The sun., 1893-08-10
CUSTOM HOUSE WAYS.
THE EXPERTS ARE LIKE THE
SNAKES IN IRELAND.
fhe Affairs of the Greatest Revenue Port
In the World Are Conducted In the Most
Indifferent and Unbusiness-Iike Manner
Indications for 1900.
/" Experts . Not Expert.

One of the facts established by the
Fairchild Commission, which began q
few months ago to investigate the New
York Custom House, is that the affairs
Of this, the greatest revenue collecting
port in the world, are conducted in a
most Indifferent and unbusiness-like
manner-so shiftless and reckless that
no private business undertaking lex
cept, perhaps, some of the highly pro-
tected manufacturing industries| could
expect to endure year il run on such
principles. 1t would naturally be sup
posed by the uninitiated that custom
house collectors, appraisers and exam
iners are experts in their various lines.
But 1t appears from the testimony sub
mitted that under the last administra-
tion almost no one had any definite
idea of what were his duties or took
any pains to post himself. The ap-
praiser is theoretically an expert, both
on the tariff and on the foreign values
of goods. He Is required to sign every
invoice which passes through the
stores. Practically Appraiser Cooper
knows but little about the tariffs or
foreign prices, nor does he sign l per
cent. of the invoices. He finds it much
easier to supply his assistant apprais-
ers with rubber stamps containing his
signature. His duties are thus very
light-merely perfunctory, as he says.
AS an example of his eXpertness and
accuracy he testified that about 10 per
cent of all invoices were advanced on
one or more items; official tables sub
mitted later showed that less than
per cent. we're advanced.
The Assistant Appraisers, mostly
political pickups at a salary of $4,000,
hatter their superior by initiating his
lack of knowledge on all essential
points. Michael Goode astonished the
commission by telling it that If his ex-
aminers were to depend upon him for
expert knowledge or for instruction as
to their duties it would be forty years
before he would have become proficient
enough to assist them. He did not
know the difference between jute and
burlap, and could not give the current
foreign market price of single article
in his division. He is plasterer who
has temporarily abandoned his trade to
serve his country and his party for the
slight pecuniary consideration of 5000
year. Assistant Appraiser VIM. H.
Leaycraft did not know how his exam
iners determined the quality and value
of imported cigars, and professed like
ignorance with equal frankness on
otherpoints relating to the administra-
tion of his duties. From the reliance
placed upon the examiners by the ap-
praisers it would be inferred that the
examiners we're paragons of knowledge
and duty Yet all but three of over
twenty examiners acknowledged that
they knew nothing of foreign prices
except as indicated by invoices. If an
invoice was unusually low they raised
it. They did not take or see trade
papers of any kind and only one of
these experts" had ever been in the
country where the goods of his division
were manufactured. None of them
had data on which to base valuation
less than six months old, and in
one case it was out of date to the eX-
tent of three years. It may be re-
marked here that the invoices on
which the examiners rely are those of
foreign manufacturers, vouched for in
a perfunctory way by our foreign con-
suls. The goods are usually under
valued 8 or y per cent, just enough to
avoid the penalty for undervaluation,
if caught
The investigation brought out the
fact that every examiner appointed
under the Harrison administration was
smuggled through the civil service by
! an alleged examination for damage
examiner" After a short service in
this kindergarten" department they
were transferred" and became regular
examiners, forty years in advance of
their superior officers. Such precocity
is unknown outside of the ranks of
active politicians, where it is quite
common. Not only was it shown that
certain importers were favorites with
the examiners and got their goods in
at low valuations, but it developed that
the agents of glove and woolen manu-
facturers had the free run of the ap-
praiserS' stores during the Harrison
administration. Favorite importers
were also frequently invited in to help
fix valuations.
McKinleyism is not only fraud and
robbery according to the Indictment
secured against it last November, but
as enforced it is farce-the farce de-
partment enabling few importers to
get slice of the favoritism intended
only for manufacturers and their like.
The poor consumer foots all bills for
such management or mismanagement.
He probably win continue to do so and
to see his funds misappropriated until
he comes to the conclusion that it is
better to pay his taxes once out of his
pocket, direct to Uncle Sam, rather
that to pay them several times by al
lowing them to be collected on all the
goods he purchases, whereas Uncle
Sam only collects what is paid on those
imported; the other and larger por-
tion going to help the manufacturer
who agrees to enrich the country by
redistributing the funds in some mag
ical way.
Ranuhlican blizzard I'm 18QR