St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-10
THE COST OF CUSTOMS.

otilce answering the query OF CORE.
spondent as to the cost of collecting the
customs we have received the report of
the supervising special agent of the
treasury department, containing list
of the customs offices of the country, the
amount of revenue collected at each,
and the expenses of each Office. This
enables us to give more precise an.
swer, and, as the matter is one of gen.
eral interest in connection with the dis
cussion OF the tariff. we think the fur
Their treatment of the topic worth the
space.
For the year 1893, ending June 80, the
total receipts of customs were S204, 5T1,-
23S72, and the cost of collecting was
S6,7l2, $50 As. making all average cost of
1928 cents to collect 81. The cost is about
the same in any year, and the percent
age rises or falls. of course, with the
increase or decrease of imports of duti-
able merchandise. While there are over
$50 custom houses or districts at which
these duties were collected. over 80 per
cent of all was received at six ports.
These, in the order of their amounts,
are New York, Boston, Philadelphia.
Chicago. San Francisco and Baltimore,
and it cost to collect 81 at these places
sums ranging from 1.9 cents at New
York to 5.S cents at Baltimore.
1t is when we leave these greater ports
and look through the long list of ports
ranging from those of secondary i'm
portance down to those which are mere
cracks stuffed with customs officers to
keep the smuggler away, we find figures
which attest nothing so strongly as the
absurdity of this fossil system Of taxa
ton borrowed from mOnarchical coun-
tries. Beginning at home, we find the
district OF which ST. Paul is the central
Office costing but So cents to collect 81,
while the port Of Duluth presents the
quite respectable bill of 4U.S cents for
the same work. At Kennebunk, in
Maine, it is rather more expensive, cost
ing Sl57.S3 to get dollar of revenue.
Annapolis charges s393.53 to get dollar
for the treasury. but NatcheZ throws all
the rest OF the ports east of the Rockies
in the shade with its little bill of S1.0Ol
for the same services. Patch0gue, in
New York. is more modest in its dealing,
and does not ask for a cent more than it
receives, but pockets all the receipts and
calls it square.
If we wish to find the system In all its
beauty and force, however, we will have
to cross the divide and go to Yaquna.
in the state Of Pennoyer, where it costs
Uncle Sam 4,415 .04 to collect one sin
gle, solitary silver dollar, worth just 45
cents. Beside this, the charge of the
Teche office in Louisiana of 1914. 81, Cor
that of S229.3S of the st. Marks, Florida,
Office, are very reasonable.
Some years ago an honest, candid
member of Minnesota legislature said
to the writer, on his return home from
session. that when he went down to the
treasurer and drew his salary he felt as
if he was stealing. We should think
that some such thought would come
across the mind of some of these officers
of the customs when they reflect, if they
ever do, on the absurd part they are
playing in the great farce Of customs
tariff which, to prevent men from trad
ing freely with those who want to buy
what they have to sell, makes it cost
thousands Of dollars to collect one dol
lar of revenue.
IT IS dull day i'll irish politics when
some one of the several factional lead