New-York tribune., 1877-05-18
REVENUE REFORM QUESTIONS.
DISCLOSURES AND SUGGESTIONS.

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ceiyed A. B. Strange, F. w. Cheney, Thomas N Daie'
and Franklin Allen delegates from the silk Association
uho uresentcd memorial asking that alleged ABUSES
connected with the importation and Valuation OF SAs
he corrected This memorial states that the "oVeihen'
% annually defrauded out Of a vast revenue by the
evasion Of duty silks and the underyaluauoh oi iu
voices and that certain merchants had been driven ONT
~ the imporaton business because they could by silks
cbeoper in this market than the same goods coud De
imported To correct abuses there should pe moI'
efficient means OF ascertainng market Valesi te "orA
OF consus should be so loosely conducted ana tnere
sbond be special agents assist them greater mum
her OF packages of large invoice should be exam
ncd nv the appraser penalties for evasion should
he invariably inflicted. Under the law II the appraiser
added 10 per cent to the invoice value the dy on the
whole amount was increased 20 per cent penalty;
but as a rule not tDan per cent was added ana
this spared the importer the penalty Examiners should
receive from So 10000 salary instead Of $500
to 50 900 Experts qualified for the duties OF exam
iucr ccfld not be obtained for less money Tie Com
mission promised to give the memorial due attention.
Abram s. Hewitt who had been Invited to tell the Com
mission what he knew about irregularities IN the pay
OF merchant appraisers said: some time IN lSo
or 1871 there was controversy between merchants ard
the appraiser about importation OF steel and was
appointed merchant appraiser TO assist the Govern
ment appraiser, Mr. HogeboOm. / examined 81 cases
altogether, days work. The law allows the mtf
chant appraiser 80 for every case examined ana
Mr.. IOgcbOOm me a ccftlncdtc Tor T-oD. "A Io"
weeks afcrward 1 gave a check for T2s5-thc money
supposed due as merchant appraiscr-to the Ch
dren's Aid Society Then called on Mr. Lydecker in the
Custom-houso aud presented certificate for having
examined 81 cases. He said was entitled to go onF,
or ut the OF 50 per day. said, think not, NJ
Lvdcckrr am entitled to $50. He refused tog emt
more than s35 then told him the merchant had ie-
postcd II a ease for each examined and nc re-
plcd WELL what Of itP asked him II the money Was
turned into the Treasury ana he t0d me IL wa "h rl
nv husncs5.' then asked him who Tecel'cd me bI-
ance Of the money due To me- ana ne lolG 1' ~ N1
none of my business all would Sct was go, siiu
intended making II my business, as uIug',
was entitled 10 the money, ana azan l a-hcn
him bct wceu whom the money was livle1 or IN" was
entitled to it, and nc replied: Whcn ue pcI,ons VINO
are entitled to that money along, they Will get u,
and n is noBc Of your business who tdey are ash,I
That's my business Finding could get no aaisiac-
tion ont Of Mr. Lydcc6cr, went to the Collector and
thcu 10 Mr. Ciuch lie said the rule Of the CuStOuh0u-c
was imperative; that al would receive vas - day
and not - a ease. questioned nm a. TO Wha wa, d"hg
with The other money collected !gom the merchant "hi
he replied 10 me in similar manner to Mr. l1d"ckcf;
lett with the impression tEat It was my business 20 ur
thcr investigate the matter and wrote To or called on
several OF the merchants for Nhum hdd dcch a. ~
p7aser IdscoycreI that they were obiscd 70 deposit
%iO ease rcapUrdsemrnt, or fo|O on tpe %
ca,cs and that they never got PACK cent lHkru one
of t!cm why lie dld demand back inc money, as u
wa not csa fee and did not 20 into the Treasury, and
he rcued 'Why don't yOu see, II we went 10 HOOK drt
make things or us IN the Cas- hosei We might just
as well retire from business az once
Mr. trvIit ,ai,l II tic money paid for securing re-
aprriis.,cut of goods turned INFO general funi
H. f i rref OF Gertor.ous hut disabled Cston-ou>e
nrior. neither thc merchant appraiser nor thc Eer
cuis ,ol ella mn The money tina; sntully belonged to
them, and len any way did NOT - to lHc PpFvluHcH
lie believed that consular certificates were very re
anrpIt ONLY covers for fraud. While ia Paris he pun
chased q bill of porcelain Tie merchant askeI mn
what price hc wished have stated ia thc invoice lilo
replied: "Inc price y y, Ol ecu Sc Ihe merchant
was surprised and cN dincd that 70 gave ne actua
price IN tie invoice was something very tC"olh dOh'
therefore hc thought the consular business hcHcchty
done aud the consular fees useless rXac.ion' .,..
