Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1894 — RUSH AT THE CUSTOM-HOUSES. [ARTICLE]

RUSH AT THE CUSTOM-HOUSES.

Wild Clamor of Merchants to Get Their Imports Out of Bond. The customs receipts at Chicago on. the day preceding the going into effect of the new tariff law lar exceeded, any sum heretofore collected. Tho cash received amounted to nearly $-09,000, while the largest receipts for any other one day weresto,ouo. In NewYork, before the openirg of the Cus-tom-house, a crowd of brokers nearly broke down the doors, and after these were unlocked they mobbad the rotunda and the third division. During the exciting crush in the rotunda an importer of dress goods was heard to shout in jubilation that he had save 1 $3,000 Dy keeping his goods in bond till that day. In importance and receipts the four great ports rank in this order: NewYork, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago. Chicago exceeds in collections the great seaboard cities of Baltimore, San Francisco and New Orleans. The following table shows the receipts, expenses, average number of employee and the cost per dollar for collections: Em- Cost Port. Collections Expenses, ploves.peril New York .$188,032,031 $2,702,306 1,733 .019 Phil’delpuia 11, 59.979 444,9’6 027 .is» Baltimore.. 4,629,119 272,669 167 .058 NewOileans 1.502.080 202 164 174 .134, Boston 15,793,611 191,440 477 .037 S’nFr’n’isco 7 616.133 377,992 2.13 .0411 Chicago 8,510.342 197,851 161 .023 From these big ports the customs revenue of the country is received. There are other ports at which customhouses are maintained at an actual loss to the government, buttheir presence at these places is rendered naces ary as a precaution against smuggling and for other reasons. For instance, the V icksburg custom-house last year collected $lB. of, and it cost $2 . 4 for every dollar received. At St. Marks, Cedar k eys, Fla., three employes are kept at tne custom-house at anexpenseof $2,378.72 The receipts were SiO.VJ, or $229.38 for each dollar collected. The Teche La. i custom-house supports three persons at a cost to the Go.ernmentof it.”, 5 o'. They collected $14.55, at a cost of $244.8, per dollar. At Annap lis two employes gathered, in $2.35 at an expenditure of $->93.53 per dollar. But the Government’s greatest luxury in maintaini .g a custom hou eis at Natenez, Miss. There two employes, reteiv.ng SSOO. .‘O. succeeded in garnering 50 cents, or at tbe rate of *l,O 1 per dollar. To sell a pack of playing cards new ivithout a 2-cent revenue stamp is an offense punishable by fine and imp -isonment. A new sysforn of gauging also went into effect which, it is thought, will materially increase th© revenues from the distilleries. Th© income tax is not collect! le until the first of the year. It is estimated that, from this source the Government will receive $20,003,000 annually.