MONEY SECURED But THE BUSINESS DE
sTKOyED. go
remarkable instance of the evil e1,ects OF the
sresent system Of uormers and moietes upon AheIi-
san industries is shown by the of the Barbour Flax
sp,nuinC Company whose works at Patersol Nj Inc
parent establishment of this Company that o. william
Barbour Some is in Lburn, Ireland, where taelr mills
have been running since i7S5. Theso Low emhoy ZVo
rorkmen whose houses fern village in the heiShoor-
mood Thomas Barbour, member OF the firm OF WIN
arbOUr Sons in Ireland the President OF the barbour
FLAX Spinning Company and the senior memoer Al the
6rn of Barbour Bros at No ls4 Churchst in this CITY,
ass been established in business here over 20 years. ana
IN that time hs house has paid the Government over
b1Oo COO duties, while 1t has always occupied heh
posii on and never had the least dispute CT diincuV
with officials till 1S72 When as the trm assert
Frank Howes Special Revenue Bureau made series
NJ determined efforts extOrt money from the brm'
In 1854 when the duty taken from max machinery
,be house of William Barbour & sons determined to
establish branch works in Paterson. Extensive pur-
thases OF factories tenementhouses, and water H''
,eges were made. Flax machinery and ssnled laoor
were imported at great expense. Large DnmDers OF
speraves brought from Ireland, houses were pro
sided for them, steady work was furnished theh ana
The prosperity OF the City of Paterson was much IN
creased by this enterprise The manufacture OF shoe
threads and OF linen threads which are largely used IN
various leather manufactures, begun Oh liberal
seale IN mills called the Passaic Flax Thread WORKS
driven by waterpower and employing 45O hands An
extepsive department was established for the spoong
pi linen threads imported III the bundle, as cOt0p Tor
spoong is 30 extensively imported to this country.
mandatory known the Arkwright Minis, driven by
Dorl, M
napufacture Of fax twnes aud the cOarser grades OF
goods for which American grown fax is suitable Yarns
10 supply this mill were imported from various manu-
faourers Dundee, Leeds aud elsewhere and from the
parent house in Ireland The business steadily lu-
sreased from 1864 1872, the time OF the customs
of house. and the extension of the business
by putting up large mill was begun. This would
have given remuneratye employment 10 many hundred
operatives and would have developed largely new
branch Of industry in tins country. The foundations Of
the new mill were lald and additional machinery was
ordered from Ireland but the oppression OF 1872
checked the enterprise. The following statement of the
given Ivy Thomas Barbour, who is President OF
Board Of Trade and one OF the largest tax
payers in Paterson;
bur customers We afterward learned that the special
agent got his information from rival manufacturer,
who had exerted himself 10 stir up the revenue lntorm
AGAINST and bad made false statements 10 tnem
i found afteTward this man In close conference |
W. v.
had charge of the case against In order 10 hurt our
trade this manufactures circulated reports OF lmpendng
took pains e see ,hat those reports should be proved
correct by the issue. letter written by one OF the
largest houses Chicago TO their buyer IN New-HoIk
IN the early part Of March 1872, ran thus
Onde ares inform that Barbour Brothers have had dh
ooi 8y cDBOt t our orders this VeeA you VIII la
Us hne :? t.e." etc 1T > -53s. 80 21s.Fy5
The steamship Italy IN port three days after tne uate
si this letter, brought shipment OF goods when t.f
authorities dd not deliver as usual on the payment J1
received by the Abyssina. on which duties hd been
paid FEB. -, Oar shipments consisted OF FAX, which
FAX II impossible TO Keep oar macbiuery n motion
The supplies for our rkwrght Mills consisted OF linen
Neither the yarns nor the fax we're affected in any way
by any assume charges Of underyaluaton. our ship
ments OF mehnefy also kept back together WIN
our dyes.ahs bleachingstuf' and supplies OF foreign
paper Tor wrapping
lions were based came from department aiterward
known the Special Revenue Detective Bureau.
which accused OF irregularities. the particulars or
these alleged irregularities could never tnd out IRON
than SIX months and had great number Of interviews
with great many officials As the delays ana emoar
my business for months. had nothing eSe 10 do
but try clear uD the matter and get ~ seteu our
troubles lasted fourteen months IN ala and III that time
1 must have had several hundred conversations WIN
various officials Some OF these men were often hard TO
fapd particu cularly Frank h. Howe.
MY first interview Was with person VINO sBied hlui-
self Col W " Alexander, remarkably bland, insiu-
Mating and dignifed individual, who asked me TO be
sesed and 70 proceed 10 te my story at time
smaIlsize c4tike young man glided into the
and placed himself in corner behind me, whero he
could note down every syllable that might inadvertently
marked,instance OF the uufairand oppressive treat
ment 10 which subjected was the unreasonable
adyance made upon toe valuation OF finished goods
reaiy for market, which was beyond what was well
knOwu tO be their actual value the value of similar
goos from other manufacturers tnat time; their val
uaon had been already put al higher rate than those
set by large competitors OF ours. We protested and
Reimbursement was made before Judge Hogeboon,
George Chapman
chants appraiser After very long and caIefu lnNes-
figatiop Ia winch every number OF our thread
.nsIyzed, measured and weighed, and in which every
detail price gone into with the utmost dgence
our invoices were sustained iu every particular Not
single instance OF undervauation Teguldrity was
discovered. Delivery OF the detained goods was ofdeitu
May 81, lS72 the last package of goods was TO
ceiyed Nv
with the advice Of Deputy Collector Lydecker we
entered large lumber OF invoices, which nad accumu
lated during the time when these proceedings were III
progress, first asking him troubles might he con-
sdered TO 1e over Inc following letter was addressed
10 him, and favorable reply was received: . -
Jons L,DroErR eso Deputy Collector Port Of JHce-Fori
DEAE sE We have Indirectly heard that wss The u'eeuo Of the
.ssing tbe re6ea respectfully
Sm oar we being partially want ge,
ssI sSS % w 10 add or 6e sd1sDce Nch Ihe hgs nieR
gent appraisers shon be ihe pee eony all business
sage ad custom under proest ad then
resr the difference course We advised By number
importer this the polite AND promp maoner IN which
sou Itsnded al the Information you cou 10 o1i recent eA
viii as the oeneat o yoai ad' soo1 E@o
entered Rather thsn Sb@i 70 & sSs % % a % Sss &
le months sBd cor u~ls las et
as sbGtg oa cur liability soppy goods We
rssSectfUiy, bAhboth 'Nos.
comprised the Invoices then entered. TO our great
sstOnshneut We treated in the same way as De
fsre We had supposed the matter settled by he result
soi the long and thorough investigation Just concluded
E,ut she invoices entered Immediately advanced,
although no new question entered INTO the case OF these
goods, ana although they were precisely similar In
Numbers aud qualities aud in al the various grades
= precisely Identical With those which judgment had
Iheen passed with 80 much Tue invoices entered
s0ssted OF naI Oh yarns II threads ready for market
.uG OF threads IL the bundle spOoling They
yen, advanced without reference TO their contents.
Tbhs dax was advanced 10 cent and detained for
ander valuation although II PAID SPECIFIC duty by the
for