New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-05
NEW TARIFF CAUSES
RUSH AT CUSTOM HOUSE
Value of Withdrawals of I'm.
ported Merchandise Esti.
mated at $4,000, 900.
S92O,000 PAID IN DUTIES
Beginning of Descent in High
Cost of Living Staged Ro-
mantically in Ware.
house District.

Collector Mitchell knew the passage OF
the new tariff law. with its lower duties
would act upon the vast accumulation OF
imported merchandise bound up tight In
warehouses all over the city like a March
thaw on Maine landscape. So he had
the Custom House open for business yes
terday morning at o'clock instead or y
o'clock, the usual hour, and kept 1t open
until s O'Clock I'm the afternoon instead OF
closing at noon, in accordance with sat
urday, custom.
The result fully justified hin Brokers
and agents began thronging L rotunda
of the big building Immediately after the
opening Of the doors, and from then on
until the close kept the clerks OF the
warehouse division and the cashiers Office
as busy as woodpeckers in spring.
| In all they made 1000 separate with
4, drawals, as compared with normal sat
urday figure of from 400 10 600 with
drawals, and they paid into the Treasury
of the United States $4,000 in customs
duties, as compared with an average sat
urday receipt Of about $4,000
Deputy Collector Henry c. Stuart said
he could not even guess at the value OF
the goods withdrawn. He did know, lie
said. that in forty-eight bonded ware
houses in the city there had been S'S''
| 900, 900 worth of goods waiting to beneh'
| by the lower duties In the new law. The
usual amount of merchandise waiting the
payment Of duties in New York ware
houses ranges about $i0,00o.0O0 In value
A rough computation Of the value oil
the goods released yesterday may be made
by considering the customs duties PAID
as rs per cent Of the value OF the goods
abroad, since the duties In the Underwood
| bill average 20 per cent. On this basis
the Withdrawals amounted TO s3,5OO.O0O.
For purposes OF comparison the aver
age Saturday withdrawal may be COM
puted by considering s450,0o0, a normal
Saturday intake Of duties, as 80 per cent
OF the foreign value OF the goods released
since 80 per cent was the average or the
duties under the Payne law. This method
gives S1,l5O,000 as the value OF goods re-
leased on an ordinary Saturday under the
PAYNE law. The authorities at the Gus
tom House think that before the end OF
this week something like 100000 worth
Of importations will have been with
drawn from the bullying warehouses.
Deputy Collector Stuart thought It safe
TO assume that the larger part OF the
goods withdrawn yesterday were those on
which the duties had been lowered OF
abolished under the Underwood law. Not
few Withdrawals. however. were made
In the case OF goods not affected by the
signing OF the bill, he said. notably wool
lens The altered tarin on woOllens does
not become effective until January.
Some goods we're released on which the
new duties have yet TO be computed with eX-
actitude. a large amount OF cotton goods
for instance. was withdrawn from the
warehouses on the deposit by the I'M
porter with the Collector OF an amount
equal TO the highest duty which could
be exacted under the law. Uncle Sam
will adjust these accounts later on.
The Appraisers Stores will not feel the
effect Of the change until the large ac-
emulation Of goods awaiting export to
the United States I'm foreign warehouses
begins to arrive. These goods are no
doubt being released on cable informa-
ton Of the signing OF the tariff law, and
viii pour into the city as fast as accom-
modations for their transportation can be
obtained. The appraisers expect to have
to 60 slowly at first because OF their I'M
familiarity with the new schedules
Washington street. in the warehouse
district, presented an animated scene
throughout the afternoon. Before every
warehouse stood trucks backed UP tight
to the portals. while the drivers and help
ers with their bale hooks heaved and
tueged and sweated and cursed over tho