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Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 16, 6 May 1867, Page 104

Protective Duties in America.—Th© American correspondent of the London 1 hires writes:—“Fraud and swind'es of various kinds continue to attract publi© attention, and at New York, which seems* to be the centre of these villatties, a Con* sessional Investigation Commission is* busily at work examinining into the cor-' cupfcions that prevail so extensively. Theheavy taxation in this country offers & premium to men to evade paying the heavy duties levied on manufactured articles, and the entire revenue system seems to be a mass of corruption, (.treat as are the amounts of money raised by taxation, were the laws' rigidly enforced fully, one* half' more would go into the Treasury. ‘The Government, pays an ‘inspector’ five Joll 'rs a day to watch a manufacturing establishment and prevent evasions of the revenue laws, and the manufacturer pay# nim twenty dollars a day not to see tod much ; and as the Americans are a i ecu* liarly money-loving people, it is easy Ito discover which master the inspector serves* A long course of evasion of taxes follows jthen the fraud is discovered, and the manufactory seized. Distilleries, tobacco factories, snuff-mills, tanneries, and establishments of every conceivable character are captured by wholesale throughout tlier count ry for violating the tax laws, and the amountof bribery an corruption developed is fearful. Whisky. Recording to the amount made and sold in the United States, ought co pay four or five times'as much revenueto the Government as it does. Hum is taxed two dollars a gallon, and one would expect that it cost something to manufacture, yet it sells at-one dollar forty cents a gallon in the market, actually sixty cents less than the tax it is supposed to pay.' Tne heavy duties, too, besides promoting frauds, cause adulterations of all sorts' to be made and sold, and the New York investigations show thait one * distillery ’ in that.city,makes.‘.rare old Scotch whisky* by the following recipe:—To 40 gallons common whisky add: 30 gallons .of water, 5 gallons of tincture of Cayenue 4 quarts tincture.of pellitory,- 2ozs:acetio oilier li gallons strong tea, and 3 ozs. pulverizea charcoal. . How the. connoisseurs, must-smack .their lips- over this: de* lectable compound 1. When the:New York Investigating; Committed .reports it will show to how very sma lanextent ‘bribery and fraud are unknown in America.”’ ’ . New Zealand Steam: Navigation,.Co! --The Advertiser, April, 2t>, says that. “ at the meeting of the.. New Zealand. Steam .Navigation Company, held pn .Wednesday afternoon, no practical result was .arrived at, as it was foimdthat formal notice should have been giveu.of tip!.Resolution proposed by'the Direptcire, that ...the , affairs, of. the Cpmpany s|iould be wound, up, , ; The meet? ing 4 adjourned vviihout„.re:eleeting.tha rejy tiring, Directors,; ; and* ait, the .acijourged meeting heldyesterday, a qybrum; was nol ip. - attendance, .so that; those gentlempnrft*