WAREHOUSES  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES.

84
The  total  area  covered  by  warehouses  on  the  left  side  of  the  river
Maas,  at  Rotterdam,  is  thus  80,232  square  meters  (36,157  square
yards),  and  by  sheds,  87,479  square  meters  (104,624  square  yards),
making  for  both  warehouses  and  sheds  a  total  covered  area  of
117,681  square  meters  (140,745  square  yards).
Besides  the  sheds  enumerated  the  State  Railway  Company  occupies ­
  four  sheds  on  the  railway  yards,  west  from  the  railroad  harbor,
which  cover  an  area  of  16,800  square  meters  (20,093  square  yards),
while  the  Holland  Railway  Company  has  on  the  right  side  of  the
river  sheds  covering  an  area  of  3,300  square  meters  (3,947  square
yards).
All  the  warehouses  are  built  1  meter  (39.37  inches)  above  the  level
of  the  quays,  thus  permitting  considerable  of  the  merchandise  to  be
carted  on  board  the  ships  without  the  aid  of  hoisting  machinery.
All  the  floors  of  the  community’s  warehouses  and  the  majority  of  the
private  warehouses  are  provided  with  electric  elevators.  The  quays,
docks,  wharves,  warehouses,  and  sheds  are  lighted  by  electricity.
The  warehouses  in  Rotterdam  from  which  goods  may  be  withdrawn ­
  for  shipment  elsewhere  without  paying  the  customs  dues  are
the  free  entrepots  of  the  city  and  the  bonded  warehouses  of  the
warehouse  companies  Blaauwhoedenveem,  Leydsche  Veem,  and  Pakhuismeesteren.

THE  FREE  PUBLIC  WAREHOUSE.
The  free  entrepôt  is  operated  for  account  of  the  city  of  Rotterdam,
and  is  managed  by  four  directors,  in  accordance  with  the  general  rules
for  the  free  intrepôt  at  Rotterdam,  dated  1885.  Two  of  the  directors
are  expert  merchants,  appointed  by  the  Queen  ;  the  collector  of  customs ­
  and  taxes  is  another,  while  the  fourth  is  appointed  by  the  municipal ­
  council,  which  body  also  appoints  a  manager.  The  entire  free
entrepot  is  under  constant  supervision  of  the  customs  authorities,  but
its  account  current  has  to  be  approved  by  the  municipal  council.
There  are  two  ways  of  storing  goods—letting  entire  separate  warehouses ­
  or  sheds,  and  letting  storage  room  in  warehouses  under  the
supervision  of  storage  masters.  In  the  first  case  the  warehouses  are
let  for  one  or  more  months,  and  at  the  longest  one  year.  The  tenant
may  to  a  certain  extent,  provided  he  submits  to  the  general  rules  of
the  free  entrepôt,  manipulate  his  goods  as  he  likes.  For  all  the  merchandise ­
  thus  stored  the  proprietor  receives  no  other  receipt  than  &
bulk  storage  certificate,  signed  by  the  collector  of  customs,  in  order  to
obtain  the  necessary  documents  when  the  goods  leave  the  warehouse.
Goods  stored  under  the  supervision  of  storage  masters  are  under  the
management  of  the  free  entrepôt,  which  issues  the  storage  warrant.
In  this  case  the  entrepôt  is  responsible  for  the  number  of  bales,  barrels, ­
  pieces,  or  sacks.  The  free  entrepôt,  however,  in  accordance  with
the  general  law  of  August  26,  1820,  can  not  be  held  responsible  for  ordinary ­
  or  extraordinary  losses  not  brought  about  by  the  fault  or  the
negligence  of  the  management.  A  storage  warrant,  as  it  actually  represents ­
  a  certain  quantity  of  stored  goods,  may  be  pawned  or  sold.
The  free  entrepôt  has  two  establishments.  One  is  situated  along
the  “  Boompjes  ”  quay  on  the  right  side  of  the  Maas  River  and  was
formerly  the  office  and  complex  of  warehouses  of  the  East  India  Company ­
  ;  it  is  now  owned  by  the  State,  from  which  it  is  rented  by  tW