190 
WAREHOUSES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
MADAGASCAR. 
TAMATAVE. 
(From United States Consul Hunt, Tamatave, Madagascar.) 
* Bonded warehouses were unknown in Madagascar till very recently, 
and have thus far been established only in the port of Tamatave. In 
June, 1900, a convention was made between the French minister of 
the colonies and the Colonial Company of Madagascar for the estab 
lishment of bonded warehouses for the general storage of goods for 
the chief port of Madagascar, with a view to creating (1) a bonded 
warehouse, (2) storage warehouses at the disposal of merchants for 
goods stored as collateral for loans by the banks, and (3) storehouses 
open to all goods free from any encumbrances. That convention 
conferred a monopoly of the customs bonded warehouses and the 
general storage warehouses. 
In September, 1902, the Colonial Company was replaced by the 
Société des Magasins Généraux et Entrepôts de Madagascar (The 
Bonded Warehouses and General Storage Company of Madagascar) 
by a decree of the governor-general, and this company undertakes 
(1) the storage, handling, and preservation of merchandise in the 
bonded warehouses and stores; (2) insurance against the risks of fire; 
(3) the unloading, loading, reception, delivery, and transit of mer 
chandise; (4) the transport of all goods within the limits of Tama 
tave; (5) all custom-house operations; (6) in fine, all consignments, 
arrangements for freight and, generally speaking, all operations 
tending to facilitate commerce and navigation. 
The company’s establishment consists of 70.000 square meters (17.3 
acres) of land conveniently situated near the landing place, with 
warehouses constructed thereon, the whole having cost $170,000. 
These are all to revert to the government at the expiration of the 
concession in 1928 on payment by it of their then value, to be deter 
mined by appraisers. The buildings so far erected, which are con 
fined strictly to present wants, comprise landing sheds, bonded ware 
houses proper, warehouses for storage of goods in transit, offices of 
the customs, offices of the company, and magasins libres, or free 
warehouses (where merchandise is deposited free of charge for 
storage until it has been visited by the custom officers—a period of a 
week or ten days). These buildings are constructed with iron frame 
work filled in with brick and roofed with tile, and cover slightly 
over an acre of ground. 
Such merchants as I have spoken to give the impression that they 
consider the charges excessive, although they are generally satisfied- 
But the fact is that the elaborate organization of such an establish 
ment in a young colony where everything before was done in a very 
loose manner naturally chafes, as the merchants, and especially the 
old settlers, are not accustomed to its many formalities. Then again 
trade is so depressed just now that the amount of business is not com 
patible with the machinery at hand for handling it, the receipts of 
the bonded stores amounting to only $5,000 a year, which barely 
covers the working expenses, thus charges for the present have to be 
maintained at their highest legitimate point. 
The chargés for the storage of goods are made according to weight