New-York tribune., 1879-01-28

dr,d thousand dollars a year In no respect under
smgm"ncd since Is72 10y rentals and In other
respects Thus che rental OF the p!oc sto .c non ,o
! creased by the Department in 1873 uOh Too'VVV W
Mnr.oyef. fhe expenses have been increased by new
inland Transformation system by which goods arriving
| ut this port transported without payment OF ou1
large number Of inland cites liniosrs Ioonnt
ndiurc here, while II takes largely IRON tue hlipI @
o duties received here 20 an elaborate se 20
p,ung siatlstcs mas grown up uinui ', cannes AN
OF the Treasury Department, ana eaase u.s. arc
expense ~ nearly 100000 year None OF thtsG arr aLo
properly chargeabc part 0f the expense OF collect
ing the revenue o tins port Another - STEM h1s ~
sent years grown up by which the oectr,ary ciI ~,
Treasury appointed persons noninnlly as sperMal M
Inspectors who, though drawing thelI pay thiougi o @
ders assist special agents ana other'' d LIE @ a.
afforded a eonvenient way OF appointing ii'ehu' !"
II should borne in mind that the Collector can incur
aIdtion1 suLorduate or change the compensation Oi
any one without the express aud spccnl anthorF' III
every instance of the secretary Ot the Treasury, an
that that authority he must report III u''h
/ the Reasons why he deems II pr per. . ,,.n,,.
Under these circumstances TIE Collector II hot idIS
held exclusively Responsible for any increase :"
Moreover since 1872 thc secretary or me I lIta
surl has repeatedly, by special az ms 40 ' I t n
"e ks and noD9s 10 that "nly r&amnG' u, uad trc M
p0rs rs to tue necessity OF m"'taihis ui me- nav"
The by which reports successive Secretaries h"''
! been guided in ter action. 49,.
Upon tb, subject O the expenses beg to ca a'tcl-
ton 10 the following extract from LETT y au'' 'Stu ~
ne 10 Mr. sherman under date ot November ~ 80
An ,fclai statement FURNISHED to the commission
showed expenses OF cOllc"lmE ihe iNcHuc al 'nN
/ from 1-J7 to l~Gl, the cXPcE-c was an average oi
about .JO pr cent; under Mr. Barney rom
in 1861 aud Is65, 80 urr cent; uuder Mr. KING, IN
i-GI ABOUT .6js per cent; ulrr Sir; a,' @ Inr' i'
$50 am 1870, about - per cent un''r II H'' .+'
N $50 au. 81 about 30 per Gear; uGdrr Dr. A'ihf
fl,,n 1871 80 >77, about ~ crnt. ais so" l"t
should nr hornr innd, - made notwi >i'nd'ni I'll '
l!rsc dInInujiou OF imuurtations since 49,.
IHE FORCE oi ENPiuif~.
With reference he reduction u tn force w. 7hei
man FAY = that hle Thought = rrd0'tloh "i l. per
cent was all that rroier. the Jay Commission re-
ported favor OF 20 ucr cent ana that hs mas pc'"
carried out ~ a large annual saving. aud increasing
the eiirlcucy III the revenue" Upon this subject !
refer 10 the following paragraph of the letter Just
quoted: had myself arranged with Your predecessor
that before July Ot present year there Shoid De
made a reduction OF about l. per cent, ."hIch
WAS tie extent to which / believed. even
in duh times. retrcnchmeut could go without IN, IN,
| iurug the encIehcy oI me system duu '3.o, Tt
ing DELAYS to the mercantile c"minnhItv me
result of the reduction in excess OF th's
ncrrentagc made on the advice OF the Commission has
been that, some branches AZ lest most Injurious c-
laws have caused while business has accumulated
10 beyond the ability Of tie force To Gl'ror o.
