The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-22
WEIGHERs AND GAUGERs.

R1PoBr OF Arssns. JAY, TUnNURE AND ROBIN
soNoN THESE OFFICIALS OF THE NEW YORK
CUSTOM HousE--RxroBM NEEDED AND PRO-
POSED.
wAsnmufox, q. c., August 81 1877.
tho report Of Msstrs John Jay, Lawrence rurnure
}. H. Robinson the weghers and eaugers OF the
New York Custom House, 10 under consideration at
the Treasury Department The Commissioners have
agreed that the safety Of the revenue the interests
Of commerce and the good name OF the government
demand the rcorgan,zaton OF this branch OF the
service The At performances OF the work calls for
intelligence, fairness, experience, exactitude and
promptness and, while lack OF these qualities Is
detrimental 10 the Interests OF the government II
bears heavily upon honorable importers. They also
Bay that these gentlemen claim the right to enjoy all
facilities that not legally abridged for the safety Of
the customs. They regard as wrong all maladminis
tration In the service which tends 10 impede tncir
business and they claim that inaccuracies, exactons
and delays IN sho weghsrs' department subject them
10 loss, especially affairs conducted by steam and
telegraph where the goods are sold deliverable on
their arrival. The commission agreed IN thinking
II important that the departments Of weighers and
CANCERS shall have practical expert at tho
head, upon whom should rest tho responsibility
that each assistant, who, Ike the chief should
responsible tor tho aoorers, TO DO selected By
himself. Tho Commissioners continue:-ln addition
10 the maladmintstration which have specified the
present district system with thirteen distrctsiour
the Hudson River, four on the East River and five
IN Brooklya-hss 70 many disadvantages that II 10 I'm
possible 10 render al economical one to the govern
mcnt. The commission clear, II the smallest part
OF the evidence before thcm truo that no partner
ship connection Of any kind In tho work OF weigh
ing dusble goods should DO sanctioned or tolerated
between tho United wcighers and those Of the
city. With these views the commission respectfully
recommend the reorganization OF this department In
the following mannor:-
PROPOSED REORGANIZATION.
Frst-To vacatS the offices OF weiyhsrs, wsighsrs'
foremcn ana weighcrs' clerks and abolish the exist
Second-To appoint one wcigher at a saary OF So 500
per year, with an Office .. the Custom House With six
ssss SiI yss p sns sae special
Thtvd-To appoint snIrty-dve assistant weighcrs At
salaries Of 81, 400 per year each.
employ the lAbosers they require IN Weighing, not 10
exceed ordinarily tour men, Al . rate mot exceeding
forty cents per hour while actually employed.
FitM-That ton laborers shall be permanently em-
poyed at rate not exceeding forty cents per hour,
VINO shalt have onargo oi weshers and gaugers .oos,
anu keep them N good ORDER at places TO DO desg-
mated.
.sfrtA-ro appoint ono sauger at salary Of $4,000
point gaugers clerk at salary OF 200 per year.
Ssvenh-ro appoint six assistant gaugers Al salaries
EghtA-ro direct that eaoh assistant gauger employ
his own iaoorers, not exceeding two In number, at
rate not exceeding iorty cents per hour.
Njnth-rhat the assistant weghers and assistant
gaugers shall d. the work Of weighing and gsuging
respectively, taking the weight anu gauge themselves
ana that lab0rers shall be designated assistant
weghers gaugsrs TO perform the duties Of
those Offices; the assistant wcighers and ASSISTANT
gsuges TO be- ASSIGNED 70 duty as The necessities Of me
time ~ the weigher and snuger may determine, with
TIE approval OF the Surveyor;
Custom House. and that the clerical work DC done by
tho clerks those Offices and returns signed there
may BE- within forty eight hours alter tic morchsn
disc has been weighed or gagged oil SPECIAL returns
OF weight or certificates Of weights or gauges 10 he
furnished to the importers shpmasters, owners
ono representing them FREQ from any charge whaso
ever
adopted to be worn by such Of the customs officers
may BE- required 10 wear II, the cap having initial
letters indicating the branch OF the service TO which
wegher and gauger and their assistants be required
wear such uniform dnring their hours OF duty.
reduce the expenses OF tho existing system,
which arc shown in appendix "R" the
charaoer and ecicncy Of the force under the skiiul
management Of experienced chieis. turther reduo.
ton may psroaP soon % oas s D% 10 view 81
regarded the question OF expense one OF inferior i'm
porssncs 70 snas Of the Immediate Reorganization Of
honor TO recommend should It's general features meet
your approval they believe may be put operation at
ments Tor ITS smooth working that the change neod
no Interruption TO tho business Of the Custom
House or 10 that OF the importers
iHHYHICIBNcY wEI0HRRS.
Touching the practical results Of this system the
evidence Submitted, IN their judgment, shows that
the present system the larger number OF United
States wcishers, who receive salaries of $4,000 per
annum and who are assigned respectively to weignag
DISTRICTS render but little, any personal service TO
Tho nant- tUhs 81 t0rar chO
receive 200 per annum perform but little service;
that the most important part OF the duties
laborcrs 70 assist tho assistant weighors In
some oil the districts the foreman dcsignstes from
" dock foremen," as they are sometimes called, who
perform such DUTY as is supposed TO pertain 10 the
Office OF ioromcn, Tho wsghers clerks, saIaried off
instances perform duty. and that In most II not
ALL of tho weighers' orlces, who hired
laborcrs assigned TO do The clerical work which
was intended 10 be done by the regular clerk of the
weighcr. Tho number OF labcrors assigned to tho
woigners enaoos for clerical duty varios in
tho several districts from Jour eight
persons In some Offices four in others six, still
Others eight These men so assigned have but little
mission say, persons whose names borne on the
lsborors pay roll are assigned TO duty as antors.
less persons who really perform little or no service
ten hours day six days in tho week. at forty cents
per hour; that names Of persons are boruo on the
lauor pay rolls who perform no service ex-
cept that OF signing their names to pay
rolls and reco wing their pay; that an EXCESSIVE
number of persons laborcrs are assigned to duty ut
the scales often many as ton persons, when only
foul, as a ruie can he advantageousy employed and
that these employed as iaborers by weghers
aud weighcrs forcmen as reward for political scr
vices that The assistant weighor VINO performs the
work OF weighing and handing the beam has no voice
In The selection of the whom he Is to labor
crs in performing his duty, but IL obltgedto use such
men and such number ~ the weigner or his foreman
may designate. II Ia further stated That a
part Of the VEGETABLE merchandise imported nj
this port not weighed by the United states weshcrs
any of their assistants but Is weighed by the city
weighers who give memoranda OF what purport to DO
the weights to the assistant wegher, from which the
assistant weighor makes up his dock book, which
forms the basis Of the OF weights made
Custom House.
MONEYS ArPRoPRfArRn
In such cases this the United states laborcrs
used by the city weighers IN weighing the merchan
dlso and the United States weigher or his lore
collects from The CITY weigher onc-haf Of what
the amounts TO at the rate OF forty cents per
hour caoh iaborer engaged In the work and appro
pirates II to his usc that part Of the vegetable
handtse imported ut this port which ought DO