The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04
VILE SHAKE UP
CUSTOMS SERVICE
Bill Provides That the President
Shall Establish Convenient
Places for Collections.
JONES HAS HAD "A HARD TIME.
Representative Has Fought Many
Misdirected Attacks Against
Officers in His District.
(From Our Regular Correspondent

(t'rom Our Regular Corresponding
WASHINGTON, ID. C., February a.
There IL going to be n shaking UP In the
matter of arrangement of custom house
districts by the present Congress. And
the shake-up Will take place at the pres
ent session thereof. The Payne bill,
which has been reported favorably from
the Committee on Ways and Means, will
Deeomd law and under it's provisions
the President Is authorized to establish
convenient districts for the collections
OF customs, and to this end is empowered
to subdlyide any State or Territory, or
may unite two or more States or Terri
tories, or any part thereof, into one Gia-
tflct, but the total of such collection dis
tricts shall not exceed one hundred and
twenty AS stated the bill will become
e. law In practically the present form.
Representative William A. Jones. of
the First District. is not opposing this
till but he has had TO make many fights
ir the past against the attacks which
members from Interior States have direct
&C against the customs houses of his dis
trict. where the income from the collec-
ton of customs is practically nothing.
that tliconly duty which collector Of cus-
toms has to perform is the collection of
the tariff on imports, when. as mat
ter of fact. this is often a very insig-
nificant part of the labor OF his office.
Many Other Duties.
The collector at cherrystone, which Is
the name OF the customs house at Cape
Charles, Va, for instance, does not coll
ls..f IniI Of tnr in,
Il year, but he is hard at work all the
the attending to the licensing of the
th(1.Jand vessels which have their homes
on the waters OF the Chesapeake. Every
vessel In the bay has to. be licensed.
When it Is sold record OF the transfer
OF ownership must be made, and when
Il mortgage is placed on 1t by the owner,
the mortgage must he recorded. II is
the collector of customs who has to look
out for all this.
The support on Chingotcague Island
has been abolished twice because of the
small amount of revenue collected there,
and each time Mr.. Jones. the last time
about a year ago. succeeded in having
the Secretary OF the Treasury re-estab-
lish 1t.
Owners OF vessels living on ChIngotea-
que, without port on the island were
compelled to proceed hundred miles or
nore down the coast. and inside the capes
to the customs collector to have their
license renewed, or must, perforce. come
ten miles 10 the mainland and thence by
rail down the peninsula 10 Cape Charles.
The sub-port on Chingoteague was OF the,
utmost Importance to them. though the
total of the revenues on imports collect
cd was ridiculously small.
Would Remove Custons
Mr.. Jones has pending n bill to re-
move the customs from Tappahannook,
where 1t has been for over n
hundred years to Reedyllle. Northumber-
land county The change was proposed
I'm the interest of the fishermen, and
others having boats to register, but the
bill will hardly pass now, indeed. Mr..
Jones sees no good reason for pressing
It. as the change. If made, would hardly
be permanent, in view OF the almost GER
tain passage of the Payne bill. which
will give the President absolute power
to arrange the customs districts as no
chooses
A bill of utmost Importance to owners
and navigators OF steam vessels has been
introduced by Senator Frye, of Maine.
1t provides that all foreign steam yes
sells, privately owned. of course. shall
be subject to the present laws govern
ing inspection of such craft. unless they
fly the flag OF countries having inspec-
ton laws approximating ours IN
rigfdity. Such vessels shall be sub
feet to no other inspection than
that which is necessary to satisfy
the local inspectors that the con-
diton of their boilers, and life-saying
equipment are as stated in the current
certificate of inspection. But such ser
tificataS.4 In order TO he accented rs evil
dence OF lawful inspection must be pre-
sented by officers of steam vessels of
countries that accept our certificates