When A.r Lydcckcr tcsti al NE explained Ihat th'fe
was balance Of money III his hands rft over from the
go ca'e demanded o nrcnns ~ 10 seI @ ul1 ~ lii
mcn and lac wa requested 10 iehltI an "oc"l, % is
money. lie said tlat under Ia. old law mercuant ap-
prscrs received - for each cIse examined but the law
mad bc n amended max 'ng thcr pas - a day.
George Edward Hal, for six years clerk III the Gus
tOI-housc and thc compiler OF the annual phOhctlloh
called Ihe Acr-l ORR 'UtufV ,o"Hf'ot ~" M NIoN9
ON evil service reform written ont and read extracts as
questions were asked lie Thought the STANDARD Ol EN-
cicucy and morality III tic Su>'ol-" lnu,i pio"
that ut large private establishments. Inc elup"lts
knowing that then positions were al me mercy o. Io
cal caprice made the most Oi tcir facilities while IN
Office Personally, he DID rot hho" mat Tue cleik
certain Of it, Political Influence pushed mo office I'M
moral and illilcrate men, VINO could NOT succeed IN
branches Oi bu,cSs requiring hlSh qdtuncatohf 1htlf
qualification that tley or Their ifcnds htd pe2u sue
based tie serylce and pat dan brains IN places OF trust
system OF civil service reform such as tc PrcSurH
mentioned III hiS inaugural address woud' he lhou-n
effect the necessary Improvements Any good system
foreign To politics or ksnip influence "hGh "Oni put
the right man the right place. would suffice lie did
not mean an examination Wh.ch would consist or qucs
tiuus about geography and Kindred b dnchtS lhtrc
shorld e promotion IN the service bat such
tlIc army where If q fool was in the way of
rr,rI1r urotustion he got it IN his turn. II the
moral OF the CustOu-hodse were elevated the Naval
Office. he thought. could be dispensed with and
checks the Collector established through the Auditors
Oiice.
A. b. Adams Of Troy, y. Y. of forty applicants
before the civil service examiners III November l-72
The subjects were arithmetic grammar geography, ana
history, when he was inarkcd iom 90 to ~ on scale
of 100. But in general aptitude he was marked as
low a. 10, Wine otners who we've 10" 10 the common
branches Harkcd hlJ as ~ ana % IN general
aptitude" lie at first supposed that general aptitude
related to general fitness, bnt wnen he onhd who mad
succeeded, hc adr bdis mnI that II was syhohy nous
with political influence" He WAS altcrwdrd attached
10 a Wcguer assistant thou I'll r was not regularly
sworn iu Tuis 1913. lie testified that a. tndt
tiu. the Wc..cr uad part Of tnhc twice many
a fourfn more han were needed. He nothing uIeg-
uar far false weights ANA payments were coli
Albert Gi0eit who entered the Appraisers Oice in
1870 as ccrk and was promoted 70 - examiner ana
then Assistant Appraiser testified ta' lie had charge OF
the second Division, embracing paintings, lcWcy pre-
cious stones. ducy goods, Doohs, philosophical apaA-
tus, toys, musical instruments, &c. ihere were under
nm four examiners sX clerks and openers and
packers. In the pres nj condition or business
ne could spare one examiner, one cirfk, ana Two
opcners ana packers. lie explain d IN pari the complex
tcs OF hs division Paintings we're Away opened ana
examined Inc invoice not always sent 10 tue olc
lie kept himself ufurmca a. 10 Jut prices pd ioi tht
u artists ia Europe ana prices 0ucleu Tor them ~
tins country. Many pa ItIHgs-c X GcrOMcs sword
Dance"-sre brought out Oh speculation, sum being
stated nyuCc, ana thc picture offered 10 the public
voices O importers Tor conpai son IN dcleihnh- the
value OF precious brokers were not allowed To
mmsc with the examiners. lie had hedid 0I money
being paid 90 examiners of presents oHrtd t he Hdd
evidence That suCn abuses were ufdctlctd RE
queutr the appraiser had added to the invoice value of
goods. the importer mad appealed, rule,
ton. He recommended that all passengers BE- scLt 10
the Appraisers Olcc ana be made matter OI record
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OBITUARY.