New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-30
A COSTLY BUREAU.
UEE FORCE INCREASING AS THE WORK
DIMINISHES.


xrrxsER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED IN THE INTER-
vi REVENUE BUREAU-ALIEGED INACCURACIES
IN HIS FIGUREs-THE INCREASE IN EXPENSES OUT
OF PROPORTION TO THE INCREASE IN FORCE
20 the Rdttor OF The TRIBUNE.
SIR: In answer to q resolution of the House,
"a statement Of the number of persons employed IN inc
Internal Revenue service, Dec 1866 ana Dec l. 1870
was submitted, accompanied by letter OF CominS-
sinner Douglass In which he submits socaed " sum
mary OF facts to the reason for the increase OF
enc clerical force OF the Internal Revenue Bureau proper
,oe the wear 1906" The substance of this " summary
NJ facts" is an enumeration OF various reports now ro
aived and examined unknown In 1866; certain assess
,pents transferred the Office by the act OF Dec a.
,S-a and the adjustment each month OF some 700
,ugers accounts and the counting of stamps. This is
al very well so goes but If some person should
,emn 10 show the present force Of the Office by taking
The number employed Do l. 1866, and adding thereto
,be number since appointed or employed without taking
into account tie number who have died. resigned or
otherwise gone out Of the service, the Commissioner
would have complained Of 1t as an unfair statement
Yet this is precisely the method which the Commits
oner adopts either from ignorance with the intent
70 deceive Congress.
According TO the Commissioners report. the amount
of internal collected in 1866 was IN round num-
bers 600 and in 1867 $266OooOO or an average OF
ess 900 per year; aud these taxes then imposed
reached almost every trade occupation, business,
roduct and person. nearly all requiring assessment
and recurring an army officers to administer the law
For the year ending June So 1873 the collections were
ell0ooOCO Of which about o0O0OO required an assess
ment, and the whole collected from four or i've
general sources only The statement furnished Exec
Doc No 99 shows the whole number OF persons en-
poyed in the Bureau proper Dee 1866, TO have been
19J or c. less than allowed under the act OF July 10
previous reorGanizng the Office while Dec /, 1S73 the
number employed was 29l. including the Solicitor,
whom the Commissioner Omis, because nominally made
an officer OF the Department OF Justice, although he
occupies the desk and performs the duties as be-
fore This j. an increase of lO over the number Dec.
: 1856 and OF IS over the number allowed by law Now,
that the collection Of S3O))OOO FROM sources reaching
every trade. occupation business person would re
quire a greater amount Of correspondence,
larger number OF accounts and reports, and
tho issue OF more numerous forms, regulations
and instructions, &c, than the collection OF onethird
that amount from four five only, is too ap
parent to need argument or Illustration That the re-
peal Of $235OO)OO0 Of taxes would relieve the office
from propOrOnao part OF its labOrs is also plain
that 10 would reduce the force necessary outside the
office proper. Consequent upon this repeal Of taxes
there a reduction OF the outside force. and, Of
course of the aud reports received from hem
follows: Collectors, 16; Deputy Collectors 9GS AS
SCISSORS. 21 Assistant Assessors $685. Tobacco In
speoOrs 729; Revenue Inspectors, or Detectives now
called Ageus) 1885, Inspectors of Coal OIL lC6 Special
Agents, To- Revenue Agents Corresponding to Super
visors 2; total, t5. Under the act Of July 49, 1866,
inspectors OF distilled spirits dseries TO be
appointed, whose duties were the same as
now performed by siorekeepers and Gaugers
substantially. The number of these. Dee 1,
1866. il set down at 1702 Under the pres
ent law there commission. Dec. 1873 92 store
keepers aud 9s7 Gaugers; total. 1929. But Of the
Gaugers only zoo employed the that
IS the number of accounts settled monthly Referring
to the annual report Of Commissioner, find that
az the 11)5 StOrekeepers in commission July l. 1873,
only GA were actually employed. The number of dis
tleries IN operation on June was 81, giving two Store
Keepers each. This is needless; but, taking these
figures the number OF StOTcLeepers and Gaugers en-
plOyed was 1924 only
Now as to the alleged increase in the labor of the
Office in adjusting accounts Here is reduction of 16
Collectors and Assessors whose accounts be
adjusted at least quarterly each OF whom was required
90 make some returns reports monthly and of the
accounts TO he adjusted monthly there were 33lS As
distant Assessors IFS Inspectors or Detectives. 10 Special
and ~ Revenue Agents, making total OF $685. against
IN 1873 1924 storekeepers and Gaugers 25 Detectives or
Agents. and 10 Supervisors total 1852 That is TO say
there we're 2S9 accounts 10 be adjusted monthly
Dec l. 1867 than Dec 1915 and for the year ending
June 3d. 1861 the average monthly payment on these
accounts S2lsOO while in 1873 it was only about
$4,000 does not tn have occurred to the Com
missioner that the s3Is Assistant Assessors accounts
we're at least fair Offset to those Of the 700 Gaugers
upon which he lays much stress. The Commissioner
states that the average monthly payments to Gaugers
are $4,000, while the report Of the Fifth Auditor
indicates that they have not been paid after jan 2
1873 he only reports the payments for the six months
ending at that time, aid for these six months their pay
was only SCI 443 q per month
During the year ending June 50. 1867 the Inspectors
cost tho Government for salary and expenses $G2 SO
each while 1873 the 25 Detectives Agents. with the
duties cost $3.50 o. each; e., the same offices in
1873 cost the Government three times much in 1906
For the same year special and II Revenue Agents
ondc VIII In
1873 the Supervisors cost over $1,000 showing that the
Commissioners practical economy is to reduce the num-
Der Offices but at the time to keep up the cost
or increase 1t.
For the year ending June 30 1862 during which every
euge distiery ystered was required by law to be
surveyed and producing capacity determined, there
was paid 10 surveyors Of disteres for salary and
Jenses s2l515 c. During the year 1878 there moth
ing which required TO be done by Surveyors except
20 survey such diseries might be registered or
60 snch Of the old surveys the Commissioner
should determine needed revision correction and for
this service there paid for salary s2559 &C. and for
expenses sl7ls exclusive Of expenses Of Assessors
Deputy Collectors. At the rate 80 per day. stated by
the Commissioner, this would have employed IL men
go days each during the at cost for expenses OF
O. 2 each addition TO the salary. Thus 1t seems is
cost much more 10 revise the existing surveys than TO
make them originally Again, for the year ending June
30 1866 the salaries OF the officers and clerks Of the
Bureau we're S277672 II add contingent expenses,
sOO9s % total s3l7 65 For the year ending June
80 1857 the salaries OF officers and clerks OF the bureau
iucluding salary and expenses of the Spe-
cial Commissioner, which amounted the pre-
ceding year 10 over s22otO. were $3Os99l 50
contingent expenses. S37GC6 So; total, <3i6.60 10.
Fur the year ending June &c. 1885, the salaries OF officers
eTpenses S1s7 500 IS total $4,000 49, And of these
conugcrt expenses Sl763i 6 is charged salary but
or what officers or by whom the officers were appointed
or emplOyed or under what law does not appear; but
81 does appear that the salary OF the last year eX
raeSs ne total EXPENSES of either of the other
willie Inc contingent expenses have increased from less