The Portland daily press., 1879-01-07

Liz CuSbUm AOuo0 III euio Cipy udS EcColNSQ
the following circular from the Treasury De-
partmene, which is of great importance to all
vessels in the coasting trade since it makes a
complete revolution in their present method of
carrying goods from one bonded warehouse, at
one port, to another. at another:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT !
Washington, d. G Dec q, 1878.
To Collectors of Customs, and others:
Section 5000, Revised Statutes, is as follows,
viz:
may be withdi avn under bond, without payment of
the duties, from bonded warehouse in any collec-
tion district and be transported to bonded ware
house in any other collection district, and reware-
housed thereat; and any such merchandise may be
so transported TO its destination wholly by land or
wholly by water, or partially by land and partially
by water, over such routes the Secretary of the
Treasury may prescribe, aud may likewise be con-
veyed over any foreign territory, the government of
which may have, or shall by treaty s.ipulations
grant, free right of way over such territory"
1t will be observed that the section of the
law, above quoted, restricts the transportation
OF appraised goods, in fond, to "such routes as
the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe
and as the designation of routes for the pur-
pose indicated is only made upon approval of
the bonds of common carriers, it follows that
bonded common carriers only have authority to
transport such goods.
Article $40 of the Customs regulations of
1914, Is as IOliOWS, VIZ:
"The transportation of dutiable merchandise in
bond from one port to another port or place in the
United States, may be made either in vessels regis
tered or vessels enrolled and licensed for the coasng
trade, or by other common carriers designated for
this purpose by the Secretary of the Treasury by
duly constituted bonded lines and routes.''
Customs officers are hereby instructed that
the phrase in the foregoing article, "by duly
constituted bonded lines and routes;" is held by
the Department to apply to all means of trans
n gQA in nn mods in,
bond from place to place.
10 avoid possible inconvenience to shippers,
which might result from sudden termination
of a long established practice, and to afford op-
portunity for the bonding of routes, notice is
hereby given, that from and after February l,
1879, no deliveries of goods in bond to vessels
OF any description which are not covered by
bonds OF Common carriers, will be permitted.
JOHN SHERMAN, Secretary.
AS far as the great foreign rail and steam
lines are concerned the practice of giving
bonds creates no great hardship, although, as
the merchants say, the osjsct of thu govern
menE appears to ba to put as many restric-
tons in the way of commerce as possible But
in conversation with several of our merchants
who do considerable in the coastirg business,
the impression seemed to prevail that while
they-the merchants-.had not had time to
fully digest the sabjsct, at first glance the eff
feet of the law appeared to ba an attempt on
the part of big fish to eat up little ones. For
instance: The English steamers from Liver
pool to Boston have been in the habit the past
winter of bringing salt as ballast and selling it
at Boston cheaper thaa it could be bought in
Liverpool. The only reason for this was that
it was cheaper to lose little money GU the salt
ballast than to lose the whole when invested in
common dirt and stooe ballast. Consequently
Liverpool salt could be bought in Boston very
cheap. A fisherman aud dealer az some of the
steamer ports would 60 to Boston and be al
lowed to withdraw a certain am,uat Of salt to
bring to the customs port for re-entry ia his
own district where he could use it for curing
his fish. In other words, he exchanged his
lumber or fresh fish for salt to cure the rest of
his fish With, and, in these hard times for fish
ermen, nearly everybody was glad to see them
able to earn penny. The merchants who i'm
ported the salt wers the ones who had to give
the bonds for the re-entry of the salt. Now,
by the enforce aient of the law, those coasters
and fishermen who have carried small freights
from port to port will be compelled to put
themselves under bonds to constitute bond
ed route" a thug they cannot do because they
have no regular routes, going where they can
make dallar. Then again, many of them
are very poor and could not give bonds to any
amount, and the law will simply crush
them out
Such seems to be the prevailing impression.
One merchant thought the lew would not make
any difference as he sigue bonds for coasters
and fishermen every day and had no more idea
what he was signing than if he could not
read. But this was an exceptional instance.
1t is possible if the law is found to be blrden-
some it will be repealed.