The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-12
THE ~nLuE HEcKnpTs.- :

country. EfEH-s farmer
Edward Rake, Port Townsend, Rep. ear
penfer-
THE nLuE REcKIPIs.~
Il Systens 81 PETIT Larceny Prar-
tfeed far Years and Yenrs.
PpKr TewssExp. April 1.-THE most
persistent corruption brought to light
BIZ the recent investigation Is the
| issuing Of irregular receipts to
cover overchnrges In place OF re-
eeipts furnished by the government
- practice which has been carried on
Tor the past ten years. For every pa7-
ment made 70 the collector on account
OF dnfies. elearances. entrances, etc.
ne Is required TO give q receipt on
blanks furnished by the department
These are printed on blue paper, and
are spoken Of as blue receipts They
come In books of so, and are numbered.
| The person who pays signs the stub,
and the amount should in every case
agree with the receipt, and also with
the record of daily transactions. But
the Port Townsend custom house. ex-
ceps IN rare instances, never issued
I these blue receipts. These were cut
OUT. together with the sides of the
book which bound them, leaving only
the stubs. Thich made book by them
selves.
i The custSm house issued white re-
CENTS Of its own getting up. so that
| cvercharges could be made and not
show on the record. For instance, q
| ting clears for Victoria. The author
lied charge would be, say 81 50 for
clearance. 81 Is for tonnage dues, and
- cents for administering an oath to
! the master: total. $2a5. Now s. white re-
ceipt would be issued ..'lnmping" these
various items, for So 95. The payer
signs the blue stub In blank, which is
afterwards fiiied in for 81 50, and an en-
try made in the record OF daily receipts
of = %. The 81 overcharge is pock-
] etexi. Remarkable as the statement
may seem, Il is nevertheless true that
this has been the practices for more
than 10 years past. Every vessel
passing ia and out of the Puget sound
district has paid from 81 to s. more
than the legal fees. The Posr-IxrgI-
LIGExcEa correspondent was shown q
great handful of white receipts, every
one of which was for larger amount
than the blue stub and the daily record
showed. A rough calculation of one
months receipts for entrances and
clearances shows that about 33 per
cent. was added in the way of over
charges
None OF the officers connected with
the service deny the truth of the
above statements. They defend them
charges were for blanks sold to yes
sefs. The United States statutes ex-
preSsfy forbid any collector or GUS
toms officer TO accept gratuity, but
there is department regulation al
lowing collectors at certain ports, iR-
Guiding Port Townsend. to sell blanks
at limited price. In no case was an
oyerchaTge less than 81, and the
records for one month show that one
tug in that time bought about $50
worth of blanks This Is manifesfly
absurd. The naked truth is that the
tugs were regularly charged 81 50sfor
entrance or clearance, instead of 81 50.
as authorized bylaw, and where the
opportunity offered the overeharges
often ran mp 10 81 So, and even as
much as S5. Occasionally vessel
would really buy blank, or 4 few
blanks, bat the facts are that the tugs
furnished their own blanks, which do
not cost more than 81 or 81 50 per
hundred.
The question naturally arises: How
could these overcharges be inflicted
year after year and no complaint be
heard2 SiGaply because it was q
saving OF money to pay the extortion.
Whatever may be offered rejecting on
the integrity Of officers, it will readily
be admitted on all sides that the ship
ping interests have been more than ac-
commodated. A vessel Is permitted
to clear any hour of the day or night.
In San Francisco or Portland the col
lector locks his Office at p. m, and If
vessel desires TO clear after that hour
she waits till 8 O'Clock the next morn
ing. The government until recently
never furnished q night deputy col
lector, and never allows pay for over
time: hence q vessel could clear after
Office hours only at the pleasure OF the
collector. So it was far cheaper to gay
the extortion than 10 hazir the col
lector's displeasure and possibly de-
lays which would in the end cost
many tines the amount OF the over
charge Another reason why shippers
never wanted TO make complaints is
that, despite the overcharges. Port
Townsend was the cheapest Pacific
coast port, because IN most cases the
officers did the work for which brokers
are usually employed. An overcharse
Of dollar or t~o often saved five
dollar brokerage fee. Then the GER
tainty Of always being able to gst in
or out promptly was worth thousands
Of dollars.
Still, viewing the matter in the most
favorable iissht. the officers have
| fiagrantIy violated the ssirst. il, in,
deed. they have not violated the letter
Of the law. They took and receipsed
| for more money, month after month,
year after year, than they were en-
titled 10. and pockefed the difference
between the legitimate fees and the
fees rs charged. Then, too, the
destruction Of the blue receipts and
here gives The whole affair the color
OF fraud.
But the worst part OF the business il
that the overehargeS were put into
pool and divided, the collector getting
| The cream and the rest of the boys"
the skim milk. Some collectors took
rs their share 25 per cent, sonle 20,
and as one time Is per cent and the
balance was pasceied out among those
who stood in. " pfoporfionate 10 the
salary received by each.
Ii Is curious TO note how this sys~
tenn OF overeharge is viewed. One
member OF large shipping firm here
swore before the grand jury that he
regarded the overchar1es as black
mall. which be paid reluctantly. Tor
fear that the privilege os clearing ves-
sels at night would be denied. while
another member of the same firni
swore that he regarded the overchayge
IS era, uisy. which he paid eheerfuily
as the cheapest wsy OF resarding an
officer for the favor of prompt caear-
| anees or entrances outside OF otiice
hours
The worst feature OF the blue re-
ceipt> was she manner employed for
seuasins accounts with the govern
usent- In many cases the stnhs were
moi signed BY the men who paid the
duties, 50 that at the end 81 the month
the collector would send for one
or more men in town 10 come and
sign stuba which the Office had pfs-
pared. 80 IS To agree with the book.
One man would then sgn 20 or 50
such stahs. They would then Be re-
tnrncd 20 the treasury department