The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-12-05

her 81, 1877. were ss3i. 9O6. Difference betweer
duties reunited by the United States in 1877. and
value Of excess Of Imports In 1877 over 1870
S1b,e6I.
greater than the entire excess OF exports In 1877
over those n 1875.
OF the duties thus surrendered in 1877, s7l6,732
was on sugar. alone. The advantages have thus
far not been reciprocal, but, ne has been shown,
have been largely IN favor OF Hawaii, and II q
probable that the benefits in favor Of Hawaii VIII
Increase largely.
While not recommending q general REVISION Of
the tariff at the present time. IL f. deemed Import
ant that upon some articles the al tnfOFtn
duties now assessed should be converted INTO
specific duties. AS a rule. SPECIFIC duties are 10 De
P pnS ~ SnT 70 t silnsr r "a sgISI oi ,S Ss f fS,iB y "a h one
that Congress. viii give preference TO TINS system
Of imposing dniies. a. far as practioaele; Iae
argument In favor OF specific duties applies Win
great force 70 hid gloves. concerning the value OF
which, under the present dd rdiOrcm duties, serious
differences OF opinion have occurred between ine
importers ana the Government during tho past
year, which have led TO prOtracted delays In the
Hscertainment OF the dutiable value, and eonse-
quent injury to the mercantile community.
While IL may not be practicable to frame q spe-
elhe duty which would be entirely equitable upon
all classes Of leather gloves. i Is believed that such
speeinc rates Of duty can be levied, as, while
yielding as much revenue as the present rate based
upon the market value, will make n Just distinction
between the higher and lower grades Of gloves,
aud avoid the uncertainty and contention pro
dueed by the present duty.
Tine subject Of specific duties upon silk piece.
tboNH ~ uisN tuinIntnutu 10 tue tOunnieidlihh w
Congress. The efforts OF the Department
to collect duties on silks upon such
basis Of value as shall meet
tended IN all cases with success. The law eOntem-
plates the assessment Of duty on the market value
or wholesale price. and presupposes a price at
which any person In the ordinary course " trade
may purchase the goods. European manufacture
ers OF silk consign their goods 20 agents in this
country for sale and no sales for shipment 10 the
United States are made in the opeU foreign market
OF such goods: Consequently there is no basis
upon which their uutiable value can be ascertained.
1t Is believed that invoices Of goods consigned 10
the United States for sale are, as n rulo, under
valued, and that by such cOnsignments the TRACE
In silks and hid gloves is kept withinth the control OF
% small number of commission merchants, while
the mass Of American importers are %eXclnded
tlereiron. This faulty system has had the erect
II not SO designed. largely to detraud the revenue'
and 10 enable tho few who control the business 70
invoice their goods at the lowest rates and 10 COM
mnnd the highest rates from purchasers.
The adoption Of specific duties wOnld place the
importer who purchases In the foreign market. ana
the manufactures who ships his goods on consisn-
ment, upon an equal footing at the Cuslomlioase,
and obviate the. difficulties in collecting the reve-
nue. on this clasa NJ goods.
Examinations made dnring the past year by the
officers Of this department. have led to the
conviction thar the present provisions OF
law allowing attachments of duties on account Of
damage 10 imported merchandise on the voyage OF
importation, are neither, upon the whole, equit-
able TO the importer, nor just 20 the Government.
The extent of such damage on many classes OF
goods can only be cOniectured; and IL has been al
legged that larger allowances have been made at
some ports than at others, ON goods OF the same
class, which occupy about the same time IN transit
from the foreign market.
The repeal OF all laws allowing damage upon the
voyage OF importation would place all persons
upon an equal footing, as loss by damage can be
guarded against by prior insurance. There is
reason to believe that the larger importing houses
OF the United States would gladly favor such a
measure, and its adoption is therefore recon-
mended.
The continued experience Of this Department,
during the past year, has justified the recoInmen-
dalton made in the last report in favor OF such q
change in the law as will offer increased induce
mcnts 70 parties who may be able 70 secure a
knowledge Of frauds upon the customs revenue, to
bring IL to the attention of the customs officers.
