The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-21
CUsTOM-HOUsE COMMISSION.

The committee, IL is understood, have agreed
to recommend that the present general order
warehouses; shall be abolished and that the grount
floor Of the Granite Building shall be used ~ the
general order warehouse.
The object'to be attained Is the establishment,
OF the warehouse In a more central location and
easy Of sccess, and TO increase the income Of the
department by utilizing vast area Of the Gus.
tom. House which is not used to any great extent.
| BY doing this copsignees will have to pay the
storage to the government which IL now paid to
individual keepers OF the present general order
warehouses.
There 10, however,
| ANOTHER REASON,
In the opinion OF the committee, why this should
| be so--there appears to have been disorimina-
| ton made in favor Of some warehouse keepers
against others.
The adoption OF the new system will reduce
materially the drayage paid by the government
on samples, since the bulk Of the general order
consgnments will be sent directly to tho Cus-
TOM House building for storage, and placed with
In immediate reach Of the guagers, appraisers
etc.
The committee propose, besides. to recommend
q tariff OF fifteen cents per package, instead Of
the existing tariff of one dollar. for Custom
House carriage, tho latter figure being evidently
exorbitant.
THE FINISH.
Yesterday the commissio n. who have, IL must
be said in justice to them, worked very assidu-
ously and laboriously since they first began to
eli, finished completely their examination of all
kInI aru NV novta ~ ba Tpu To Ja,y
they begin their final report, for the idea Of a
preliminary report has been entirely set aside.
We are informed that in their Investigations
they ave found evd nee of irregularities on the
part of employees which will justify the recon-
mendation that they be Immediately discharged
as unfit for the trust placed 10 them; on the
other hand, there are employees who have been
attacked, but the charges have not been sub
stantiated, in many cases through the absence Of
witnessed. In their report the commission will,
1t is understood, make some
SEVERE COMMENTS
on the weakness Of some Of our merchants
(the weakness will possibly BIO termed 'smoral
cowardice) for failing to come forward and lay
before the committee complaints which they have
to make against the Custom-House officials and
concerning the conduct Of the department in
past years. That they have cause to complain,
one of the members of the commission was say
ing to US, yesterday, there is good reason to be-
lieve, but without having at least something to
guide them, the commissioners find themselves
unable to make the requisite investigation.
In this connection the Commission publish this
morning in the DEMOCRAT a letter inviting ner-
chants to appear before them and lay before
them any complaint which they may have to
make, in order that their labcrs shall prove sat-
sfactory to the public and to themselves as well.
Our informant seems to think that our mer-
chants are still laboring under the influence of
THE BAYoNET RULE,
and the fear that to disclose anything that they
may know will operate to their disadvantage in
their future relations with the Custom House.
He believes. therefore, that under the
new order of things, particularly our
people should remember that the govern
ment was made for the people and not the people |
for the government, and that they have the
right to be treated by the customs officers with |
courtesy and equity that it is time, in fact, that
The merchants should become imbued with
spirit Of independence and responsibility that
will secure to them all their rights.
by coming forward they will enable the COM !
mission to make such report that will, at all |
events render it impossible on the part Of any |
official in the future to attempt to favor one in
dividual to the detriment of another. The COM |
mittee beg the pre- So to remind the public that
they began their work with the determination to
make
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
IF the conduct of the Custom House. and that |
hey will do so without fear or favoritism.
Il appears that the testimony given b. o-e o.