The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-23
Report of the Secretary Treasury the Ware
housing Sy stem.

housinK system.
| Transmitted to Congress February %, 1871
| Treasury DEPARTMENT,
| February 22 1919
SIR This depar hnent, under the authority granted b.
the 9Th section OF the warehousng law of the 9th August
1916, has ISSUED new and additional regulations, cop
OF which, marked A, will be found annexed. Tbes
regulations are based upon experience of the practca
operation OF the law in this country during the last TIVE
years, as well as upon very full information upon th
same subject obtained from the continent of Europe,
also IRON Great Britain 1t is believed that there il
scarcely an act ever passed by the British Parlamen
that has aideImore than her waTehousing law augmen
her manufactures, commerce. tonnage, and revenue. This
the opinion OF all her statesmen and business classes
and not vote It believed could be obtained in eithe
House OF Parliament Tor lis repeal, ahouy in It's ncep
ton the system encountered greater and
lent opposition there than in country. Since il
perfected there, the of Great Britain has
more than quadrnpled; the bonded goods remaining in
warehouse having risen in August 1877 according the
statement oi the commissioners attached my report
December lSi7 TO the value of 1897 200 900 The docks
structures, and buildings in which these goods were
stored cost in London alone according to the same state
ment $O0O0,O)1, aud in the whole British empire are
estimated at nearly double that 1t is thus seen how
Great Britain has made herself the centre of universal
commerce and exchanges and the sorehouse of the bust
ness of the world She has the almost incredible amount
of near four hundred millions of foreign imports stored
In her docks and warehouses; TO furnish assorted
cagoes OF every product and fabric of the EARTH and of
every class description, and quality. She thus makes
herself the factor OF all nations and the productions of
the industry OF all mankind stored in her warehouses;
try. The profit thus realized is immense, and draws
with 1t the command OF the trade and business and spe-
Gle OF the world. Side by side with these warehoused
foreign goods her own products and fabrics ready
for sale at home and abroad In bringing to her ports
The vessels OF all nations for cagoes OF all foreign pro-
ductons the purchasers, TO complete assor;ments, also
take with them vast amounts of British articles, and thus
Great Britain, whilst commanding the and spe
Gle of other countries, augnens the sale of her own pro
ducts and fabrics.
An attentive examination of the globe and of the rela
tive position of lis several countries, will exhibit our
great advantages Great Britain as a centre for uni
versal commerce The latter has great interior coun
try to supply any OF her ports with business-she has
mighty lakes or rvers-no great expanse of surface;
she be connected with the continent by railroads or
canals Her soil is less fertile; her climate less genial
and favorable, embracing by such a variety of
products; and great her mineral resources, they
are by means equal in extent number to our own
Her position is less central, having north of her much
less than one tenth OF the arabic surface OF the globe
and less, also, than oneten,h OF its populaon whereas
If we turn to our own country, in view both of latitude
and longitude combined, with fronts upon both
oceans and upon the gulf are, as nearly as can be-
the centre OF the arabic surface, the population and the
business of the world Our great interior lakes and rivers
with oar rapidly extending net work of railroads and
canals, bringing TO our ports the interior
continent, with numerous deep and capacous habors
both oceans accessible at all times, and with every va
rey of climate soil, and product, mineral and agrcultu
raj, give to us an unvaed position That Great Britain,
nevertheless, with many local disadvantages should
have made herself the centre OF universal trade is the
highest proof OF the genius and enterprise, the energy
this subject of that great country. After the most DELHI
crate investigation during the last three years. it is my
irm conviction that without her warehousing system,
cherished and improved il has been from time me
she never would mye achieved these great results thar
is many this system which has made her the storehouse
OF the world and giving her the command OF the carry
ing trade has filled her vessels with cargoes for her
use or Incorporation. In her great docks and
houses stored the products and fabrics of all coun.
tries, together with her own and she has thus become
the point where International exchanges made, and
where trade and specie have centred. If would
into fair and honorable competition with her for this
carrying trade and commerce, and specie, must avail
ourselves of the lights OF experience and introduce here
with some changes adapted to our position, similar
warehousing system. When foreign or American YES
sells come to our ports they must be enabled here,
as IN Great Britain, to load and unload with the utmost
facility, economy, and despatch, at all times and in all
seasons They must also be enabled to obtain without
delay, IN our ports assorted cargoes of pro-
ducts and fabrcs well those of all other countries
OF every quality, character, and price. These foreign
and domestic products and fabrics must be collected in
our warehouses, as they in London ready at all
tunes Tor immediate purchase and shipment, that any
vessel arriving at ports always obtain at once
full and assorted cargoes. II is only thus that vessels
sure OF return cargoes, can be brought to ports
the best terms, diminishing freighs, whilst augmenting
our carrying trade and aggregate profits of navigation
II will be perceived, examination OF the regula-
tons hereto appended, that this department. indicated
in my reports of December S47 and 1913, has intro
duced the system of private competition for storage to
the full extent authorized by existing laws, combining,
as permitted thereby, public and private stores and pro
tCiiiS Oh government anu merchant Dy
every safeguard in the power of the department. sug
gestcd by experience and investigation. In order, how
ever 10 give to warehousng system all the advanta
ges that possessed in Great Britain, the following
changes Indispensable The provisions of the act OF
18th June, 1874, limiting the inspectors to the number
employed at that date, must be modified in respects,
as these officers required by the warehousing laws
Keep the key and have charge of private bonded stores
these private stores to be scattered over our great
ports, the of commerce may dictate, and
fair and reasonable extent, they should be under
proper reguations-f the warehousng business should
progress, it has done for the last two years, the in
specors must be augmented beyond the number author
lied by that act The warehousing act allows the i'm
porter whose private store used for the warehousing
OF foreign goods which the duties have not been paid
TO keep one Key and requires inspector OF the
10 keep another the law directing Joint custody with
two different kinds of locks and different KEYS in the pos
session of each respectively that the importer could
not have 10 such bonded goods private stores
except IN the presence OF the inspector, the forbid
ding the importer TO the goods except in the
presence OF the proper officer of the customs" The
expense OF furnishing such inspectors for private
should OF course be borne by the importers, for
whose convenience and benefit this arrangement
is made, and who can only exhibit the goods or
time to time, under the law, the presence of an in
spector After much delberaon and inquiry, my mind
has been brought TO the conclusion that this expense
could best be arranged by equitable apportonment of
the compensation paid 10 inspectors, TO be refunded by
such Importers the to be fixed in each case by
the collector with the appreciation OF the Secretary of the
treasury Or by adopting the principle of half storage
with view to cover the expense, which has operated so
Wen IN some OF The ports leaving 10 the importer the
option between these two modes of payment; and this is
theprnclpe upon which the present instructions are
based Under the law, however as it now stands in our
largest ports It will be impossible put the system as to
private stores into full operation unless the act of nth
june lsdi before referred to- should be modified mas.