Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-08-08
An Interesting, Instructive, and
Patriotic Letter from General
JAS. A. Hall.
To the Editor of the Rehne5ec Journal:
CusToM House.,


statement in regard TO the Customs Districts
of Maine, and seemed to take special delight
in giving this district double position. 1t
says the collections for the year ending June
30, 1873, were $500. 10, and expense of col
lection Ss,555lj, balance against the govern
ment 81 5000
The facts are the total collection amounted
to Sj,s53.3 3. Pillsbury only stating coin
collected. emitting the currency. Peculiar
for greenbacker. to say the least,-cost of
collection was $3.50, leaving a balance of
SS02.67, an item in the way of falsehood rs
stated by the Standard of S6,s423s. Re
member that as we proceed.
The annual expense of the district when
l took charge, was Sl3,40j.63. To-
day it is SG,Gj6, decrease under my ad
minstration, annually. s6,1i9.63 being
a little over one half. This reduction arises
from disseminating the service of a revenue
cutter, at my request, and reduction of three
inspectors, one each at Waldoboro, Bremen
and Bristol, the duties formerly performed by
them, now being done by the Collector TO
understand this whole matter, it requires that
we should state as follows,
The Customs service from Eastport to the
Rio Grande, and along the Pacific coast of
the United States, is unit, all combining to
make one continuous line. for the collection
| of customs duties, for preventing frauds upon
the revenue by smuggling, and for organizing
the commercial marine of the country, is
AMI, MI
ments, &c. The collections from customs
are largely received at a few of the importing
points, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Bal
timorc, New Orleans, San Francisco, and at
Chicago and st. Louis. The greater number
| of the collection districts, have never collect
ed any considerable amount of duties. At
the same time, it requires but little reflection
| to discover, that all these various districts
| indirectly assist in the collections at the
| larger ports, since were there not complete
chain of customs officers along the entire
coast, large quantities of merchandise would
be Struggled into the country at the points not
guarded, and so escape paying the duty. The
maintaining of the customs district of Waldo
| boro', it will be seen is just as essential for
the collection of customs duties, as any other
portion of the coast. To leave ont of the
service any one Of these coast districts, would
| Immediately bring a marked reduction in the
receipts at Boston and New York. England
| constantly maintains an armed coast guard,
| for the purpose of seeing that merchandise
| shall enter the country only at the proper
channels. Do Englshmen anywhere groan at
the expense of that guard, because they col
lect nothing? Not al all, because they know
that that guard puts into the treasury of Eng
| land, large sums of money indirectly; much
more than all they cost the government just
| so with these districts along this coast.
| To build up the commercial marine of the
| United States, it was found at starting that
the general government must have fostering
| care over it. 1t was therefore made and pro-
vided that districts and ports should be estab-
lished along the whole coast, that every YES
| sci should have home, port from which il
might hail, and at which it should be ad-
measured. recorded and documented. These
documents are procured at a Custom House.
where certain forms on the part of the owners
and masters are required rendering it necessary
| for them to appear before the officers in person.
| to take an oath, execute a bond, sign the record
&C. To have these ports established at con-
venient points and not too far apart, has al
ways been the policy of the government, and
they have generally been grouped together.
several being arranged into one district, with
one collector, for the whole because, by law.
|
can only be done by a collector he being the
only official of the district holding a commits
sion from the general government and the
only one who gives bond, the collector being
| held responsible for all transactions, whether
done by himself or by his deputies.
| The work of the several deputies at the va
rious ports, is compiled at the principal port,
and one consolidated report forwarded to
the department. Now it will readily appear,
1 IL. a a.. L,., nl. H. Al 4
menting of vessels it becomes Of great i'm
portance to vessel owners to have these ports
as conveniently arranged as shall be expedi-
ent, so that for instance, a man living at St.
| George, who has business at Custom House,
shall not be obliged to hire team, and ride
twelve miles to Thomaston, with the loss of
one days time. The officer of this district
performs the duty of preventing smuggling,
and at the same time attends to the duties
of the commercive marine, an Office being
maintained at each port.
| There are five of these separate and dis
tinct ports in the district of Marlborough,
at all of which vessels enter, clear, receive
and discharge cargo, and receive and surren-
der marine documents. With the exception
of Rockland and ThomastOn, none of these
| ports are less than ten miles from each other
| and if there were any less number, 1t would
be great inconvenience to the people who
transact business at the Custom House.
To illustrate: The people of ST. George,
ten miles from Thomaston, formerly were
obliged to go to Thomaston to transact any
customs business. 1t was estimated that the
expense incident to doing, was not less
than fifteen hundred dollars annually to the
citizens of that town for horse-hire and time
The present collector, finding an officer
there stationed, to prevent smuggling, moved
at once to have st. George created port,
where marine documents could be issued, as
the only extra expense to the government
would be $40 per annum. for rent OF office
The officer doing the extra work without any
additional pay.
This was done upon the petition of many citi-
zens there residing, without regard to politi-
cal parties. 1t will be seen that for these
five ports there are six officers beside the col
lector, Rockland having an extra Inspector.
An officer must constantly be on duty at each
port. consequently tor all preventive duty
aside from the immediate vicinity of the
ports. watching and guarding the coast, the
duty falls upon the collector and the inspec-