Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-08-26
OUR CUSTOM HOUSES.
AN INTERESTING, INSTRUCTIVE, AND PAT
RIOTIC LETTER FROM GENERAL JAMES
A. HALL.
From the kcnncbec Journal

/
statement in regard to the Customs Dis
tricts ST Maine, and seemed to take special
delight in giving this district double po-
sition. II SAYS the collections for the
year ending June 80, 1873, were $500
10, and expense of collection Ss. .55j.l5;
balance against the government, 81 ,6j5.-
Oj.
The facts are the total collection
amounted to Sj,S53.33, Pillsbury only
stating coin collected, omitting the cur
rency Peculiar for greenbacker, 10 say
the least. Cost of collection was S6, $50,
leaving a balance of $500 81, an item in
the way of falschood as stated by the
Standard of S6,Sl2.3S. Remember
that as we proceed.
The annual expense of the district when
took charge, was Sl3,3O5.63. Today
it is Sc, 6,6j6.-decrcase under my admin
istration, annually, S5,749.G3, being a
little over onc-half. This reduction arises
from disseminating the service of rev
enue cutter, at my request, and rcduc-
ton OF three inspectors, one each at Wal
doboro, 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 10
the Rio Grande. and along the Pacific
coast of the United States, is a 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 COM
mcrcial marine of the country. issuing to
the United States vessels marine docu-
mcntS. etc. The collections from Gus
toms are largely received at a few of the
importing points, Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans.
San Francisco, and at Chicago and St
Louis The greater number of the col
lection districts, have never collected any
considerable amount of duties. At the
same time. it requires but little reflection
20 discover, that all these various dis
trictS 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 mer-
chandise would be smugglcd into the
country at the points not guarded. and SO
escape paving the duty. The maintain
ing of the customs district of Waldoboro
it will be seen is just as essential for the
collection of customs duties, as any other
portion OF the coast. To leave out ot
the service any one of these coast dis
trictS, would Immediately bring marked
reduction in the receipts at Boston and
New York. England constantly main
tainS an armed coast guard, for the pur-
pose of seeing that merchandise shall en-
ter the country only at proper channels.
Do Englishmen anywhere groan at the
expense of that guard, because they col
lect nothing: Not at all, because they
know that that guard puts into the treas
ury of England, large sums of money in
directly; much more than all they cost
the government. Just so with these dis
trcts along this coast.
To build up the commercial marine Of
the United States, it was found at start
ing that the general government must
have fostering care over it. 1t was
therefore made and provided that dis
tricts and ports should be established
along the whole coast, that every vessel
should have home, port from which it
might hail, and at which it should be ad-
measured, recorded and documcnted.
These documents are procured at Gus
tom House where certain forms on the
part of the owners and masters are re-
quired 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 estab-
lished at convenient points and not too
far apart, has always been the policy OF
the government, and they have generally
been grouped together, several being ar
ranged into one district, with one collector
for the whole, because, by law, certain
transactions in the customs service, can
only be done by collector, he being the
only official of the district holding a COM
mission from the general government, and
the only one who gives bond, the col
lector being held responsible for all tran
sactions, whether done by himself or by
his deputies.
The work of the several deputies at
the various ports, is compiled at the prin-
cipal port, and one consolidated report
forwarded to the department. Now it
will readily appear, that for this branch
of the service, the documenting of yes
sells, it becomes of great Importance to
vessel owners to have these ports as con-
veniently arranged as shall be expedient,
so that for instance, man living at ST.
George, who has business at Custom
House, shall not be obliged to hire a
team, and ride twelve miles to Thomas
ton, with the loss of one days time.
The officers of this district perform the
duty of preventing smuggling, and at the
same time attend to the duties of the
commercial marine, an Office being main
tained at each port.
There are five of these separate and
distinct ports in the district OF Waldo