WAREHOUSES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
84 
The total area covered by warehouses on the left side of the river 
Maas, at Rotterdam, is thus 80,232 square meters (36,157 square 
yards), and by sheds, 87,479 square meters (104,624 square yards), 
making for both warehouses and sheds a total covered area of 
117,681 square meters (140,745 square yards). 
Besides the sheds enumerated the State Railway Company occu 
pies four sheds on the railway yards, west from the railroad harbor, 
which cover an area of 16,800 square meters (20,093 square yards), 
while the Holland Railway Company has on the right side of the 
river sheds covering an area of 3,300 square meters (3,947 square 
yards). 
All the warehouses are built 1 meter (39.37 inches) above the level 
of the quays, thus permitting considerable of the merchandise to be 
carted on board the ships without the aid of hoisting machinery. 
All the floors of the community’s warehouses and the majority of the 
private warehouses are provided with electric elevators. The quays, 
docks, wharves, warehouses, and sheds are lighted by electricity. 
The warehouses in Rotterdam from which goods may be with 
drawn for shipment elsewhere without paying the customs dues are 
the free entrepots of the city and the bonded warehouses of the 
warehouse companies Blaauwhoedenveem, Leydsche Veem, and Pak- 
huismeesteren. 
THE FREE PUBLIC WAREHOUSE. 
The free entrepôt is operated for account of the city of Rotterdam, 
and is managed by four directors, in accordance with the general rules 
for the free intrepôt at Rotterdam, dated 1885. Two of the directors 
are expert merchants, appointed by the Queen ; the collector of cus 
toms and taxes is another, while the fourth is appointed by the munici 
pal council, which body also appoints a manager. The entire free 
entrepot is under constant supervision of the customs authorities, but 
its account current has to be approved by the municipal council. 
There are two ways of storing goods—letting entire separate ware 
houses or sheds, and letting storage room in warehouses under the 
supervision of storage masters. In the first case the warehouses are 
let for one or more months, and at the longest one year. The tenant 
may to a certain extent, provided he submits to the general rules of 
the free entrepôt, manipulate his goods as he likes. For all the mer 
chandise thus stored the proprietor receives no other receipt than & 
bulk storage certificate, signed by the collector of customs, in order to 
obtain the necessary documents when the goods leave the warehouse. 
Goods stored under the supervision of storage masters are under the 
management of the free entrepôt, which issues the storage warrant. 
In this case the entrepôt is responsible for the number of bales, bar 
rels, pieces, or sacks. The free entrepôt, however, in accordance with 
the general law of August 26, 1820, can not be held responsible for or 
dinary or extraordinary losses not brought about by the fault or the 
negligence of the management. A storage warrant, as it actually rep 
resents a certain quantity of stored goods, may be pawned or sold. 
The free entrepôt has two establishments. One is situated along 
the “ Boompjes ” quay on the right side of the Maas River and was 
formerly the office and complex of warehouses of the East India Com 
pany ; it is now owned by the State, from which it is rented by tW