The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-19
SIX SUGAR MEN
! OUSTED BY LOEB
Collector Begins Shake-Up IN
New York.
CUSTOMS HOUSE TO Be MODEL
Special Government Counsel Starts
Investigation.
TWO Of Dismissed nmpIsyes Suspected
Of Accepting Bribes from steam-
ship Passensers-House Clean
ing Commission Of Eight
Custom Experts Named.
CUSTOMS HOUSE TO Be MODEL

-o
New York, Nov. 1.-THE expected
shake up in the New York customs
house as result of the sugar fraud
exposures and agitation. began today
with the abrupt dismissal Of SIX sus-
pected employees by Collector Loeb.
At the same time the announcement
was made that a house cleaning COM
mission OF eight customs experts
whose integrity is unquestioned-has
been appointed by Mr.. Loeb to take up
at once the work OF making the New
York customs house model for the
entire country"
Although the names of the six men
dismissed today were not given out.
Mr.. Loeb said that all OF them were
customs inspectors. -Four were form
eriy assistant weighers on the sugar
docks and are now under charges which
are being Investigated by Henry l..
stimson, special counsel for the Gov
eminent in the sugar Investigation.
The direct reason for the dismissal Of
the other two inspectors was said by
Collector Loeb to be their acceptance
recently OF tips from steamship pas
sengers. According to reports, more
than nifty other employees are also to
be custed by Collector Loeb within
few days.
The new commission, which is ex-
pected to devise scheme OF reorgan-
izatfon for the customs administration
at the port OF New York. is headed
by John c.. Williams. deputy collector,
and Mark p. Andrews. a member OF
Mr.. Loeb's personal board OF legal
counsel.
The members represent all the im-
portant departments of the customs
service.
These men, known as the collectors
advisory commission" held their first
session In the customs house this at
ternoon but nothing was given out as
to the business which occupied their at
tention.
Broke civil sewvfee Relies,
Washingt ten, NOV. 49, Civil Service
Commission files show that unclassified
iaborsrs Ia the New York customs
house were put to work as sugar SANE
piers between the years 1899 and 1902
In contravention Of law. these posi-
tions being In the classified service.
To what extent this was done Is not
disclosed, but the fact Is that such
work was given for some time during
his service to Henry C. Corsa, an I'M
classified laborer, whase recital Of al
legged bribery in sugar sampling was
printed today.
More, than this, on August %, 1902,
the Civil Service Commission called the
matter to the attention of Leslie M.
Shaw. then Secretary OF the Treasury.
and his attention was further directed
to the fact that several Investigations
made by 1T since 1899 indicated prac-
tically the same state OF affairs and
that each time the department had ex-
plicitly instructed the appraiser at New
York to discontinue the practice.
An examination OF the files of the
commission was made today to clear
the public mind of any idea that the
commission had been advised or that
that body was aware of alleged viola
lions of law in the sanpling of sugar
and was not doing anything to prevent
them, as might be inferred from a por-
ton of the narrative giving Mr.. Corsa'S
experience. This said there was let
ter from the commission to him indicat-
ing that something of the unusual ma
ture of the case was known in WASH
ington.
Such was not true, the commissioners
said today, as. before any communica-
ton had come from Mr.. Corsa maxi
ing reference to bribery by the agents
of the sugar merchants, the newspa-
pers were full of revelations Of this
character.
Mr.. Loeb refused to discuss the
charge of former special deputy
that the government had been de-
fradued OF duties asgregating nearly
100000 through the underweighings
OF lemons admitted at this port bet
ween 1898 and 1904.