ASIA. 
BRITISH INDIA. 
CALCUTTA. 
(From United States Consul-General Patterson, Calcutta, British India.) 
Under the sea-customs law there are two classes of warehouses 
for bonded goods—public warehouses appointed by the government 
and licensed warehouses in which goods belonging to the lincensee 
are ordinarily stored. There are also the warehouses of the Bengal 
Bonded Warehouse Association, in which goods belonging to the 
public may be stored, and warehouses at Budge Budge, 20 miles 
down the river, for the storage of petroleum. In Calcutta there 
are public warehouses only for salt, at Sulkea, on the Howrah 
side of the river, owned by the government, and at the Kidderpore 
docks, leased on behalf of the government. The rest of the ware 
houses, including those owned by the Bengal Bonded Warehouse 
Association, are licensed. I inclose lists * of the public and licensed 
warehouses, kindly furnished me bv the collector of customs, but 
regret that I am unable to give the original cost of these warehouses. 
There are no accounts of receipts and expenditures available. 
The government charges connected with bonding operations in Ben 
gal bonded warehouses are 1 rupee (32.44 cents) for each entry into 
and the same for each clearance out of bond. With petroleum 
there is an additional fee of 2.4 rupees (64.06 cents) for supervi 
sion, and alffo the charges for measuring the oil cases. None of 
these fees are paid in other licensed warehouses, but the licensees 
pay for the services of bond officers and bonded peons (or guards). 
Bond officers are paid at the rate of 4 rupees ($1.29) a day when 
employed to supervise bonding operations, and the peons are paid 
12 annas (24 cents) a day to accompany goods in transit from ware 
house to warehouse. I inclose the scale of charges, or table of rents, 
last issued by the Bengal Bonded Warehouse Association. There 
are no charges of a similar nature in the other licensed warehouses. 
All classes of goods may be stored in licensed warehouses, but the 
petroleum and salt warehouses are used exclusively for storing 
petroleum and salt, respectively. American firms use only the pe 
troleum warehouses. All nationalities are treated alike. Goods 
may remain in bond for three years, or longer if the time is extended. 
There are quays or jetties for landing and shipment of goods. If 
goods are to be warehoused in bond, the transfer from ship to ware 
house is made at the owner’s expense under the supervision of cus 
toms officers. 
Licensed warehouses are supervised by an officer of customs. 
Goods in a licensed warehouse are in the custody of the bonder. No 
“On file in the Bureau of Statistics, Department of Commerce ami Labor. 
, 169