The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-12-21
The United states Custom. Service.

A large audience gathered at the library
room, Mechanics Hail. last evening TO listen to
Deputy Collector Smiths lecture.
Mr.. Smith commenced with the announce
rent that he had subject that admitted of
no flight of fancy or figures of speech, neither
did it afford an opportunity for flowers of rhet-
ORIG. He then proceeded with his lecture on
the Omitted States Customs Service" how Or
ganized and how conducted; the revenue from
customs. how collected and how disposed Of
He stated what Custom Houses were estab-
lished for. He showed they were organized
for the collection of the revenues, the docu-
menting of vessels, the enforcement of laws re-
latng to importations and navigation, proven
tion of smuggling. compilation of statistics
relating to commerce, navigation and emigra-
ton.
He then described their organization, taking
the office at this port as an example. This
custom house has collecto, two deputy collec-
tors, marine clerks, coastwise and fsreignIentry
clerks, warehouse, collectors, and stat sti-
cal clerks. This completed the organization of
the collectors Office. He then took up the Sur
veyor's department, which included the deputy
surveyor, inspectors, weighers and gaugers, APP
praisers,. assistant appraisers, chemist and SAM
pier. He told how, and from what source, all
these officers received their appointments,
and to illustrate their several duties proceeded
to explain the methods of entering and clear
ing vessels, and clearance.and entry of cargoes
and this brought in the method of collecting
and disbursing revenue, showing the several
classes of duties. This was done by series of
imaginary entries in which a number of our
prominent merchants figured as importers.
The speaker spoke of the bonded warehouse
system and the bonding of steamboat and rail-
road lines as common carriers, and explained
the methods by which it was done. He refer
red to the Importance at this port, OF importA-
tions of merchandise by railroad cara, notably
by the Grand Trunk showing that merchandise
SO brought in was largely in excess of that
brought By water conveyances. He explained
how merchandise came forward from Canada
for shipment by the foreign steamship lines,
and how that imported by these steamers was
forwarded to Canada and the West. He then
described the method of disposing of merchan-
disc and passengers received by the English
steamers. He compared the present and
former methods of bookkeeping and account-
ing, referring to the methods prevailing thirty
or more years ago, which were loose and nm
satisfactory, but by a system, since inaugurated
by the Treasury Department. which now pre-
walls, he affirmed it was a system as near per-
lection as human ingenuity could devise and
made frauds on the revenue by those engaged
in collecting it, quite impossible without
speedy and sure detection.
The speaker alluded incidentally to the
practice of smuggling, to the practice of for
eign merchants and manufacturers of under
valuing their goods for the purpose of defraud-
ing the government of its righful revenue.
He told his auditors how under the provisions
OF the recent civil service act they could OBJ
tain positions in the service by competitive
examination He alluded, as matter of his
toricai interest, to the establishment of the
customs service at this port l53 years ago, and
gave the names of the former collectors, and
da'e OF service, from 1870 to 1888, among
whom only our esteemed fellow citizen, Hon.
Ezra Carter, DR., now survives
Some OF these gentlemen, said the speaker,
came into the customs service after having
held posi- in the councils of the State and
acknowledgements, Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress, and one former Secretary of
the Treasury of the United States.-and, in
closing he paid a fitting tribute to the honora-
bic record of these collectors, and specially 10
those under whom he had personally served.
and invoked both for himself and his associ-
ates in Office the same need of praise when
they should have passed to the other shore.
The lecture was exceedingly interesting, and
full of details which were presented in most
attractive form. At the close the speaker was
warmly congratulated by many of those pres
emit, including number of our prominent citi-
zens.