New-York tribune., 1885-01-09
CUSTOMS REFORM URGED.
uNoERyALUArIoN OF MERCHANDISE.

The pripcip al topics OF interest considered az tne
monthly meeting o. o 6fe committee When
mended specific reforms in the collection OF rexe eve
nue.. james NJ Brow Brown pre',EsSa; %sScrvauae no
tsSo'' tid% Of Of merchandise, imported ., Ont at
this port was elaborate Such goods pciong va ono
of two ca:egories-goods owned Dy tnei pod paodd" by
or manI.facturer aud goods which have passou ny
purchase from their producer TO auo, Jc y, d
or consigned goods and puIcnas.g1u .1; n' nbnIe
Both classes are appraised m the principa
markets az the country of production ON the uay
when the goods were shipped to the United Sti.es. @
The committees report is substantially as Ioiiows
ror yar thousands of entries successfully dis
pnied and advanced by the Custom House ana ,nao
Institution collects large see Oh reNcuau m % far al
of additional duties fines ana penalties eAac'eu , U t
legged underyalustion. Importers commonly submit 70
these exac,icns because the law % ,no % ua and
To the courts second appraisement oe,ns % ~ avh;n %
without appeal Doubtless there are instances III Will
value has been perpetrated entrytt this port n.
means of ascertanlng ~ % wh, ~ o,ic,nl nev
perience inatention couson suGces.n @ h
would seldom II ever be m ecoTd arc VERY few
and far between We inclined TO tmhk Una. hot 10,
9 as9 ~ wiful nndervaluaon and that the hue and
cry to the contrary takes It's origin II. ia 90 'lle nc
pcasry specia agents Appraiser directed by the
law TO all reasonable means IN their power W
ants coniine themselves 10 furnishing information to
appraisers they uDobiectionaoc nut Wnei my @ u
dertske control the returning functions nous oi pp,
defiance Of the latters Judgment which Is G re
DONE think that they should be denouncea anu rec &C.
OmInend that the Chamber invite the attention o tne
Secretary of the Treasury to this violation OF inc law
with respect TO the special sn s S' certain when
that the greater knowledge, better information,
oeers n as Compared with officers OF other
ports together with the fact that pIoteet m
and Vigilance in New-York result in the assessment here
OF much higher values and even higher rates Oh duty
than are exacted at Boston, Philadelphia Baltimore.
Chicago St. Louis or any other Custom House IN the
country in other words merchants VINO escape uae us
lInfN
their goods at other ports by forwarding their po
taons bond from this city to some Interior, M anu pen en-
haps small and Custom House for appraisal on
what is known as Inland Transportation Entry sue,
si1 Seea IN a ayifs e% ON would incur Il their goods
through the ordeal of the appraisers stores IN tnls cry
,on thai the lust ascsrtanment of market value s
practically impossible that the vaia,l3 S % H
are constant source undgnied dispute between the
Government and the importer, LENDING i",pulsy .I
schemes both to defraud the revenue and TO arass anu
oppress the merchant and therefore, your committee
maintain that duties should be maae whoy spcco ,h
where practicable, and where not pract'cane me me
goods should either be placed on the free ,, hst,
they remain subject to iO vslua'i1I Mcusn tney
dissatisfied with the importers valuat on, be taken
by the to its aeGSTn a. te
and profit committee believe, however tha there
is no article Ei 1y canno be- xed private and
personal interests waived We nd that the recent
senSers arriving in the United states avaed of by
unscrupulous persons to Introduce large quantities vi
SI no ay in operation for the
bilities
The committee consequently recommended that
the law be remodelled The report was adopted.
The present laws provide for SPECIAL appralsements
to determine the percentage OF damage that may
be sustained by merchandise during the voyage OF
Importation, when, being certified to by the dam
age appraisers, warrant Is issuel returning or
duties revenue Bsd Reform n' rspcr% ssfs% ha tsS
found that much corruption ana demorallza-
ton existed among merchants. wareho usemen. APP
praisers and others in connection with the estlma-
fon of these allowances, and that there have even
cropped into existence middle-men or brokers who
solicit business from importers on the ground that
they can obtain for the importer larger percent
age than the importer can procure Tor himself that
these damage allowances should be altogether
abandoned, aud that the most practical solution OF
fbe difficulties surrounding this question lies III the
ignore ali damage incurred on the voyage IF inn
poYi alton but inasmuch various objections have
been advanced on the ground that the total aboli-
ton of damage allowances would be unjust, the
committee suggested the following:
That fixed percentages Of rebate for damage to be as
certaned and established by reference to the experience
NJ the recent past should be allowed such kinds of
merchandise as perishabe Of their own nature or
specially subject to suffer damage a as fruits yegeaees m
allowed all iportaiions OF snch goods whether dam
aTce would on the give-and principle be practical
ly equivalent TO the average proportion OF damage
actually sustained; that on o,her goods allowances
for damage should entirely aboshed that IN respect
OF goods upon which allowances would then accrue
the importer should have the right to abandon entire
packages or shipments OF damaged merchandise 10 the
Government without any COMPENSATION beyond simple
refund the total duty on the package or Shipment
J. r. Thurber submitted n report of his efforts to
secure from men in various businesses their views
upon the Spanish American treaty. lls report
AGAINST the treaty circulated and ia two days
more than five hundred signatures representing
wide diversity of trades and manufacturing in
terests we're obtained. The opinion was practically
unauimons that no concessions which SPAN could
make are Just equivalent for the enormous rev
euues proposed To be relinquslcd by the United
States. and that the Iubllc interest was beng
sacrificed for the benefit and at the instigatIOn of
private interests specially interested. Among the
signers are A. \. Low 4 Bros. Low, Hartman
smith 4 Co, Frederick Butteriield x Co.. K. Il.
Macy & Co.. Havemeyer ~ Elder, Recknage IL Co..
james Eyre, Muller q Kruger. A. H. Sco' iile Il Co..
Ichtenstein Bros. II. II. swift & Co., Seldenberg
q Co. Nathaniel Fisher N Co., AmnidOwn Smith,
j. b. Il !. NJ. Cornell a Co.. Russell q irwin Manu-
featuring Co., Jackson : schultz, Woodward Steam
Son a Co., B. q. Arnold ~ Co.. John NJ More II Co.
Uaremeyer x Brunn, Schroeder \ Bon, llavemeyer
q yiglius Thebaud Bros. Max Freund y Co, John
J.. Henry * Co., Wallace Il Co.. w. l.. Strong
a. Co.. and upward OF live hundred others. repre-
senting annual business, winch, It 10 e,tmated
will exceed five hundred millions OF dollars.
Mr. Thurber also CALLED attention to tue law
which allows foreign ImportatIons that arrive at
scaports where there are superior customs facilities
To be transported unopened to other and smaller
ports thus endangerng the equality OF .classiii-
cation and valuation to the disadvantage OF
merchants at seaports At ms suggestion a reSo-
luton W adopted that the system of inland trans
portation in bond to other places within the United
States is unjust to seaport merchants and detri-
mental to the national revenue and should be
abolished. Resolutions were adopted in favor of
extending the Presidential term to six limit
ing the Office to single term, and approving Presi-
dent Arthur's accommodation that definite
method for settling electoral disputes be provided.
A Poster Higgins called attention to the many
dangers from the magnetic influences upon the com
passes of iron ships, and submitted resolutions.
that were unanimously adopted, recommending that
the Government provide facilities at New-York and
other large seaports for swinging vessels at all
points of the compass. determine the variations
and deviation of compasses.
The executive committee presented many sng;