CO129-353 - Public Offices - 1908 — Page 533

2

At the stations Horhonte and Mulin controlling barriers will be established by the Chinese Customs to control the movement of goods and to levy duties on merchandize exported from within the 50-versts free frontier zone,

Note.--The protection existing within the railway territory is assured to the full extent to the employés of the Chinese Customs.

Art, 2. Goods carried by the Chinese Eastern Railway through the said Customs into the Russian Empire, and in the opposite direction, are liable to the customs import and export duty respectively at the rate of two-thirds of the Tariff of the Chinese Maritime Customs.

Art. 3. The above-mentioned custom-houses collect exclusively customs duties and do not levy any inland or other duties or taxes. They also collect transit dues on such goods carried by the railway as will be declared at the Customs as intended for trans- mission into the interior from within the station areas fixed by the despatches of the year, 5th moon, 26th and 23rd and 25th June (6th and 8th July), 1907 (KuangHsü, 33rd 28th days). (See Annex (A). )

Note. The rate of transit dnes referred to in this Article is as follows:---

(1.) When conveyed from within the station areas into the interior within the limits of Manchuria, transit dues are equal to one-third of the Maritime Customs Tariff, i.c., one-half of the import duty paid.

pay

besides

(2.) When conveyed from within the station areas to the provinces of China proper, goods make up the full maritime duty, ie., pay the additional one-third and transit dues at the rate of one-half of the maritime duty.

Art. 4. On payment of customs or transit duty, the said custom-houses issue receipts and certificates respectively.

Art. 5. Goods destined according their railway documents for the stations "Manchuria " and " Pogranitchmaya" and other stations situated within the 50-versts frontier zone are, as goods entering the 50-versts free frontier zone, released for destination after examination free of duty.

Art. 6. Goods from Russia destined according to the bills of lading for the stations situated outside the 50-versts frontier zone, or goods laden at the stations" Manchuria" or Pogranitchnaya" and intended for transmission to the stations outside this 50-versts frontier zone, are liable to import duty after examination by the Customs.

A

Art. 7. In all their actions the custom-houses at the stations Manchuria" and "Pogranitchnaya" conform with the Treaty of 1881 (Kuang Hsü, 7th year), and the Regulations for Land Trade appended thereto, the contract for the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway concluded in 1896 (Kuang Hsü, 22nd year), the principal Rules given in the despatches of the Chinese Foreign Office and the Russian Minister at Peking of the 23rd and 25th June (6th and 8th July), 1907 (Kuang Hsü, 33rd year, October, 1907 5th moon, 26th and 28th days), the supplementary despatches of the (Kuang Hsü, 33rd year, moon, day), the present Provisional Rules, and the General Instructions of the Juspector of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs so far as these are applicable to the conditions of land trade.

The custom-house at the station "Manchuria," as situated in a locality opened to foreign trade, complies also with the Treaties concluded by the Chinese Government with other countries,

Art. 8. In order not to delay the cargo traffic, and in the interests of the Russo- Chinese trade, the said custom-houses take all necessary measures towards the speedy release of goods passing through the Customs.

35

Art. 9. Buildings required for the use of the Customs at the stations "Manchuria and "Pogranitchnaya" for offices for storage and keeping of goods which are in the hands of the Customs (godowns), and for quarters of the employés, will be provided by, and at the expense of, the Chinese Government; and the sites for the Chinese and Russian custom-house buildings at these stations will be chosen by mutual agreement in the immediate neighbourhood of each other so as to avoid all delay in the trans- mission of documents and goods from one custom-house to the other.

Art. 10. In the event of there being at the stations Manchuria" and "Pogranitch- naya" buildings belonging to the Chinese Eastern Railway fulfilling by their situation the demand of the preceding Article, such buildings may be placed by the railway at the disposal of the Customs against rental by mutual arrangement.

The Chinese Eastern Railway can in general undertake the construction of all

3

buildings required by the Customs according to the plans and specifications of the Customs at their cost.

Art. 11. For the examination of passengers and their luggage, the Russian Customs at the stations "Manchuria " and "Pogranitchnaya" may place at the disposal of the Chinese Customs their luggage examination balls.

Art. 12. Chinese Customs buildings (offices and godowns) as well as all the goods unloaded by the Customs into these, must be guarded by the Customs themselves. The responsibility, however, for goods in railway cars from which railway seals have not been removed by the Customs rests with the railway.

Art. 13. In service matters the Russian and Chinese Customs at the stations "Manchuria " and

Pogranitehnaya," as well as the Chinese Eastern Railway, render

mutually full assistance to each other.

The railway undertakes the transmission by all the mail trains of Chinese Customs covers addressed to the stations lying en route free of charge, and issues by agreement a certain number of free railway tickets for the employés of the Chinese Customs travelling on service on the line.

Telegrams from the Chinese Customs are transmitted by the Railway telegraph against payment as usual,

Art. 34. With a view to expedite the transaction of business and establish a fixed terminology, and for the convenience of the local Chinese population, a gradual introduction, based upon experience, is desirable of Chinese text, parallel with the Russian, on forms of documents of various kinds, labels, &c., used by the railway and which have connection with the Customs.

In order to facilitate relations between the Chinese Customs at the frontier stations, the railway, and the Russian Customs, the external correspondence will be carried on in Russian, with parallel Chinese text if necessary. Likewise, documents issued by the Chinese Customs will be supplied with a parallel Russian text to the extent it may be found necessary.

Art. 15. For the execution of Customs formalities over the goods passing through the stations" Manchuria" and "Pogranitchnaya in the absence of the owner of the goods, or of his agent, the Chinese Eastern Railway maintains at the said stations Customs agencies.

Note. Conditions and rules for the working of the Customs agencies are defined by special Agreements between the Chinese Eastern Railway and the Chinese Customs. In case of necessity for the agencies to pay duties, these are tendered either in cash or by bills of the Chinese Eastern Railway.

Art. 16. Should a discrepancy be discovered between the goods and Customs documents tendered for these, goods will be couliscated, or, at the option of the Customs, a fine will be inflicted.

Special Hules.

Import of Goods.

Art. 17. Goods going from Russia into Manchuria are examined by the custom- houses at the stations "Manchuria" and "Pogranitchnaya " respectively. Goods whien, according to bills of lading, have for their destination one of the places situated within the 50-versts frontier zone are passed without delay free of duty after the Customs have ascertained that among the goods there is nothing that is prohibited for importation into China.

Note.--Goods mentioned in this Article, at the option of the sender, with the consent of the Custonis, may be sent under Customs seals of the entering Customs concerned to Harbin for examination and payment of duty.

Art. 18. The examination of goods imported into Manchuria is carried out on the basis of the duplicate copies of the bills of lading transmitted by the Russian Customs to the Chinese Customs. The Chinese Customs begin the examination not later than twenty-four hours from the time of the transmission of the bills of lading, The examination of goods brought by a train must be completed in the shortest time possible and not later than forty-eight hours from the moment the examination began. In case of non-compliance with the fixed time limits, a report is drawn up by the custom-house about the circumstances of the delay and submitted to the head custom- house. A copy of the report is attached to the railway cargo documents.

529