Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-02-24
sPALDING,s ECONOMY.
A Michigan COngressman's bill to
save Public Funds.

save PUBLIC FumOS.
Correspondence Detroit Evening News.
WASHINGTON Feb. 19.-Gen. Spalding.
a representative from Michigan, who
has been a federal secret service agent,
and auditor of the state of Michigan,
and who Is familiar with all the ma
chinery for the collection of the customs
revenues, has, after consultation with
the secretary of the treasury and other
officers of that department, introduced
bill to consolidate the custom collection
districts, abolish custom house fees, and
grade the customs districts etc. The
bill reduces the customs districts in the
United States from 140 to 81. The section
ABOLIsHING CUSTOM HOUSE FEES
reads: "All laws and parts of laws au-
thOrizing tte collection of custom house
or storage to collectors and surveyors of
charge shall be made hereafter for the
services of custom officers in passing
entries, administering Oaths. entering
and clearing vessels, issuing enroll
ments, licenses and registers of vessels,
or any other service required to be per-
formed i'm the execution of the customs
that the districts shall be graded into
five classes according to the business
transacted; first collectors shall receive
$1,000 annual salary; second class $4,-
600; third class $4,000; fourth class $2,-
500; fifth class $1,000. The local ap-
praiser at New York to receive $4,000
per annum. According to estimates
furnished by the secretary of the treas
ury
$494, ,295.02 WILL BE SAVED
by this consolidation of districts. The
number of employees in the custom col
lection service in 1882 were 4,255. the
cost of the service $6,549,595 OF. Num-
ber of employees for next fiscal year,
ending June 80, 1884, under existing
law, 4,262; estimated cost of service for
year ending June 30, 1884, under exist
ing law, $6.639,650 OF; estimated num-
ber of employees for the next fiscal year,
ending June 30, 1884, if Spalding's law
goes into effect, 4,O8R a reduction Of
2O9; estimated expenses same period un-
der Spalding law, $6,l45,355. The
greatest relief of Spalding's bill is the
removal of the petty charges and annoy
ances now levied on the shipping inter-
est. The bill will materially reduce the
compensation of customs collectors and
will protect importers from many petty
rObberies by principal and minor Gus
toms officials. The secretary of the
| treasury i'm his estimates under the
proposed consolidation, does not comply
with Spalding's bill, which gives the
first class collectors only 5000 yearly
salary. He recommends that the col
| lectOr at New York shall get $4,000;
Boston, $1,000; Philadelphia. $4,000;
San Francisco, $1,000; New Orleans and
Baltimore, $4,000; Portland, Me-, Burl-
ingtOn, VT. Buffalo, Chicago and St.
Louis, 5000; Providence, r. l., OswegO,
N. Y, Suspension Bridge, N. Y. Pitts
burg, Pa, Charleston, S. c., Savannah,
Ga, Key West, Fla, Brownsville, Tex,
Galveston, Tex, Cincinnati, o., Detroit,
Mich, and Portland, Ore, $4,000. This
| classification of Secretary FOlger, which
is based on the amount of the business
done in each district, gives good idea
of
THE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE
of the several ports so far as impOrta-
tiOns and marine service with foreign
ports are concerned. The salaries OF
the collectors of the other lake ports un-
der this estimate are as follows: Og.
densburg, Rochester. Cleveland, Port
Huron and Milwaukee $1,000 each; Cape
Vincent, Erie, Toledo, Grand Haven and
Marquette $1,000 each. The following
lake ports will be abolished by this bill
Dunkirk, Sandusky, Duluth and Ports
mouth. Dunkirk goes into the Buffalo
district, Sandusky into the Toledo dis
trict, Duluth into the st. Paul district
and Portsmouth into the Cleveland dis
trict, the name of the CuyahOga district
Is changed to Cleveland, and Maumee tt
Toledo. Gen. Spalding's bill has beer
4 accepted by the appropriation commit
tee of the House and its main feature.
will be incorporated in the sundry civil
appropriation. The classification of tn,
various districts and the salaries of tn,
collectors will probably be sOmewha
changed so as to comply with the recon
mendat:ons of Secretary FOlger.
This morning felt kind of spring like
but no robins have put in an appearance
However 1t brought the boys out witt
their marbles.
Mr.. Grove r, carriage maker for W. {
Hayes, died this morning at the Tremon
House, after an illness Of a few days
H was at work last Tuesday.
The year 1883 seems to be marked a
a year Of dire and distressing calamities
Fires, storms, floods and railroad dis
asters have caused an immense loss @
life and entailed great suffering. Th
most recent occurred in New York cit,
where an alarm Of fire in Catholi