178

WAREHOUSES  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.

strictly  guarded  by  the  customs  administration,  which  has  its  officials
stationed  on  the  premises.  Storage  of  goods  in,  and  delivery  of
goods  from,  the  private  bonded  warehouses  are  done  only  by  the
coolies  acting  with  the  sanction  of  the  customs.  The  private  bonded
warehouses  can  receive  and  store  only  articles  approved  by  the  minister ­
  of  finance.  The  goods  being  placed  in  the  bonded  warehouses
must  be  deposited  in  a  particular  quarter  of  the  warehouse  selected
by  a  customs  official.  No  changes  in  the  quarter  so  selected  can  be
effected  without  official  sanction.  The  proprietor  of  a  private  bonded
warehouse  must,  by  the  instruction  of  the  customs,  select  the  ground
and  provide  the  necessary  means  for  the  inspection  of  the  goods.
The  doors  of  the  private  warehouse  must  be  fastened  with  double
locks,  the  customs  retaining  one  of  the  keys  and  the  other  remaining
in  the  custody  of  the  warehouse  owner.  Every  removal  of  goods  to
or  from  the  warehouses  must  be  done  only  in  the  presence  of  the  customs ­
  officials.  Any  repairs,  changes,  or  alterations  of  the  construction ­
  or  changes  of  floor  spaces  to  be  made  may  be  effected  only  after
official  sanction,  and  upon  completion  the  work  must  at  once  be  inspected ­
  by  customs  officers.  In  instances  of  discovery  of  any  unusual
occurrence  to  the  warehouses  or  their  contents,  the  customs  must  at
once  be  notified  and  an  inspection  applied  for.  In  case  the  goods  are
lost  or  stolen,  the  proprietor  of  the  warehouse  is  responsible  for  the
customs  duties  thereon.  As  to  the  party  responsible  for  the  goods
so  lost  or  stolen,  see  Article  XX,  Chapter  III,  of  the  warehouse  law.
Hunter  Sharp,
Vice-Consul  in  Charge.
Kobe,  Japan,  November  26,190If.

LAW  RELATING  TO  BONDED  WAREHOUSES  IN  JAPAN.
[Law  No.  105,  March  29,  1897.]
Chapter  I.—General  rules.
Article  I.  Bonded  warehouses  are  the  places  where  imported  goods  are  to
he  deposited  without  paying  customs  duty.
Art.  II.  While  the  goods  remain  in  the  bond,  they  are  not  considered  to
have  been  imported  for  consumption.
Art.  III.  For  the  goods  in  bond,  customs  duty  shall  he  payable  upon  their
quality  and  quantity  at  the  time  of  admission  into  the  warehouse.
Art.  IV.  Goods  to  be  conveyed  to  or  to  be  transported  from  the  warehouse
shall  follow  the  route  indicated  by  a  special  order  from  the  authorities.
Art.  V.  Classification  of  merchandise  which  may  be  allowed  to  be  deposited
in  bond  will  be  determined  by  a  special  order  of  the  minister  in  charge.
Art.  VI.  Bonding  of  imported.goods  shall  be  subjected,  besides  the  present
law,  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  imperial  customs.
Art.  VII.  The  goods  deposited  in  the  bonded  warehouse  shall  not  remain
Hierein  a  longer  term  than  one  year.
Art.  VIII.  In  case  of  removal  of  goods  from  a  bonded  warehouse  to
another,  the  time  of  their  term  shall  be  reckoned  from  the  date  of  their  first
warehousing  entry.
Art.  IX.  In  case  of  transport  of  bonded  goods,  the  owner  may  be  ordered
to  deposit  with  the  authorities  the  amount  of  money  corresponding  to  the
duties  payable  upon  such  goods.  In  case  of  such  goods  not  reaching  their
destination  within  a  year  from  the  date  of  landing,  customs  duties  will  be
levied  upon  the  same.