I'm few weeks the delays cal-ed 10 merchants III
have cost 5000 though t. relieve the press to some
exteut Temporarily took cic k7 iro'" ohcf dotl'a
GSss ccts. hey were "'''y' 10 perform '4' '1'' u '
add that 10 j. yet usInrd IN Saving that the
present iofce j. sufficient. II l. easy t0 what mum
fr of ,rrn {. necessary for the transaction the
clerical and inside business Of the custom House ana
the examination Of passengers baggage. As to that
poricn Gf the force which il, should be. empI0ted
In hat may be described the preventive service
there for great difference OF Oploh,
aud the loss resulting from the emp'oy ymeht
| of too small cannot become evident
until after years Of experience: Tilis poIt has
TO perfectly watch tins front at night 20 prevent
smuggl ug requires large force VIM" II ONLY n tH
necessary force ~ employ ca ne cons lue pu,
loss easily detected. Again. the proper carving
out oi the iW goods intended for transportation
In bond aud for export required many men: ma,
duty Is now with tIe reduced force performed
only on paper and there Is practically almost no pro
lection against frauds inns act anu 'hc hrc'aSi, =" a
much larger for tins service, il shown Dy report
aJs Wl 70 in n ,ry i-7S have been iLabie to obtain
copy Of the report but it Is on hie IN the Treasury De
parimeui. 81,
That the reduction the clerical force was carried by
10 the cxir me limit u sown bv me 'ht lil WheI
within fortnight suspension he secretary dl-
rcctcd special investigation TO be inli tne nCtins
Collector wrote the Secretary hat after caeful exam
nation of the entire he could not find any VINO
c,ud spared for the work required ana ne mere
clerks and appointments made with the ap-
have been informed, though have not had time 10
verify the report. that be force has since my suNpen-
sion increased by the appoiu nent OF other
suborGinatrS. temporary ana permanent, and iat inc
amount paid for salaries under The actlnS tJ!ect-
or'> admni, traton during the latter hat OF iH'N
j. considerably larger tnan pa!d under my admin
tratiOn during the first bali Of the same year II should
he further no ed tat thr amount "i rsdHrlon III Sal
arcs stated hy MI SHERMAN VIZ. F23'Ooo' me 'uqrs
tho reductions the Nayu Ohce and Appraisers De
rartmcnt. which had no control The reduction
IA the Collectors Department was oniy ~ '"'ooo
TIE JAY COdMISsIoN AND TIE wEiGHERs.
sherman repeats, IN considerable detail the a'e-
cations OF the third report al the Jay Commission
as to the weighcs, and assumes that they were cor
rect lie should. in common fairness. not have
omitted 10 state that the truth Of these charges
I i. vigorously denied by the weighers In q
letter 10 the Secretary, OF which copy is annexed The
wrghcr- alleged hat the Jay Commission had before
il no evidence to sustain their allegations lhey called
IN vain copy of the evidence without referring to
the answer OF the wcighers IN detail call your attcn-
Xfr ~
cations adopted by Mr.. sherman afOring good
sample Of the fairness of the Jay COmmlsslon. The
! weighers say:
Asan instance OF the unfair OF the Commi' sion
we call your attention to the following They parade as
appendix NJ list OF irregular ices 10 be charged Tor
copies returns OF weights. said by weiser to have
of their report they say that one Ut the weshers
had been adopted by the Board OF WelCher.
| TIE Commission continue: II II Fropcr 10 add ~
regard to this allegation that certain wrgcrs addressed
note 10 the Commission denying that the lst in ques-
tion had been adopted by the weighers, but fees men
pr%ven to nav been paid" Certain of the ~eghers
addressed norc:, l.: thu. deeentIy honest
way OF stating the fact that every weigher,
save the one examined by them. united in
and rcgnesng to be called b. fore ihe Commission and
subjected to tie soycrest examination AS to the
clined do hlS Issuch conduct on the part of those
who claim TO have right TO SIT in Judgment upon me
weight is to he attached The Judgment Of those who
have little appreciation of what Is just and fair
In my letter to the secretary Of November 20, 1917
already referred to. wr"te:
There may he unfit men IN that Department az well
"a in others, and the ,ystem may be in some respect
defective. but complaints against the weighers reach
me rarely ana are ALWAYS carefully investigated
through the surye, oPs Department, where the iune
date supervision Is by law placed very large nun nun
Der OF rhe largest importers have expressed their
satisfaction with The manner In which their duties are
performed. The number Of weghers is probably greater
necessary for the performance OF their duue'
during the present period of diminished business II
was my intention to include them in the reduction oi
th force Tnich. already stated. had arranged with
Your predecessor tn make. They were, with the con
currenee of yourself and the Commission omitted from
tlr reduc ion recently made pending action upon
tuc SPECIAL TCCOIumt udatOH> made Is to them.