FRANCE : MARSEILLE. 
37 
state the length of time goods remain in bond as a rule, but it may 
be said approximately that goods remain in the store one or two 
months, and in some instances longer. 
The warehouse is built very close to the quay, and the delivery of 
merchandise to the storekeeper or its removal for reshipment can be 
effected rapidly and at a small expense. The stores are furnished 
with railway tracks, which facilitate the loading of the merchandise, 
thus guaranteeing the best possible conditions for handling. The 
handling of merchandise in cases or sacks costs from 12 to 14 cents a 
ton—12 cents a ton when the merchandise is removed from the ware 
house on railway trucks. 
The workmen employed in warehouses are previously accepted bv 
the customs service. Merchandise destined for storage is received 
at the door of the warehouse. It is then weighed, marked, and stowed 
under the control and direction of the administration. The admin 
istration is not responsible for risk by fire. Every owner of merchan 
dise should have it insured at his expense, and furnish proof of the 
insurance within twenty-four hours of the deposit. The owners alone, 
or their legal representatives, have the right to examine, inspect, or 
take samples of goods. When the preservation of the merchandise de 
mands immediate and unexpected attention, the administration may 
do what is necessary, notifying the owner. The administration also 
has the right to oblige the removal of merchandise partly or totally 
spoiled. It is responsible for the safety of the merchandise except 
from such decay or changes in the material itself as would naturally 
occur. Goods in had condition are not received except on a written 
recognition of their state given by the proprietor. Nothing can be 
admitted and remain in the warehouse without a written authoriza 
tion. Within the warehouse it is forbidden to smoke or expose com 
bustible or inflammable materials, or even to enter with a fire or a 
light. The workmen on leaving the warehouse are always liable to a 
personal examination. 
George H. Jackson, Consul. 
La Rochelle, France, August 1901^. 
MARSEILLE. 
(From United States Consul Skinner, Marseille, France.) 
There are numerous warehouses in Marseille where merchandise on 
the free list may be stored upon reasonable terms, and their receipts 
are negotiable instruments issued under conditions described in a 
previous report.® Merchandise imported in bond comes under two 
categories. A few classes of such merchandise are regularly entered 
for consumption and duty is paid thereon. Upon the reexportation 
of a quantity of merchandise of the same character, either in a raw 
or a manufactured state, the duty paid on it is refunded. In the great 
majority of cases merchandise intended for reexportation is stored 
Under the control of the custom-house authorities during its sojourn 
“See Special Consular Reports, volume xxv, Stored goods as collateral for 
Gans, page 35.