National Republican., 1877-07-28
THE NEW YORK CUSTOM HOUSE.

rctary Of the Treasury-suEgestions aud
Recommendations s-Corruption, Dishonesty
and Incompctency OF tho Ohiclals Under
Collector Arthur.
Tho second report Of the commission ap-
pointed by the Secretary Of the Treasury to
investigate the affairs Of tho Now York Gus
tom-house was made public yesterday. This
report Is almost entirely devoted to tho en-
ployees Of the New York custom house. Re-
ferring to the character Of the men who arc
now upon Collector Arthurs pay-rolls, the
commissioners aver that ignorance and inca.
pacity prevail throughout, causing delays and
mistakes, imperiling tho safety Of the revenue
and the interest Of the importers, and bringing
the service into reproich.
Tho chiefs Of the departments complained
to the commission that men wero sont to them
without brains enough to do the work, and
that some Of those appointed TO perform deli.
cate duties, requiring tho special qualities OF
experts, were better at TO hoe and plough.
Some employees werc incapacitated by age,
some by ignorance, some by carelessuess and
indifference, and parties thus untitled have
been appointed not to perform routine duties
distinctly marked out, but to exercise q dis
orction In questions demanding intelligence
and integrity, and involving q large amount Of
revenue. The number of errors committed by
incompetent clerks averaged In tho appraisers
office over eight hundred o month, one half OF
which were attributable to carelessness.
The errors discovered by the naval Office In
tho custom house accounts amounts to q mil
lion and q half dollars In favor Of the Govern
ment. Irregularities have been disclosed
| among the inspectors, weighers, gauEers, ex-
aminers, samplers, appraisers and employees
dealing with enormous values, and these dis
closures sufficiently indicate tho peril 10
which the Government has boon exposed by
| tho system Of appointments controlled by
political influence.
The committee significantly add:
without stopping toinquiro how money has beon
ment and dishonest practices, Il was shown to the
commission that while the Government loses much
administration Of The custom. house service has
burdened the merchants, driven trade from New
York to other ports, and caused tho abandonment
cannot compete with less scrupulous rivals. sup
posed TO act In colusion with te dishonest officials.
The report further adds that, comparing the
duties on imports and expenses Of the collec-
tion Of tho revenue in Great Britain and
Britain exceeded In 1874 81 800 900 900, and her
exports exceeded 81, 800, ,0OO, 900, aud that the
expense Of collecting customs was 81, 5,000, 900.
| Tho same year our imports were $642 900, 900
and our exports $575, 900, ,OOO-littlo more than
one third Of those Of Great Britain-and that
the expense of collecting our revenue was
about 81, 100000.
the force at stated timcs and suggest, that
each officer should understand that the Gov.
ernment expects them to maintain standard
Of capacity and fidelity proportional to the
public interests, and such as would be de
manded by prudent merchant. Tho report
submits plan regulating tho scale Of salarie,
and classifcations, and concludes as follows:
Should Congress, in Wow Of the increasing ant
ingenious efforts on the part Of persons abroad ant
In this country, to eeade the laws and defraud tn,
| customs constituting has bppn said IA standing
| conspiracy against the Treasury" be impressed
with the extent to which the subsection Of tn,
customs service To partisan control endangors a
once the revenue, the commerce, the industry, ant
the morality Of the country, 1t will doubtless de
towards securing in ,he service the tests reqniret
by Washington and Jefferson I'm tho youth of tn,
Republic--of honesty and capabillty. Should II
rm, BY appropriate legislation, the steps taken 5,
the President, to place the custom house at New
tho removal en- Of snbordinste%s. % Except % for cause
would probably enable the Government to reduc'
somewhat the scale Of salaries without detrimen
In conclusion, the commission respectfully
l. The adoption Of the scale Of salaries herein sc
4 The adoption Of an order excluding from tn,
, custom.house all merchant clerks, custom hous
oSae sSs vS.s Ss s ssna
ssn! q any money q other thing q value to an an
| PoIFgn ehpioyCth AZ no suStlihs VICE
8. That 1 revision Of the force similar to tha
directed BY your letter to the collector, dated Ma
2s 1877. be made at stated periods, upon writ,e
reports Of the chief Of departments, and that enl
Integrity and good habits reisrrsd to il your al
letter. or who shall be found guilty of any Of III
/. oifenses therein specified, be replaced BY other
whose good character and fitness for the post sha
be asceftained and certified In such manner a. III
, | wisdom Of the Department shall Determine.
All OF which Is respectfully submitted.
In acknowledging the receipt Of the repor
, tho Secretary Of the Treasury expressed hi
concurrence in the views expressed, and state
that ho will endeavor to give them effec
! The Secretary has inolosed copy of the repoi
to Collector Arthur, Surveyor Sharpe On
! Naval Officer Cornell. instruoting them
recommend the number Of each grade Of clerh
Of each branch In their respective Offices With
the limits Of the number Of employees now +,
. tanned by thom.