Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-08-21
Board Of Trade Will
Make Protest Against
RediStriCtiDg.
COLLECTOR DALRYMPLE
HAS NO INFORMATION
Pointed Out That Saving to
Government Would
Be Small.

The mere suggestion that the gov
ernment may abolish Newark as a
customs port and consolidate the rev.
enue offices with those of Perth Am
boy, with a saving of few thousand
dollars to the government, has been
enough to arouse the surprise and in
dignation of scores of Newark manu-
facturers
The fight against any such move is
not TO be left until it is too late for
the Board Of Trade has already taken
action. Secretary James M. Reilly to-
day wrote to William A. Baker, chair
man of the commercial affairs commit
tee, advising him of the necessity for
Immediate action, and also arranged
with President Curtis r. Burnett to
have a conference today on the matter.
Such is the alarm Of the business in
terests that the Board of Trade is pre-
pared to send delegation of its mem
bers to Washington to fight any such
move
Inc DldD lllC OlliSioA NAS'
is to consolidate several customs dis
tricts into one, with leaning in favor
of Perth Amboy as the headauarters'
Perth Amboy is selected, So the ru-
NOR goes, because the gross receipts at
that port are greater than in New
ark. Mr. Reilly explained the true sit
uation today as follows;
1.-THE gross receipts are indeed more
at Perth Amboy, but you must rernem-
ber that much of that money repre-
ssrts duty on raw material, which is
manufactured and sent out of the
country Immediately. A rebate or
come back is then granted, and the
government, in reality, gets much less
than In Newark Here we have poorer
facilities for shipping the goods out
Of the country again, and thereby
Sclaiming the rebate, and our manufac-
tnses are sold for the most part here
Ia this country.
Collector Alfred N. Dslryrnple of this
port today refused to discuss the mat
ter, declaring that he had received no
official notice of the redistrioting plan.
and he had nothing TO say.
James H. Reilly. secretary OF the
Board Of Trade, today sent let
ter TO wSiiam A. Baker, chairman Of
the committee on commerctHl affairs,
noti-. ing him that the committee will
meet at. the earliest opportunity to
review the customs situation.
while do not think there ie any
possibility Of Newark losing its port of
entry" declared Mr.. Reilly, I'VE will
get together at once. II circumstances
warrant we will send delegation down
to Washington to oppose any bill which
will interfere with the importing and
exporting business of Newark.
"on the admission Of the author of
the plan the entire saving by this
movement all over the country will net
but 100000. The cost of the customs
house here in Newark is very low now
and the government could not save
anything by abolishing this port.
"It would be imprudence of the worst
sort on the part of the government"
continued Mr.. Reilly, "for there are
lot of manufacturing interests in New
ark which would suffer greatly from
the increased cost of importation.
There is enough difficulty as it is
without adding more. Every cent add
ed to the cost of importation means II
cent more on tne unal cost OF tn0
product. which either means that the
consumer will have to pay more for
the goods or the wage-earner will have
to get less.
THE policy of the government should
be to increase the efficiency of its Gus
toms ports, not to decrease it. If by
nation wide consolidation Of ports the
government can save 100000, what does
that mean? Simply that the manufac
turers, and that means the consumer
in the end, will have to bear the ad-
ditional cost of getting imports from
the ports to their factories.
"a great quantity of the raw ma
terial shipped to Newark comes
through New York. There is another
great drawback in the Perth Amhoy
scheme, for 1t would not only increase
the cost of importation. but would dis
organize the present channels of trade.
If any consolidation is effected, the
Peard of Trade is convinced it ought
to be made in favor of Newark, and
not otherwise.