Daily globe., 1881-11-28
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
NEWS FROM THE SEAT OF THB GEN
ERAL GOVERNMENT.
Superfluous Onicials and Ohaces In the
Customs Departmental Gold and Silver
plains and Defends tho Autopsy In Presi-
dent Garfield's observation-disclosures
THE CUSTOMS SERVICE.


in the present methods Of customs business
without legislation. 1t is known that many
vexatious requirements prescribed by law and
used in customs transactions might be dis
carded, not only without detriment bat with
positive benefit to the public service. Fixed
salaries are recommended in the place OF fees
and a simple declaration, signed by the i'm
porter and attested BY notary
and made by the statute of the same binding
force as an oath, it is suggested would prove
| great relief to merchants and would be fully as
safe as the present system. There are twen-
ty-two ports of entry at which BOT dollar of
duties has been collected for whole year, and
this is true Of many previous years. There
are thirty-two districts in which the years.
collection from all sources have not equaled
the years. expenses. Many of these may have
had some importance when the for
eign trade was carried on exclusively in
sailing vessels, and before the concentration
of the importing business at few large ports
by means irregular lines OF ocean steamers,
and the establishment of the present system of
rapid inland transportation. But now foreign
commerce has been permanently diverted
from them. The custom houses in these dis
tricts are required to be kept up with all the
| formallties of active establishments with depu-
| ties, inspectors and clerks to make official re-
| turns often of ''no transactions" to the &C.
counting officers of the treasury and bureau
of statistics. The consolidation of districts
and reduction of number of ports of
entry is called for by sound business
considerations and may be accomplished with
out impairing means necessary to prevent
smuggling or Withdrawing proper facilities
| for documenting vessels.
1t is also well worthy of consideration
whether the bonds given upon entry of mer-
chandise in warehouses may not safely be dis
peused with in view of the fact, warehouses
are bonded and goods are held in custody of
the government Domestic opium, Tingle
says, should be taxed and brought under the
surveillance of the internal revenue bureau
this would prevent attempts to defraud
customs by representing the imported article
and domestic manufactures.
He believes the practice abroad of under
valuing invoices of merchandise will continue
to increase until tariff legislation is had, SUBJ
stituting specific for ad valorem rates of
duty wherever practicable. $1,419,779 were re-
covered by special agents during the year, the
greater part from increased duties on sugar.
GOLD AND SILVER.
The report gives detailed statement of the
oper ations of mints and assay officers in re-
gard to the production of precious metals in
the United States and in the world. Their
usein the coinage OF this and foreign coun-
tries, consumption In arts and manufacture,
special circulation and examination of the
course of prices, comprising the paper
and metallic circulation for series of fifty
six years with the percentage Of yearly
prices to the mean prices of staple articles,
indicating the annual variation in the purchas-
ing price of money. The gold and silver re-
ceived and operated upon by all mints and
assay offices, exceeding by more than fifty
millions the receipts of any previous year,
amounted to $226, ,225, ,522, of which $193 ,371,-
101 was gold and $32, ,854, ,421 silver. This
large increase was due to the continued influx
of gold from abroad, over ninety-fve millions
deposited being from that source alone. The
coinage facilities of the mints have been
tested to their full extent in converting this
bullion into coin. The gold coinage amount
double eagles, the remainder in coins of lesser
denominations. The coinage of silver was
confined to the minimum value of silver bull
lion required to be coined by law, authorizing
the coinage of silver dollars, $27 ,677, ,955 Of
which were struck. or subsidiary coins only
12,011 were coined, and of base metal or
minor coins 4O5, ,l09 The total coinage of
their coinage up to November was 500 ,672,-
705, of which $34, ,096, 1927 are in circulation
and SIS, ,S3S, ITO are held by the treasury for
payment of outstanding silver certificates,
leaving 81, ,7S7 ,808 for disbursement by the
treasury in ordinary payments. The usual ex-
aminations and settlements were made at the
close of the year.
| tion of silver to its former place in the none
| tary circulation, says: "In view of the fail
ure of the international monetary conference
to agree upon any practical measure, and
| while awaiting its future action, 1t is Ques-
| tion for our serious and early consideration
whether it is not desirable to suspend the
further coinage of silver until, by internation-
al agreement and effective legislation, the un-
limited coinage of silver and gold at CON-
mon, fixed ratio shall have been authorized by
the principal commercial nations of Europe
and America. Should $3.50, 900 of silver
| coin, now full legal tender in Europe, be de-
Imonetized, the United States could not, single.
handed among the commercial nations, with
no European competitors or allies, sustain the
value Of silver from an inevitable fall, without
danger menacing us. We cannot, without
age, unless other commercial nations will
agree upon the general use of silver as well as
gold"
| Director Burchard estimates the worlds
| production of gold for the calendar year 1880,
at $107, 900 900, and Of silver at 1915, ,OOO, COO.
The consumption of the world in ornaments
tion, manufacturers and arts, is estimated for
the same time at SIS, 600 900, gold, and $685.
O0O, 900, silver. The estimated Circulation of
/
at, gold 1921, 600 000 full legal tender silver
81, ,155, GOO, ,000; limited tenders $42S, 600 600:
total specie $5,759. .006 600; and paper $3,644..
600, making the total circulation, including
the amount held in government treasures,
banks and in active circulation SO, 400, 600 900.
| Upon the subject of the course of prices as
indicating the annual variation in the purchas.
ing power of money in the United States, the
director has prepared tables showing the aver
age annual prices of both gold and currency,
the leading staple articles in The New York
market for fifty-six years with the mean price
of each, and also the relation which the aver
age annual price of each article bears to the
mean price for the whole term of years, the
mean percentage for each year of ali articles
named, furnishes q basis for measuring the
purchasing power of money, and is instruct
| lively compared with the per capita circulation
and estimated wealth for each year.
PRESIDENT GARFIELD's AUTOPSY.
WAsHINGToL, Nov. H.-Acting Assistant
Surgeon Lamb, who performed the autopsy
upon the body of President Garfield, furnishes
the following: There prevails to some extent
an impression that the examination of the
body of the late President Garfield was care
less and haphazzard one, without order OF
method, and that the bullet was only found
l nv accident This imnreasion is entirelv IN