146 FOREIGN TRADE ZONES
The establishment of Danzig as a free city did not, however, make
the port of Danzig a free port. Polish customs duties are charged
and collected at Danzig on all goods entering the port. The only
exception to this is goods landed in the free harbor, a small ares
within the port area of Danzig, which has been used as a free harbor
since 1896, when Danzig was a part of Germany. Its functions ther
and now are the same.
Description.—The free harbor of the port of Danzig is located at
the entrance to the port, * * * Tt includes a total land area
of 15.1570 hectares and a water area of 7 hectares. Other statistics
give the water basin as 640 meters long on the northern bank, 500
meters long on the southern bank, and 85 meters across the western
bank, the eastern end being the entrance. There is reported an
average of 3.4 to 4 meters of water alongside the bank, with an aver
age of 8.6 meters in the center of the basin. There are no tides.
The entire length of the embankments is used for berthing vessels.
the number depending on their length. There are no slips for individual
 vessels. The land area is occupied by warehouses and railway
tracks, while on the embankments, which are of stone masonry,
number of cranes are placed for use in unloading vessels.
The Danzig Harbor Board owns 12 warehouses in the free harbor.
with a total area of 16,964 square meters. Three of these, covering
about 2,100 square meters, are being razed to be replaced with a new
warehouse of about 3,900 square meters space. Private firms own
three warehouses with a total area of 2,835 square meters. Besides
these warehouses are a number of small sheds for offices, tools, etc.
to a total of about 1,000 square meters space.
The entire area of the free harbor is inclosed in a high metal fence.
The railway tracks are connected with the main line and yards serving
the adjoining port at Newfahrwasser and are a part of the same
system. The main roadway of the port passes and enters the ares
through gates in the metal fencing.
Administration.—The free harbor is not administered as a separate
area, but is included with the whole port of Danzig in the administra:
tion of the Danzig Harbor Committee. This is a special organization
composed of five Danzig citizens, five Polish citizens, and a neutral
Swiss president. Because of this lack of separate administration the
harbor board report that no separate statistics of administration cost
for this area can be given, and few statistics of its separate operation
are prepared.
The guard of the free harbor is maintained by about 50 policemen
from the regular police department of Danzig. About 84 customs
officers are detailed from the regular Danzig Customs Administratio?
for service in this area as needed. This last figure includes packers 8%
well as inspectors.