New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-08
INSPECTING TIE CUSTOM HOUSE.
TARIFF COMMISSIONERS IN THIS CIT

TARIFF COMMISSIONERS IN THIS CITY.
An INTERVIEW With COLLECTOR R0BERTsON-
WHAT 1T COSTS To COLLECT DUrIEs-visITING
THE PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE SERVICE.
The Tarih Commissioners took a tour OF lnspec-
ton of the principal departments OF the custom
House Yesterday. They bad arranged Tor their
visit beforehand with Collector hObeftSoh' aid
liter their last Adjournment scattered themselves
IN different directions They reassem9ieu ao lne
Hotel Victoria Yesterday morning and then pro-
ceeded to the Custom House. Ii Was noon When
tDey arrived there. There were present john l..
Hayes, of Massachusetts, the president Oh ,no
commission; A. n. Boteler, of West Virginia
Duncan r. kenner, OF Louisiana; A. NJ Garianu, Oh
Illinois; }. 4. Amber, OF ONO; j. W. II CndeI-
trict of Columbia Mir. Andem, the stenoer1phcr
accompanied the party There were no lolHldl
spesches or addresses, the conversation lhat LOOK
place beng Of entirely informal cnaracter henry
II Oliver IT, OF Penn5yivanLa, was the only
member OF the Commission VINO Vas aDsrhD ";
H. McMahon, the memle r from NeW orh' anu
one OF Tie oldest officials IN the custom hoise'
reached the Custom House about 100 p. H. ne
had misunderstood the previous arrangenlent De
tween the Commissioners. and supposed thAt tney
were to meet at the Hotet flcV"tla a' noo"' ~"
not at tle CdstOm House.
Tn "reminiscences were received by Collector
RICHARDSON Afser they had seated themselves IN "a
- .ir,,ie around the Collector, Mr. Robertson
smoke of the Importance Ot Ne" l OF d. d POI -
the collection of CUSTOMS Hutss ~ 80 ~ that
~ call vour attention. he said 10 the lact thaV
two-thir,ls of the customs collected LOT Tue "hoIe
cnuntry are collected at New-lork. Inc amount
coltected at this port last year NdS dD"uO
$4,000 900 There Is another interesting tact
that | noticed the other day III my sIuIlts Oh our
statistics that | might mention. In 800 our
National debt was al lis islesi point IL hds oeen
r-',c.G slnre mat time one-thlrd. Now, the agsre
gate collections at the port of New ork during the
same period exceeded IN amount the reduction OF
th, pubic debt. Up 10 1864 the customs COLLECTION
never excee ed $4,000, 900 for the whole country,
while now we collect $l5OOOO,OOO at
% %rw York acne Mr Robertson also spoke OF
tbe large arrivals OF immigrants at New-lOTk Or.
HAYES blapd.1 observed that no other CITY III the
world had sucn a magnificent geographical sI5ua-
ton aud such admraDe connections Will tno III
So% oarht to see our harbor" reoned Collector
Robertson If you wish It, the revenue cutter iS at
your service to- -
New-York = inquired Nj hayes.
Mr. Robertson hunted through his desk until he
found a memorandum OF statistics here IS d
during the first months Of my service as Ooi-
iector from August !, loSl 20 Alrl 50, loo-.
During that time collected = los lO.64o o. at
A cost of $1.SSS,02s So or / 81. 100 per cent.
During the corresponding TINE vi the pIe1euIhs
fiscal wear the collections amounted I'd Only
sos 1913. 100 =. AT a cost OF Nl.J@O,d0O Zb' OF
I -. 700 per cent. In other words, IL cost about
3s 900 less IN the nine months Of MY aauluIslratloh
TO collect $lI6.OO0OOO than IL cost To coiiect
: or 600 900 under the admin strstlOn OF E;y
nrrdecessor Inc numOer Of invoices entered Al the
Custom House Tor the fiscal year epdlhg on Juhc
30 1852, was @2O9 against @47l'ooo LOT VIC
preceding year. 49,. - h,.,o
- Iei me AJAX YOU about the question OF nome
valuations of imported goods" sad Sir hayes, A.
never gave that subject much az en,.on De- m ,
Robertson rcped, " but IL seems 70 me thaJ W. alc
likely to know the value OF goods mere a. Wen a. !.
can he determined abroad ! have found great
practical difficulties IN asccrlaInlhg Ino N"4u0 VI
goods at the port OF export IL.
he thought that smuggling bad been Ienucru 70 10
minimum at New-IOTk. At TINS Juncturc III
McMahou came IN. and was received with obvious
pleasure by the Col ectOr
will turn these gentlemen over to you the
MIA nm Flff
tailed workings OF tue office even better Nan
can"
Mr. Mcmahon proceeded to give an outline OF the
mode OF the entry Of goods at the Custom HOuse'
bill of adlng, an invoice and consular cerLu-
cate, forming the papers IN a detective entry Vi
foreign goods, were handed TO the Comm IS "ners'
Mr. Amber inquired as to the amount 81 underVai-
uat0ns nom which the Government suffered; ~,
There Is way Of determining tnat tile col,
lector replied, Tor II We cOuld get al u we "ouiu
simply be abe 10 collect the iull duties"
Commas ouer Underwood. OF Georgia informed
the Collector that he opposed 10 tile whole IN
ternal revenue system 49, being anti American and
a. sustaining horde of Office holders. here was
fur her con yersatIOn as 90 tue resources and tue
leading business interests OF the different States
from which the Comm ssioneTs came. Collector
Robertson also casually told the Commissioners
that he had introduced a new custom OF having the
number oil entries iqudsted by each liqudatng
clerk reported TO hum every day. la TINS way he
could ind re of the efficiency OF the different men.
On the conclusion OF. their interview win COilec-
TOR Robertson. Commissioner MCMAHON escorted MS
colleagues through the more important departments
of the Custom House. visit was paid to the
Navai Office and to the Surveyors Ouice. General
Burt, the Naval Officer, was out OF Town nut
General Graham. the Surveyor of the Port, re
ceiyed the visitors at his department. MI. hates
summarized the information he derived IN the
Naval Office in the following remark
We have found that the Naval Office Is check
upon the Collectors Office, all the work oil the
latter being audited IN the former And Of the
l 200 employees in the Custom House, the Naval
Office has between 80 aud 90"
To-day the Commissioners will visit the office OF
the Appraiser of the Port. IL was not decided
definitely that they should take trip abO 1t the
harbor. They Will not hold any public hearings
on the tariff question IN this city. and will probably
return TO Long Branch to MORROW.