GERMANY:  STETTIN.

65

cheaper  than  light—from  5  pfennigs  (1.19  cents)  to  18  pfennigs
(4.28  cents)  per  100  kilograms  (220.46  pounds)  or  part  thereof,  for
one  calendar  month  or  fraction  thereof.
Walter  Schumann,  Consul.
Mainz,  Germany,  July  21,190\

STETTIN.
(From  United  States  Consul  Kehl,  Stettin,  Ocrmany.)
THE  FREE  HARBOR  AND  ITS  WAREHOUSES.
The  free  harbor  at  Stettin,  commenced  on  February  6,  1894.  and
opened  for  business  during  the  latter  part  of  1898,  covers  an  area  of
61  hectares  (150.73  acres).  The  cost  of  construction  (in  marks)  up
to  the  time  of  opening  was  placed  as  follows:  Earth  work  on  the
basin  and  the  raising  of  the  surrounding  land,  1,700,000;  quay  around
basin,  3,000,000;  two  quay  sheds,  950,000;  one  storehouse,  including
machinery  furnishings,  1,117,500  ;  office  building,  495,000;  machine
bouse,  250,000;  other  buildings,  270,000;  wire  fencing  and  floating
customs  boat  at  entrance  to  harbor,  180,000;  machinery,  excepting
that  in  storehouse,  700,000;  railroad  bed,  ties,  rails,  etc.,  875,500;
paving  and  roadways,  1,200,000  ;  locomotive,  100,000;  gas  and  water
connections,  sewerage,  ferry,  drain,  etc.,  694,500;  value  of  ground,
3,050,000;  total,  14,582,500  ($3,470,635).
Since  the  day  of  opening  about  3,000,000  marks  ($714,000)  additional ­
  have  been  spent  on  the  harbor,  in  the  way  of  new  sheds,
storehouse,  building  a  second  basin,  etc.  The  sheds  referred  to  in  the
above  statement  of  cost  are  each  30  meters  (98.4  feet)  broad,  182
meters  (593.8  feet)  long,  and  contain  6,530  square  yards  of  floor  space.
The  plans  of  the  harbor  permit  the  erecting  of  ten  such  sheds.  The
store  or  ware  house  referred  to  is  20  meters  (65.1  feet)  broad  and  182
meters  (593.8  feet)  long,  and  has  five  floors  and  cellar.  The  building
is  divided  by  fireproof  walls  into  twelve  compartments.  As  in  the
case  of  sheds,  the  plans  of  the  harbor  permit,  if  necessary,  the  erection ­
  of  eight  such  warehouses.  The  free  harbor,  the  various  buildings, ­
  locomotives,  and  ferry  are  owned,  operated,  and  conducted  by
the  city.
SERVICES.
The  advantages  of  the  free  harbor,  from  a  patron’s  point  of  view,  are
that  the  merchandise  may  remain  in  storage  for  an  indefinite  period
without  paying  duty,  and  that  at  any  time  all  or  any  part  of  the  merchandise ­
  stored  may  be  withdrawn  for  inland  transportation—in
which  event  the  customs  duty  must  be  paid—or  the  merchandise  can
be  reexported,  in  which  case  a  statement  of  nature,  quantity,  country
°f  origin,  and  country  of  destination  must  be  furnished  the  harbor
officials  for  statistical  purposes.  Patrons  can  use  their  certificate  of
merchandise  in  bond  for  collateral  purposes  by  transferring  the  certificate ­
  to  the  party  or  parties  advancing  the  money.
The  services  rendered  by  the  administration  of  the  warehouse  are

18762—05  M  5