The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-12

md sensible system Of revenue was subssituted
The present customs laws of Great Britain ara
simplicity itself. The revenue il mainly collected
from four or five articles only, and still amounts
to an immense sum. The simplicity OF the sys.
tenn carries with IL smaller snd more efficient
tinusd in ofos for msri. md Capacity IT, only@
entirely independent OF their political opinions
Incompetenoy and dishonesty are almost nm
known In the civil service OF Great Britain.
INJURY TO new ORLEANS.
The United states COLLECT duties on more thar
zenty. five hundred different articles. In MANY
instances the rate OF duty IL Almost prohibitory
The effect of this complicated snd incomprehensi.
bic tariff has been 20 concentrate most OF the Inn
exclusion Of nearly al other ports, and more par.
ticularly Of New Orleans. fhis effect wss prob.
ably not f0reseen or designed by the founders oil
the republic, but nevertheless such has been the
RESULT while controlling portion OF the En-
port trade OF the country has been transacted 81
TINS port, and heets Of ocean vessels depart from
her whsrves 70 the ports Of all nations, scarcely
any merohapdiss IL imported here. The fleets II
osean craft that congrogste here TO carry off our
steamships Of the Clyde and he Mersey, Tie
clippers Of Hamburg and Bremen, the banks Of
Norway, the brigs OF spsin and Itsly--eome here
almost invariably i. ballast. They ssil from their
own ports With the merchandise Of Europe
l
then come IN ballast TO the Ores
cent City, TO seek d return load OF cotton or
grain. For this there must be reason. This
abnormal discrimination against the outlet Of the
| great mississippi valley must be capable 0s sOms
explanation. Ii is caused BY the peculiar fsa lure
of The customs tariff that make importation into
New Orleans losing business, and have quiet
bnt potent tendency 70 concentrate 1t Ut New
York.
BEAUTIES or ApPRAIsEMErT.
One OK the main fes ures having this tendency
is The prevailing mode OF appraising merciafi.
disc, and the appoin mont Of incompetent and
corrupt men TO the performance Of This impor.
| tsnt DUTY. do not refer to our local appraisera
~ New Oreans, but do refer to New York and
Chicago. Anignorant spptais IL liable TO be-.
come the dupe OF nm interruptions importer. and
is but too apt 70 follow the statements Of
b lne in a, which is 10 most instances
invoice to state the market value OF the goods a.
the time OF expectation In the leading markets OF
| the country from which the goods are exported,
or, instead, the cost price OF the goods. which.
ever IL the higher But IL IL suscsp ible OF proof
that among many importers, particularly in New
York, II has become usual TO have three different
sets OF invoices for each importation the
correct one, for the importer himself; another,
much undervaiued and certified BY the Consul.
for the Custom- House and the appraiser; and still
another, much overvalued, for the inspection OF
customers and purchasers at the Importers
warehouse and storeroom. Our Investigating
COMMITTEES suspected this and called attention 70
i. II can DO imagined how easily government
appraiser, appointed through political ia.
fiuenoe, snd taken from the ranks OF
totally different occupations, or pc, haps from
genteel losferdom. can be ednped by sharp Inn
porters; how differing and greatly varying modes
OF appraisement will prevail ~ different ports;
and how In process OF time good Of par ocular
olasfes are generally entered through part cular
and fAvorite ports. Merchants are not slow 10
learn where they can obtain advantage over each
~ 49,
ton OF tho New York Custom House will show at
once why, for ms snoe, nearly all Of the dry
goods import business OF the country is rams.
acted at thst port, snd why other lines OF mer-
chandise are up to this moment entered at in.
terror Gust m-houses, where local appraisers
place 20 low valuation upon some kinds vi goods
that seEbOard merchants find IL profitable TO
have them entered and apprai4ed u the inland
port, end then transported back 10 their own
cities.
II seems exceedingly difficult to correct On
abuse prevailing In the GU stoms department, even
II 10 has been detected and pointed out There
seems 30 have been, under former administrs-
Hons, lo sincerity about the constant profession
far short OK the profession. Officials who really
desired to correct abuses and do their full duty 10
their country, were commonly snubbed and got
RID OF. Az On instance will only point ont The
case OF Special Treasury Agent 8. D. Mills, one
OK the most efficient agents the department ever
possessed. He Was Che first one to detect and
point out The fraudulent ooloring OF sugar to e.
cape the duties ofthe higher classes Of the Dutch
standard. He detected this practice while sta
toned ct San Francisco, where large amounts Of
Sandwich Island sugars were imported, Ill Of
them OF high sscchsrine percentage. |
but artifcially colored, 30 Is 70 be |
below No. Dutch standard. He immediately |
sided over by Secretary Brstow--and exerted |
himself to the utmost to break up the practice nj
that port. The consequences be might have |
foreseen. AT the first convenient opportunity |
he was quietly shelved, and his services dis |
pensed with. He ID now ~ bis home In Bsl Il. |
more, chewing the cud Of bitter fancies, snd |
why--even il England expects every |
man to do and pay his duty America, on the |
contrary. expects her servants to shut their eyes
But this state Of affairs will probably continue |
ss long as the republic lasts. There seems 10 be
no help for IT,. All we can do is to grin and bear
1t, and make the best OF bad case.
desire, however, to repeat that free trade, iu-
stead OF 9 complicated and imprac,icable Gus.
toms tariff, would greatly benefit New Orleans. |
Ind bring TO our wharves the
IMPORT TRADE or THE COUNTRY.
. y 10 astonishing tbat our community take 30
little interest In this important question. True,
we are peculiarly situated with regard to protec-
lion or free trade. One OF our main sta ples--
'ugar-meets to some extent with q little so
,alled protection and fostering care, and TO that
sxtent many OF our citizens would be inclined to
30 protectionists, but 1t would be ehort-sighted
policy indeed that would sacrifice the great
features Of our commerce and the main chances
,f 8 large import trade TO the narrow and
perhaps misunderstood interests of q single
,tapie. Perhaps the abolition Of all i'm
port duties on sugar would not have
he fatal effect on our local sugar interests
hat short-sighted people would be apt TO appre-
,end. Free trade has never yet ruined any In
lustry that was worth engaging In. but, on the
contrary, has invigorated and benefited it In
very instance.
did intend, Mr. Editor, TO point out in detail
everal items of manifest Importance to our COM
nercial community in the transaction OF business
: the New Orleans Custom House, but find
hat have already transgrsssed the limits Of an
rdinsry communication, and will therefore close
or the present. r. HEIDERHOFF.
THE COLORADO ELECTION,
[Ohicago Tines