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Show j Ci'MTO.fl IIOINK UtUDS. Jlun the SfcaHnir iiai Douc, Aud by (1 tioui. New York, 17. Tho custom house otBciaM have received a long memorial memor-ial trom silk manufacturers suggfHt ing remtdies for alleged abuses in tka handling and valuation of silks arriving ar-riving here, tiio etiief remedy being the appointment of one or more tppraiaf-rs, with salaries of $1,500 annually. Too memorial declares that by evading of lho duty and tiie undue valuation of invoices government govern-ment loses from $;i ,000,000 to $3,000,-000 $3,000,-000 annually. Sjme merchants have ceased iinpTrting, finding that they can buy hero cheaper. The remedied huggeatcd by the memorial aro proper means for nscertaitiiug the market values, consular correction ot invoices, 5-(;ial agents abroad to assist consuls, con-suls, larger proportion of packages to lie examined, upholding of laitnful and zHiilous othcers, and penalties to be ii:ilicted ia all cases of evading duties. The committee promised early attention lo the mutter. Ahram S. Hewitt tealitied that in 1S70 or 1S71 ho was appointed a merchant appraiser to asMst the government gov-ernment appraiser in steel itn notation. nota-tion. He inspected fifty seven cases, being therefore entitled to $2S5, or $5 a case. This amount he presented to the Children's Aid society, and presented pre-sented his bill lo appraiser G. Decker, who said he was only entitled to $5 porday, or 35, and refused to givo more. Ho told mo it was none of my business what became of the money, and I could learn no more ' about tho disposition of this amount,' which each merchant hud to deposit, namely, $10 a cane. Ho failed to get anything more from other officials, and merchants informed him they never got back a ,-;ent, bt said, "If wo went to reclaim this money, do not you see how unpleasant these persons in the custom house could make it lor us? We might just as well retire from business at once." Tho commission will re-examino Lydecker on this ubect in a few days. Cul. A. I, Hall leatified that demoralization de-moralization has been wrought by political influence and the incompetent incompe-tent and illiterate persons employed. A. B. Adams testified that bo was examined for a position in the custom house in '72, and rated 70 to 90 per cent, iu history, geography and arithmetic, arith-metic, bat only 50 in "general aptitude." apti-tude." Tliis meant political influence. influ-ence. Governor Robinson has vetoed the omnibus charter bill. |