The pecnniary Inducements which this Depart
ment has been able to offer, under existing laws,
have not been sufficient TO induce parties 10 make
active efforts to- search out such frauds, and bring
the offenders to punishment. The Secretary does
not recommend a return to the system which pre-
vailed prior TO the passage Of the so-ealled Anti
mOiety Act of june %, 1874, so far as that system
conferred large emoluments upon officers Of the
Government, but he is satisfied that additional leg
islation is necessary in Or0er to place Within the
control Of this department the machinery neces-
sary TO develop proof of frauds. which under any
system Of customs duties are likely to arise.
There appears to he q necessity for the adoption
OF some measure by Congress to secure greater
} efficiency and uniformity in appralsements Of i'm
ported merchandise.
Under the present system eaeh local appraiser IS
; taken by appraisers at other ports upon the hrti-
eles which he is called upon to apprGise. II thus
occurs that the values found at the various ports
w NV n u III tintb HHflUFHl UPON III shbio ulu0s VI
occurrence that merchandise is classified
under one rate Of duty at one port,
while at other ports it Ia entered by @ different
{ name, and subjected to a different rate OF duty. A
bill VIII be prepared and Submitted 80 the proper
committee OF Congress to remedy this and other
defects in the present machinery for collecting the
customs revenue.
Every possible effort has been made during the
past year to reduce the expenses Of collecting the
revenue from customs, with the result already
stated. There. are many customs districts, how
ever, which might be abolished, and in which the
interests Of the Government could be well pro-
tected by subordinate officers connected with tho
more important districts in the same region Of
Rcountry, and with considerable saving Of expense.
Under Section 259 of the Revised Statutes, the
| Secretary of the Treasury may discontinue any
. port Of delivery, the revenue received at(EDieh
.iOeR not amount to the sum of 10000 a year. It
s recommended that authority be given, alsp. to
Y hAplish ports Of entry where the receipts d9 not
%saount to the sum specified, placing sub0rHai tate
Jlicers, If necessary, at sach ports, to be attached
TO ether collection districta; or 10 consolidate 1--WE
II more districts, should il be found desirable.
tAttentiun is called TO the report of the chief OF
Ne special agents, showing the nature and charac-
OF the duties performed by them during the
No year. The importance of this service Is mani
re Ied in the economy aud efficiency prodYced hy
tk lefIorts Of these agents, who, being generally
fahdliar with the customs service, are able TO dis
c9fer and check irregularities, and to detect and
prevent frauds.
EXPORTS AND IMroErs.
The gold values Of The exports OF merchandise
from the United states, and imports. of. merchan.
| ulse 1ntO the IUllcu HldttS, curing lHb last. UScal
year, as appears from returns made to, and com
pilA by, the Bureau of Statistics, are as follows:
EXPORTS of domestic merchandise. ........ $3.50. 70a, 2GS
ExjDrts of foreign merchandise. .........., l4,15OA9S
Total exports Of merchandise. -. ........ SGq4.sB5 7B6
imports OF Merchandise. .............-..... 437,05l 1872
Excess Of exports over imports OF rner.
chanutse ga
Compared with the previous year, the impprta-
| tions arc less by $1t.271. 50i, and the expectations
greater by 800. 390,54e.
The annual average of the excess OF imports over
exports OF merchandise, for the ten years ended
last three ycars, there has been an. excess Of ex-
norts over imports as follows: Iii 1876, $79,643,4S1;
In 1877, $751;. l52,094; ami in 1873 $257 Sl4,23d
The total amount Of exports and imports OF
specie and bullion during the last fiscal year has
been as follows:
Exports Of specie and bullion ..s33,7i0,l25
Imports Of specio and buDion.......-"..... 2S,s2l,3l4
Excess Of exports over imports..-.s... $~8,S1s,sil
The importation Of specie and bullion was less
than for the proceeding year by $l0.05S,l00, aud
the expectation less than for the preceding year by
$22.422.112.
Tho excess Of such exports over imports has de-
creased from $71 ,231 ,A25 IN 1875, TO $3,9lS,911
in 1878, as above stated.
The excess of exports over imports Of merchau-
disc during the first four months OF the current fls-
cal year amounted to $S1 ,415,f77, and during tho
corresponding months Ut the last fiscal year to ouly
$3d.2 05, 076.
During the first four months OF the last fiscal
year there was m excess of exports over imports
OF coin and. bullion amounting TO S3,430,7S7,
whereas, during the first four months of the cnr-
rent fiscal year, there has been an excess Of i'm
ports over exports Of coin and bullion amounting
to SO, 355, $50, making q change III this respect of