58

WAREHOUSES  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.

but  the  extension  of  time  granted  must  not  go  beyond  the  end  of  the
calendar  year.  Goods  deposited  in  “  transit”  and  “  division  ”  warehouses ­
  may  generally  be  stored  there  for  a  period  not  exceeding  five
years.  If  goods  which  have  been  entered  at  “  transit  ”  warehouses
at  different  times  are  packed  into  one  package,  the  time  of  storage  is
figured  from  the  day  on  which  the  part  which  has  been  stored  longest ­
  was  entered.  For  "  division  ”  warehouses  the  storage  limit  is  controlled ­
  by  writing  off  such  goods  as  are  to  be  withdrawn  from  the
shipment  which  has  been  stored  longest.  Exceptions  are  also  permitted ­
  in  the  cases  of  “  transit  ”  and  "  division  ”  warehouses.
“Transit  ”  warehouses  without  the  joint  lock  of  the  customs  authorities ­
  are  permissible  for  goods  which  are  subject  to  no  higher  duty
than  3  marks  (71  cents)  per  100  kilograms  (220.40  pounds),  but  the
head  finance  authority  may  permit  this  concession  in  exceptional
cases  for  goods  subject  to  no  higher  duty  than  6  marks  ($1.42)  per
100  kilograms  (220.46  pounds).
The  repacking,  dividing,  and  treating  of  goods  for  the  purpose  of
assorting,  cleaning,  and  preserving  them  is  permitted  during  the  time
of  their  storage,  and  even  a  further  treatment  of  them  may  be  permitted ­
  provided  this  does  not  alter  their  character  sufficiently  to  bring
them  under  another  heading  of  the  tariff.  If,  in  repacking,  packages
of  different  numbers,  kind,  description,  or  weight  are  to  be  made,
notice  thereof  must  be  given  the  customs  authorities  in  advance.
Duties  on  goods  which  have  passed  into  the  customs  district  for
consumption  are  computed  and  paid  twice  a  year  (July  and  January).
As  long  as  a  "  division  ”  warehouse  is  open,  its  entrance  is  constantly
guarded  by  a  customs  officer,  who  is  at  all  times  authorized  to  enter
the  warehouse.  Goods  in  a  “  division  ”  warehouse  which  have  become
entirely  spoiled  or  useless  are  written  off  free  of  duty  from  the  customs ­
  account  after  they  have  been  entirely  destroyed  under  customs
supervision.  “  Credit  ”  warehouses  are,  as  a  rule,  not  placed  under
joint  lock  of  the  authorities.  Goods  of  any  description  may  be
deposited  in  them.
These  warehouses  within  the  customs  district  are  nearly  all  situated ­
  on  the  city  canals,  which  are  in  direct  communication  with  the
waterways  of  the  port.  Transportation  to  and  from  them  is  therefore ­
  cheap.  Rents  for  them  are  not  so  high  as  for  those  in  the  free
port.  The  fees  charged  by  the  customs  authorities  for  the  services
of  their  officers  are  comparatively  low.  These  advantages  are  regarded ­
  as  outweighing  the  disadvantage  of  having  one’s  goods  under
the  constant  control  of  the  customs  authorities,  and  consequently  these
private  warehouses  are  rather  popular  with  many  merchants;  however, ­
  the  majority  of  transit  goods  are  warehoused  in  the  free  harbor.
Accurate  statistics  as  to  the  dimensions  and  costs  of  the  warehouses
in  the  free  harbor  other  than  those  operated  by  the  Hamburger  Freihafen-Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft,
  and  for  those  in  the  city  proper,  are
not  obtainable.  The  Hamburg  free-harbor  system  differs  so  considerably ­
  from  the  systems  adopted  by  other  countries  that  a  comparison
can  scarcely  be  drawn.  The  facilities  thereby  offered  are  unequaled,
but  it  would  be  impossible  to  adopt  the  same  system  in  other  ports
without  such  a  transformation  of  an  entire  city  district  as  took  place
when  Hamburg  was  annexed  to  the  German  Customs  Union  in  1888.
Hugh  Pitcairn,  Consul-General.
Hamburg,  Germany,  August  d,  100J.