Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-02-07

the pounu ana so 90 silks, VelVet5 anu
wrapping paper. IL Is the same with car
pets, cotton, hemp, marble and drugs, and
In fact with almost every Importation.
HOW NOT TO DO IT.
The custom house is doing a big bust
ness, but it seems to be run on the plan
that Dickens characterized as ssthe science
of how not to do it," 1t has an army of
clerks, many OF whom are soldiers and
other civil officers, but II lacks men who
are skilled in customs work. 1t has
host OF Fiiipinos to help the other clerks
and, notwithstanding this, 1t takes from
q day TO month to get shipment OF
goods through 1t. IL you are in hurry
| the officials will advise you to go and get
a custom house broker TO attend to your
business, and after you have attempted
once or twice to do the work yourself you
are glad to take the advice. The delay
may be due to the Spanish system, altho'
1t seems to me that the red tape OF the
army has something to do with IL.
can see how this custom system might
have been profitable one to the Spanish
| officials, where, as a rule, every clerk col
lected his toll, but it is radically wrong
| for Americans and should be changed at
| once. The commercial travellers who are
here from the United States are complain
| Ing about 1t. They say 1t interferes with
their business and they can do nothing on
4
customs service OF Manila has been SO
notorious that the European insurance
companies extend their insurance on
| goods to a month after their arrival, or
until they have passed from the custom
house into the hands of the importer.
| At the same time the customs receipts
are showing a considerable increase. They
are now $4,000 a month, and will De
more than s, 600 900 this year. This Will
be at the port OF Manila alone. IL does
not include the six ports OF Iloilo, Cebu,
ZamboaDga Sissi and Jolo. This shows
| that the business of the islands has already
began to increase and this increase will
probably continue.
TAXES ON BUSINESS,
In order that American trade may be
| increased here, there should be consider
able reduction in the taxes on ell kinds OF
business. The Spanish laws still prevail,
as | have said, and everyone who at
| tempts to engage In any undertaking for
profit must pay part OF his receipts to
| the government. Bankers, importers and
shIpowners are charged from IL 200 to
1876 year, according to the amount OF
i business done, while money lenders or
small pc wnbrokers pay from ESQ to $50.
Banking establishments also pay tive per
cent OF their incomes, and a clerk must
/ turn In one per cent OF bis salary to the
government.
All storekeepers pay heavy taxes. Those
| who deal in hardware. leNelry and 0pti-
eel goods are charged from 800 to fi,OOO
per annum. provided they act also as inn
porters. II they buy from middlemen the
charges are reduced one half. Shoemakers
Who import pay 800 per annum; drug
/ stores, 800; hardware stores, 300; small
shops selling wine, beer and canned
goods, $50; Chinese druggists, f400i
Chinese provision store, 800.
I eNsa = A. 49, s.eA kaM ho
/ or and the candiestick maker. The bar
Der pays SO much every three months and
this Is so with many other tradesmen.
There is not a man or woman doing BUSH
/ ness In Manila who is not taxed, ana even
the market pedlar who brings In basket
OF vegetables has to pay her toll before
she can sell them.
past has been monopolies farmed out by
| the government. There Is beer brewery
| here which claims that ii alone has the
right to make beer in the Philippines uu-
| til 1910 The company has already made
a fortune and today no other brewery can
| be started until its concession is with
| drawn. II has, | am. told, violated the
| terms OF its contract with the govern
/ ment in that Ii agreed to sell beer in Ma
Mia al 9 Ia cents per litre. 1t actually
charged this price up to the time that the
/ Americans came in, hen 1t jumped TO AZ
cents per litre, which is its present charge.
| FARMING OUT TAX COLLECTIONS.
The collection OF the taxes on different
classes has IN the past been farmed cut at
auction. The man who inspected the
weights and measures OF the city PAID
a. 600 for the privilege, although the
actual income from such inspection ac-
cording TO bis report amounted to ~ 400
year. He, OF course, made the differ
| ence between this amount and his pronts
BY bIackmsiling and squeezing. The col
| lection of the taxes at the markets was
done In the same way.
When our government took charge, this
was abolished and the receipts from the
markets for three days following were
only 81 day. II was turned over to one
OF the United States collectors and the
| receipts rose soon to $50 day. Shortly
after this an American paid the govern
ment $50 a day to collect the taxes ana IL
is currently reported that he then made
| SEQ a day 10 addition. This was a rise OF
more than 500 per day in the actual re-
ceipts.
Then the provost marshal took the
collection OF these taxes into his own
hands. He saw that every person paid his
| tax and within two months the city was
receiving $3.50 per day. It is now getting
from s575 to s625 day and the receipts
are still rising.
The charges for market places show just
| how every trade is taxed. Every tran
sient peddler pays cent per day for each
square meter OF ground abe occupies. l
say she, for the marketing is mostly done
| by women. II the place is occupied for
week 1t is considered permanent, ana
even II the woman has only basket ner
| ia 4 may be raised as high as 10 cents per
square meter. None are charged, how
l ever. more than 80 cents q day or f3a per
month for the right to sell In the market
and the last charge is for space about as
large as parior, or about i6 feet wide by
q feet long.
The peddlers on boats in the canals pay
1 cent per day per square meter OF boa.
surface, or an amount ranging from
cents TO rs cents, according to whether
they have cugout canoes or cargo boats.
A concession was given for the collec.
ton of taxes, horses, wagons and draft
animals. This sold for about s45, 900 for
term OF three years, and on this contract,
| am told, one man recently made more
than 81, 900 a month. Large profits were
made on other things of the same nature
and, indeed, almost every fat government
| lob was q concession.