, 1875-08-15
APPRAISEMENT,
Tho Machinery for Valuing Imports at
the Port Of Chicago.
A Government Wheel That Works
Only One Way.
1t Corrects an differentiation with
Lightning Speed,
The System Of Books and Reports
Used.

The System of Books and Reports
Used.
Claims For Damases-.-A Recent Decision an
It's Effect
Before the passage Of the law creating inte
rior ports Of entry. the business Of the Chicago
| Custom-House was limited almost entirely tt
imports via Montreal, and the Appraiser had 81
little work to do that the office was almost sin
ecure. Now, upwards OF 50, ooo, 900 are collected
in duties every year. the collections all beins
based on the valuations Of goods made By tht
Appraiser, so that that officer has noa plenty to
do, and merits we'll by Uncle Sam. Indeed the
| imports through the Chicago Custom House are
30 large as to excite the jealousy OF New York,
and an occasional pickering over appraisements
is the consequence. 1t is apparent that in order
Tor importers Of dinerent cities to stand upon
! the same footing as regards tho Government the
appraisenent and classification Of goods should
| be the same. A description Of
| TIE SYSTEM OF nAs1so AppnA1sEMENrs
will discover the difficulty Of obtaining uui-
| fornity.
When merchandise is imported it is accom-
pahisd by tripicate invoice, certified to BY tho
United statea Consul at the port OF
shipment. One of these invoices goes
20 tho Collector at the coast port and
another to the Collector at the interior
port OF entry. On arrival at the coast port. the
goods are merely examined by the whole pack
age to see that in number aud marks they cor
reapond to the description Of the invoice. When
they arrive at the interior port Of entry-as at
Chicago-the Collector OF the Port indicates to
the Inspector what packages ara to be sent to
| the Appraiaer's store It Ia not necessary that
OF 8 number Of packages containing the same
kind OF goods all should be examined In Chi
cago one in every six or seven is selected and
sent to the Appraisers store, together with tho
invoice.
THE APPRAISERS STORE
OF Chicago is On the northwest corner Of Mar
ket and Jackson. It is in charge of an United
States Storekeeper, an officer appointed by tho
Collector and responsible to linn. The Ap-
pra1ser cannot obtain access to the Btore-room
except by his consent, aud at night, or when the
stora-room Is not IN use, he retains the key
thereto. Adjoining the store-room is the ,Ap-
praiser's Offices, and, during puE1cess-hours, 4
large doorway places them en- suite with the
st0re-r0oIn.
When the goods arrive at tho store-roon. ths
packages are opeued by the Examiners, classi-
He'd, and appraised. They have the invoice Us
basis on which to conduct the examination. but
do not go by it.. Tho law requires the appraise-
ment to be made according to the market value
OF the goods, without regard to :he price at
which they may have been purchased. If the
foreign buyer OF = merchant should, for instance,
purchase quantity OF dress goods ut bankrupt
eale at from so to 90 per cent below the market
value, the princlpal derives no advantage there
from in paying duties as the Appraiser ID re-
quired to advance the value up to the market
value. The Department at Washington keeps
the Office supplied with foreign prce-iists OBJ
tanned through the United States CoEauls, so
that the negligence of Government officials in
forwarding price-lists may make serious dif
ference to the importer. It ts very often the
case that towards the end Of q season when the
market has become weak, lots to close out may
market vatue at the height Of tue season, but
up on firm market, must ad-
vance the value Of the goods to that
standard, and 80 the importer will be forced to
Fay duties 90 All amount or 10 per cent larger
than the invoice. In the appraisement Of fancy
articles and notions difficult to catalogue Oh
price-sts, guide is afforded by other invoices
OF the same character, or By obtaining the opin-
ion OF houses in the same line Of business.
THE CLASSIFICATION OF GOODS
ia also an important function of the examiner,
as the rate Of duty varies with the Character Of
the goods. Thus it is necessary, for inAtance, to
determine the proportion OF silk or cotton 10 a
fabric in order to fix the duty upon It, A square
inch Of the fabric will be picked ont, the cotton
threads separated from the WOODEN, or the ailk
from the woolen, under the microscope, and the
proportions weighed by delicate tes:-scaes fur
nisned by the Government. The Government
provides samples Of sugar, fixing the different
grades.
It is we'll understood in the West. the tariff
legislation Of the Government is controlled by
q class Of political economists who desire, ao-
cord1ng to the declaration Of the leading expo
nent OF their views, that sea OF fire rolled be-
tween this country and others. The deficiency
Of natural obstacles is. therefore, sought to be
overcome BY a161ing' heavy penalties upon the
purchase OF foreign goods, BY means OF enorm-
ous import duties. The impulse to escape pen
aties is 80 natural that in order to enforce them
SEVERE AND BuRpENsoME RESTRICTIONS
are necessary. According to the law I'D t1nde1val-
uatiou OF more than 10 per cent entails the penalty
Of contiscattou Of goods. go that merchant who
should be lucky enough to buy goods at forced
before prevailing would be obliged bv law to mls
represent the value in invoicing them, mark |
ing them up to the market rate IN |
tbs inyolce. Or again, to take IN in
stance from actual occurrences during /
last season, it merchant imports q lot Of wool !
ems the market for which has failen oil before
their arrivals, SO that they are NOT worth Is per
cent OF. their invoice value, the goods must be
marked up to. and duties collected upon, the
amount they were worth in the foreign market I
when bought. Owing 10 this, during giut in !
the market for blankets, some seasons ago. an
importation of blankets we're sold in bond Tor |
the amount Of the duties thereon. Or, in other
words. the importer said to the jobber: ''You |
may have the blankets ii yo1 will pay the duties
On them" Another hardship which importers
have to endure is
UNEQUAL TAXATION
because OF variations in the appraisemeut of |
values II the different porte. n 10 very difficult
to tx market rates for fancy articles and toys |
aud the examiners Of the New York Custom |
House have cut under the Chicago Valuations to |
auch an extent that Chicago importers have !
been driven to New York The Same IL true Of |
ribbons, in the impoi tation OF which through the
New York Custom House there seems to be . !
great deal Of fraud gong On, as the duties col |
ected have fallen too rapidly to be accounted !
Tor by decline in consumption. In 1872 ribbons
imported to this country paid duty OF over
50. 000 600; in 1878. Sc, GOO 900; in 1874 =4000.
200; in 1875, $500 900. The ribbon importers |
have all been forced to New York, as q Custom
House importer can somehow manage to- obtain |
lower Valuations there than anywhere else.
These variations could be prevented and uni |