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WAREHOUSES  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.

The  company  may  refuse  to  receive  merchandise  when  its  value  Is  not  sufficient ­
  to  cover  the  customs  and  other  dues.
The  company  shall  be  directly  responsible  to  the  depositors  for  deterioration
of  effects  stored,  provided  the  deterioration  is  caused  by  any  fault  of  the  company
or  lack  of  proper  care,  but  it  shall  not  be  responsible  for  losses  or  damages  proceeding ­
  from  the  nature  or  condition  of  the  merchandise  nor  for  damage  caused
by  superior  force  duly  proved  by  the  company,  save  only  the  obligation  incumbent ­
  upon  it  by  article  11  of  the  law  of  February  16,  1900.
Art.  10.  The  company  is  authorized  to  rent  the  buildings  which  may  be
necessary  for  storage  purposes  until  it  buys  or  constructs  the  buildings  referred
to  in  this  concession,  provided  the  buildings  rented  comply  with  the  provisions
of  article  18  of  the  law  of  February  16,  1900.
Art.  11.  The  warehouses  are  subject  to  the  relevant  prescriptions  of  the  general ­
  customs  laws  and  also  to  the  regulations  and  other  dispositions  of  a  general
character  which  may  be  decreed  in  the  future  on  the  subject  in  conformity  with
the  relevant  prescriptions  of  the  general  law  on  general  warehouses.
Art.  12.  The  company  is  obliged  to  have  in  its  possession  bonded  warehouses
for  the  storage  of  merchandise  subject  to  the  payment  of  customs  dues,  of  the
following  dimensions  :
Those  in  the  city  of  Mexico—At  the  end  of  two  years  from  the  date  of  this
contract,  5,000  square  meters  (1  square  meter—10,764  square  feet)  ;  at  the  end
of  five  years  from  the  date  of  this  contract,  7,500  square  meters  ;  at  the  end  of
ten  years  from  the  date  of  this  contract,  10,000  square  meters.
Those  at  the  port  of  Veracruz—At  the  end  of  two  years  from  the  date  of
this  contract,  7,500  square  meters  ;  at  the  end  of  five  years  from  the  date  of  this
contract,  10,000  square  meters  ;  at  the  end  of  ten  years  from  the  date  of  this
contract,  15,000  square  meters.
Art.  13.  In  the  case  of  war,  merchandise  deposited  in  the  warehouses  of  the
company  shall  be  considered  as  belonging  to  neutral  owners,  whatever  may  be
its  origin  and  whatever  the  event  which  may  happen.
Art.  14.  The  company,  at  the  request  of  the  interested  persons,  shall  have
the  right  to  take  samples  from  the  merchandise  stored  in  its  warehouses,  subject ­
  to  the  supervision  of  the  customs  officials.
Art.  15.  The  owner  of  merchandise  shall  have  the  right  to  visit  it  and,  with
the  supervision  of  employees  of  the  warehouse  and  custom-house,  to  open  and
repair  the  packages  as  he  may  desire.
Art.  16.  The  company  shall  have  the  right  to  carry  on  the  following  operations ­
  :
I.  The  storage  of  national  merchandise,  foreign  merchandise  on  which  the
customs  and  other  dues  have  been  paid,  and  foreign  merchandise  on  which  the
customs  and  other  dues  have  not  been  paid.
II.  All  customs  operations  relative  to  the  receipt,  clearing,  and  entry  of  the
merchandise.
III.  Insurance  of  the  merchandise  stored  against  fire  in  conformity  with
rates  and  conditions  previously  approved  by  the  treasury  department.
IV.  Arrangement  of  freights  between  the  consignees  and  the  railroads  or
maritime  companies.
V.  The  sale  in  commission  or  at  public  auction  of  merchandise  stored  in  the
warehouses  or  which  merchants  may  remit  to  it  for  that  purpose,  and
VI.  In  fine,  all  operations  on  commission  which  the  commercial  code  permits
for  commission  merchants  and  factors.
Art.  17.  The  company  shall  be  obliged  to  issue  to  the  depositors  of  merchandise ­
  certificates  of  deposit  and  hypothecary  bonds,  both  on  one  blank,  extended
in  a  stub  book,  which  are  subject  to  the  requirements  of  the  commercial  code;
and  the  operatons  in  which  they  may  be  used  are  subject  to  the  provisions  of  the
same  code.
Art.  18.  The  company  shall  have  the  right  to  verify  the  correctness  of  the
declarations  of  the  depositors  of  merchandise  at  the  time  it  is  deposited  and  in
case  it  discovers  any  errors  it  shall  report  them  immediately  to  the  respective
custom-house,  in  case  of  foreign  merchandise  on  which  the  customs  and  other
dues  have  not  been  paid.
Art.  19.  If  during  the  fixed  term  of  duration  of  this  contract  the  Federai
Government  shall  make  another  analogous  contract  with  any  person  or  company, ­
  conceding  rights  or  franchises  not  stipulated  in  this,  the  company  herein
named  shall  also  enjoy  said  rights  and  franchises,  complying  at  the  same  time
with  the  corresponding  obligations.  ,
Art.  20.  The  Mexican  Central  Bank,  the  Mercantile  Bank  of  Veracruz,  ana