Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-05

house and post offce are now ootn located In
a wooden building in Houitou, rented by the
government from private owners, and the sc-
commodslions are inadequate and insecure
for the protection of the records and other
property against fire. The Aroostook custom
district proves to be the only custom district
in Maine in which the custom house Is situa-
ted in a rented structure, the government
having provided public building in every
other district Aroostook is by far the most
rapidly growing county in the State, in pop
ulation and production, and its rapidly in
creasing business with the adjacent province
of New Brunswick renders it an important
district in our revenue system. The raptdity
of the growth of the section may be gathered
from the following facts,
In ls.o the district contained 2s,4S Inhabitants
In 1850 4i,Sss
Increase in 10 years il,p4o
or over 40 per cent. increase in population to
1850, and the total now probably reaches fif-
ty thousand people.
The receipts of the collection show a much
greater increase, viz:
Amount collected duties on imports
from Sept. /, 1873. TO April IL, 1881, ..
Sit months, ta.,S6s IS
From April Is. 1881. to Nov. so, 1858,
under present collector, 81 mos, sl'so2 IL
An Increase of $a4,is4 ~
In addition to which collections from 9TH
er sources than duties amounting to Sll.lll.-
OF, making the total collection SD months
S92, 673.l5,
The receipts of the first five months of the
present fiscal year show an increase of over
80 per cent. and will undoubtedly continue
to increase. During the past year an extern
sive abattoir and refrigerator packing house
has been established at ioulton by western
capitalists, who have imported and slaugh-
tered over fourteen thousand sheep and
lambs, and this year they expect to increase
the business and to add establishment for
slaughtering and shipping beef. They will
import large numbers of cattle. probably con-
trolling to "A large extent the New Brunswick
market, and their importatons and shipments
of meats viii term an important item of the
custom business of the district. During the
year ending Sept. 30, 1888, there were sealed
at Houlton 1908 freight cars, and nj Fort
Fairfield III cars--a total of 36l4 cars.
Many other cars were manifested, without
sealing, for transportation through Canada to
Vancebcro in the Bangor district, and nearly
the same number were received to be inspect
ed. There were 1901 pieces of baggage
searched during the year.
At Houltou in 1888 were issued manifests
for 20, ,423. .046 feet of logs, and in the dis
trict the total was l39, ,479, ,403 feet cut on the
ST. John waters and exported to New Bruns-
wick to be manufactured by American citi-
zens and returned To the United States free
of duty. Two branches of the New Bruins
wick railway enter the district from Canada,
one at Houlton and the other at Fort Fair
field, the latter extending into the district 30
miles to Presque Isle. The male line of the
New Brunswick railway extends along the
northern boundary a distance of 40 miles,
with several trains each way daily, carrying
freight into the United States, or for transit
a. l. L., L..s... E.sr
field and Vanceboro. all of which have to be
inspected manifested, etc.
There is n thickly settled frontier of ever
200 miles, and Houlton will always be the
centre of this region for business purposes.
The town is rapidly growing in Importance
and in population, over 80 new buildings hav-
ing been constructed during the past year,
and new industries are being started ipclud
ing large shoe factory to be built this
spring. The county is as large as Massachu-
sets, containing the finest farming and tim
Der lands in the State. and it 10 fast filling
with immigration from Canada and other
places. In 1850 Houlton had 1928 inhabt.
ants and has now more than 1000. while from
G000 to 5000 persons receive their mail at that
place. During the year 1883 there were ex-
ported from the district l70,925 cedar shin
giles, 343, $50 clapboards. 400S casks of hem
lock extract. 463, 200 bushels of buckwheat,
93,615 pounds of wool. 1922 tons of starch,
1870 tons of hay, 15l.1G0 pounds of cheese,
100, ,23l pounds of meat, $4,000 pounds of
hops, and much other valuable produce.
Houlton is a most important point on our
own frontier revenue service, and must con-
stanty become more so. The need OF suita
BILE and permanent accommodations for the
custom house and postoffice is strongly urged
and apparent, and the amount paid now for
rent would 90 far toward paving the interest
on the cost of suitable building. 1t has
been the policy of the government to provide
public buildings at all points of so much i'm
portance as Houlton, and such building 10
needed there for the proper accommodation
of the customs offices and the postoffice, and
the safe keeping of the valuable records.
Your committee would, therefore, recon-
mend that bill II. r., 707, accompanying
this report do pass, limiting the cost of said
building and grounds when completed to the
sum of $50, 900.