ITALY:  GENOA.

73

In  addition  to  the  above  information,  the  descriptive  pamphlet“
gives  the  plan  and  various  views  of  the  warehouses  externally  and
internally.
THE  DEPOSITO  FRANCO  OF  GENOA.
BUILDINGS  ANI)  MANAGEMENT.
The  Deposito  Franco  occupies  a  total  area  of  about  172,227  square
feet.  The  buildings  are:  One  main  warehouse  of  four  stories,  including ­
  the  ground  floor,  with  an  area  of  21,097  square  feet;  eleven
special  warehouses  of  three  stories,  including  the  ground  floor,  with
total  area  of  134,542  square  feet,  separated  by  streets  suitable  for  the
traffic,  and  an  open  warehouse  or  shed,  iron,  with  an  area  of  16,415
square  feet  for  the  loading  and  unloading  of  goods  within  the  general ­
  inclosure.  There  are  four  hydraulic  elevators  for  lifting  merchandise ­
  to  the  different  floors.  These  are  moved  by  the  water  power
that  works  the  hydraulic  cranes  of  the  port  of  Genoa.  The  buildmgs
  and  appurtenances  are  all  thoroughly  modern,  and  together  with
their  contents  are  kept  with  great  neatness.  Negotiations  are  now  in
progress  to  considerably  enlarge  the  area  devoted  to  this  enterprise
by  taking  in  adjacent  ground.
The  Deposito  Franco  is  a  continuation  of  the  ancient  Porto  Franco
(free  port  or  zone)  which  dates  back  to  the  commencement  of  the
commercial  history  of  Genoa.  A  part  of  the  old  buildings  with  fortified ­
  walls  and  entrance  gate  are  still  seen.  In  its  present  form  it  was
established  under  a  general  law  of  the  Kingdom  of  Italy  dated  1876
by  the  chamber  of  commerce  of  Genoa,  in  whose  hands  its  management ­
  is  vested.  A  pamphlet  containing  the  general  law,  decrees,  and
mternal  regulations  is  forwarded  herewith.“  The  chamber  of  commerce ­
  of  Genoa  owns  and  manages  the  warehouses.
SERVICES  RENDERED.
The  service  performed  is  much  the  same  as  at  the  Magazzini  Gener>
 ali,  except  that  there  is  entire  freedom  for  manipulating,  cleaning,
mixing,  or  changing  the  form  of  the  various  products—as,  for  instance, ­
  coffee,  sugar,  rice,  oils,  etc.—and  also  for  manufacturing
should  the  introduction  of  any  kind  of  manufacturing  into  the  precincts ­
  be  found  desirable.  The  Deposito  has  the  right  of  extraterritoriality, ­
  and  the  merchandise  pays  duty  only  on  the  form  in  which
it  is  introduced  into  the  country,  and  not  on  that  in  which  it  arrives
at  the  port.
On  page  13  of  the  pamphlet  referred  to  will  be  found  a  list  of  the
articles  excluded  from  deposit.  Since  March  25,  1900,  the  exclusion
extends  to  foreign  wines.  The  cause  of  the  exclusion  of  wines  is  that
after  the  mixing  and  other  manipulation  it  is  impracticable  to  follow
accurately  the  schedule  of  duties  which  are  fixed  differently  for  countries ­
  with  the  “  most  favored  nation  ”  clause  and  others.  The  remaining ­
  articles  excluded  are  those  of  government  monopoly,  or
those  thought  to  entail  danger  or  too  much  inconvenience  or  risk  of
mss  in  the  guardianship.  There  is  a  separate  depository  (municipal)
tor  the  storage  of  petroleum  and  other  inflammable  materials.

“On  file  in  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor.