The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-18
SHAW PREDICTS
 COMMON LANGUAGE
Says a Common Tongue Will be
 Used in Commerce ~
  DISCUSSES ADVERTISEMENT I
Makes Address to International Gus toms Congress, Which Holds Ses- sion in New York and Elected
 Offcers-Other Speakers.

New York January 17.-The interna- tional customs congress, which held it's first formal session today, elected the following officers:
 President-Gen. o. L. Spaulding, assist ant secretary of the treasury.
 First Vice President-Ediel G. Pierra of Cuba.
 Second Vice President-Kenneth Parn- hart of Chicago.
 First ,Secretary-M. Del Paso of Mexico. Second Secretary-E. T. Chamberlain, United States commissioner of naviga- tion.
 Assistant Secretary-W ?. Mort gomerg , attache of the American bureau of re- publics.
 The session opened with an address by Mayor Low. He was followed by Secre- tary of the Treasury Shaw.
 Secretary Shaw welcomed the delegates and guests in the name of the people of the United States. Levying imports, he said, is not a modern method of raising revenues, but the administration of cus- toms laws is perhaps as complicated as anything connected with the administra- tive branch of the government. It has al- ways been the policy of the United States however, to resolve all reasonable doubts In faVor or the Importer In administering customs laws liberal interpretation is not only permissible but well nigh impera- tive. This rule should apply with special force with reference to drawbacks.
 Question of Appraisement.
 He called special attention to the ques- tion of appraisement. The fact that QG06G a fnr aI,.o for the domestic market frequently works a great hardship upon the inn porter. He purchases abroad and pre- suming that he has paid the ordinary foreign market prices, invoices at the price he has paid, but frequently finds himself subjected to an advance of from 10 to 75 per cent with statutory penalties and no relief. He did not mention this subject In criticism of the well nigh uni- versal European practice of selling goods abroad cheaper than at home but refer red to it only as affording one of the difficulties in the administration of cus- toms laws when it is sought both to protect the revenues and also to protect | the domestic competitive producer and at the same time avoid unduly punishing an importer who has invoiced his goods at the actual price he has paid. In con- | clusion he said @l,uoO,OuU m imports Daily.
 ''The United States imports a million 1 dollars per day of tropical and semi | tropical products. This trade constitutes very valuable prize for which our sis 1 ter republics may laudably compete The countries entitled to representation in this conference, annually import nearly five hundred million dollars. largely of food products and manufactures. For this prize the country l represent should com pete with more earnestness than it al present manifests. The means of inter- communication are very unsatisfactory To what extent they will be improved in the near future, no one can predict; but that they can be materially improved and with very moderate expense to any of the countries represented, must be ap- parent to every thinking prson.
 You will pardon the hope which venture to express that the time will come, and perhaps sooner than we dream flor commerce Is the great leveler as well as the great civilizer' and great edu- l cator-when the peoples represented here will be speaking a common language. and if so, then that language will be the most convenient language of commerce. when these peoples will have uniform standards of weights and measures. hut if the standards shall ever be unified. the choice must be made of those most convenient to commerce; when stand- ards of value and denominations of money shall be uniform and internation- ally interchangeable but if this is to be realized the adopted standard must be 1 the best and the denominations the most convenient; when standards of wages shall be measurably uniform, but if this | shall ever be accomplished, then that standard must De the highest
 High Labor Blessing.
 There is no greater blessing to any people than high-priced labor The com | mercial importance of country is meas ured by the consumptive capacity of its | people, and annual income is the test of consumptive capacity and annual in- come is determined by the standard of wages
 '"Therefore, in the hope of acquaintance | formed here, the interchange of ideas in- dulged here, the hopes and aspirations that may be. inspired. may tend at least 1 in some degree to the betterment of the conditions of all the peoples represented I again assure you. gentlemen, that you are very welcome"