The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-06-02
COLLECTION DIS
|TR|CTS MAY NOT
BE Gil A n GED
FLETCHER AND DRYAN INTRO
DUCE BILLS WHICH MAY DE-
FEAT A REORGANIZATION.
Bills Provide That the State Shall
Be Divided Into Four Collec-.
ton Districts.
(By Winfield Jones.)

! NdoHluSIOE, JuuC S.-OCudtOI
Fletcher has introduced in the
Senate a bill which, in effect, when
| passed, will maintain the customs
collection districts of Florida upon
practically the present basis, as op-
posed to the reorganization plan Or
dcred put into effect by former Pres
ident Taft on July next. Senator
Bryan introduced q bill similar to
Senator Fletcher's bill.
Senator tletcher's bill provided
hat the State of Florida shall be di-
yided into four collection districts,
as follows:
First district, to be known as the
Key West district.
Second district to be known as the
Tampa district.
Third district to be known as the
Pensacola district.
Fourth district to be known as the
Jacksonville district.
The president is authorized to fix
the limits of these contemplated COL
lection districts, such action to be
taken within ninety days of the ap-
proval of the act. Ports of entry are
named and prescribed as follows:
Jacksonville, Fernandina, st. Angus
tine, Key West, Punta Gorda, Boca
Grande, Tampa (including Port Tam
pa), Port lnglis, Cedar Keys, Cara
Leila, Analachicola, St. Andrews and
Pensacola.
Senator Bryan bill is similar to
that of Senator Fletcher's except that
ii designates the different counties to
be included in each of the four dis
tricts, and does not leave it to the
discretion Of the president. Bryans
bill also names the ports of entry
which are the same as those named
was referred to the committee on
commerce, while Senator Bryan speci-
fically requested that his bill be re-
ferred to the committee on the Judi
ciary Senator Fletcher Ia a member
If both these committees and will
speak in favor of both bills when
they are taken up for consideration
by the committees.
Senator Bryan addressed the Sen
ate for several minutes when his bill
was INTRODUCED, declaring that Prts-
ident Taft's action In reorganizing
the customs service was invalid be-
cause his action undertook to dele
gate legislative power which only
Congress can exercise. It was alsi
invalid, he declared, because it dn
not bring the expense within the linn
its required by the act of Congress
Both senators are determined to
keep Taft reorganization plan from
going into effect at all hazards. SEN
ator Fletcher several days ago intro
iuced bill to suspend for two years
Taft's executive order reorganizing
the service. 1t is contended that
Florida's customs revenue business Is
steadily growing, and that it will
prove a great inconvenience to the
manufacturers of the State to be
hampered by meagre inconvenience
to the manufacturers Of the State to
be hampered by meagre customs ia
cilities. Although a continuance OF
the collection districts under the
present plan will give Florida con-
siderable patronage over that con-
templated by the reorganization plan. |
the chief aim of the Senators is to |
give to the people of Florida ample |
facilities for the handling Of their
customs business.
Senator Fletcher today secured
n, N nrc oapcapk IN, fho IN