Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-23
FRAUDS On THE REVENUE.
FOREIGNERS MONOPOLISTs OF
THE IMPORT TRADE.

Their Ability to UndervaIue Their Ship
ments Greatly Aided by Their Fellow
Conspirators in this COuntry-SIIk
Flags which Are Purely American
Consular CroOkedness.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-'It was quite
natural" said Mr.. Martin, Chief Of the
SPECIAL agents of the Treasury. "that
those men who constituted the fraud roll
should object TO removal. / see that some
Of them have been talking to reporters
about Congressional investigations, sup
pressed reports, etc. The fact is that
while there were some very efficient men
on the list the majority are of the class
which is Of no earthly use.''
ut is said by one of tle discharged men
that the undervaluations were discovered
by these men. Is there anything in that. -
1t IS an absurd story. The undervalu-
atiOns of imports were discovered solely
by the special agents Of the Treasury. 1t
was known that foreign manufacturers of
silks for Instance, invoice their goods in
some cases at 20 per cent. below their
actual worth. Secretary FOlger appoint
ed expert appraisers at Lyons and other
places, and in this way the undervalu-
atiOns were discovered
lis this system of fraud still carried
on?"
ITO a certain extent, but we have been
able 10 reduce 1t to the minimum, and
there are no undervaluatiOns now COM
pared with what there were.'
Are the firms engaged IN these rob-
berries American importers
There are no American importers e.
The New York importing concerns are
made up of agents of English, French,
German and swiss manufacturing con-
Germs. Of all the firms engaged in i'm
porting in New York 80 per cent. are for
eigners. 1t is almost impossible to buy
goods direct from European manufacture
ers, who Will trade only through their
American agents."
"HOw do you account for this?o
''Well, the foreigners have been in the
habit Of fixing our tariff rates. Congress
really has nothing to do with it, for these
men have in the past placed such values
on their goods as they choose, and have
paid the duty accordingly. In order to do
this they have held the trade in their own
hands. Hence the existing state of
affairs in New York and other wholesale
centres"
SILK FLAGS ENTIRELY AMERICAN.
Mrs. John Lucas, President of the
WOman's National Silk Culture AssOcia-
tiOn, and several other ladies represent
ing that organization, came over from
Philadelphia tonight, bringing American
flags made of American silk by American
labor, under the direction of the associa-
tiOn, which they Will present tomorrow
to the President of the Senate and the
Speaker Of the House of Representatives
as the representatives of those bodies.
CROOKED CONsULs.
Col. MOsby, United States Consul at
Hong Kong, has written very interest
ing letter to the State Department. in
which he calls attention to the absurditv
Of the consular regulations in many re-
spects. Col. MOsby makes some valua-
bic suggestions, which, ii followed, would
undoubtedly lead to more honesty in the
consular service Referring to this letter.
navy officer, recently returned from the
China station, sad to-day: During nv
last cruise l ran across an American
Consul who occupied all sorts of posi-
tiOns, from Hebrew secondhand
clothing dealer to a clerk in a house
engaged in exporting goods to this
country. The latter was clerk for the
firm of Peel, Hubbell ~ Co., at Manila.
This firm sends hundreds OF thousands of
dollars worth of goods to the United
States annually, and their clerk swears to
their invoices. 1t may be legitimate. but
it looks bad. At Tien Tsin, China. a big
trade is carried on with the United States
in goat skins. Under our tariff these
skins pay a specific duty of so much per
skin. Consul ZoOk, who represented the
United States there, told me himself that
as the exporters could not defraud the
United States customs by undertaking
these skins they employed women to trim
the edge on one side and to sew two skins
together. These are invoiced as one skin,
and Consul ZOOk admitted he allowed the
fraud to 90 on. The Interpreter for this Con-
w TG
member of the skin importing firm. He
signed his pay vouchers and turned them
over to Mr.. ZOOk, which may account for
the fact that that officer allowed two skins
to pass as One."
POSTAL DELIVERY FOR SALT LAKE.
The first free delivery postal system in
the Territories will 90 into effect at Salt
Lake City March l. 1t was brought
about in a curious manner. About year
ago a letter was received at the depart
ment here from a Mormon lady, whose
husband is a prominent pOlygamist Of
salt Lake. She complained that letters
addressed to her as plain Mrs. Blank were
as liable to be opened by any
of the other of the half dozen Mrs. Blanks
in the family as herself, although she
was the only one of the number who
had any correspondence whatever.
She therefore requested Postmaster
General Gresham to inaugurate the
free delivery system IN order
to relieve her and other ladies similarly
situated from this embarrassment. No
attention was paid to her appeal and
the matter was speedily forgotten.
When Frank HattOn became Post
master General Mrs. Blank addressed
a second communication to the depart
ment embodying her grievances as above.
MIR. HattOn, who is probably more chiv-
alrOus than his successor, found upon in
vestigatiOn that the business of the Salt
Lake office justified the increased eX-
penditure, and on Monday last a letter
was forwarded to Mrs. Blank stating that
as soon as the necessary arrangements
could be made the system she desired
should be adopted.