Directory_and_Chronicle_1890 — Page 405

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS FOR THE PHILIPPINES.

PORT DUES.

All vessels entering any of the open ports pay 8 cents per ton.

The dues are payable on the Spanish equivalent of the registered tonnage, which is as follows:

*

British & American...100 tons 123 Spanish. | Belgian and Dutch...100 tons=163 Spanish. German

....100 tons 29 Spanish. Russian

.....100 tons 332 Spanish. French....

............100 tons 184 Spanish. Norwegian & Danish. 100 tons-333 Spanish.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS. I.--Masters of national or foreign vessels arriving at these islands from a foreign port will deliver their manifests to the visiting officer of the Customs on his arrival on board, under penalty of a fine of two hundred dollars. For all manifests not certified or attested to by the Spanish Consul of the port of their departure, a fine of one hundred dollars will be imposed; and if the manifests are not extended in conformity with the first Rule of the Royal Order of the 1st July, 1859, a fine of twenty-five dollars will be demanded.

II. The master or supercargo of every vessel in enjoined to be present at all the visits which may be made on board by the preventive service of the port, on entering or leaving, and on loading or discharging, and must sign the document or certificate of such visit as well as the connander of the carbineers who makes the visit and his accompanying witness. Should it not be possible for such master or supercargo to go through this formality, it will devolve on the officer next in rank to act in his stead.

III.-Masters of vessels arriving from foreign ports with any cargo on board are allowed 30 hours at Manila, and 48 at Cavite, after the entrance visit, to send in to the collector of Customs a manifest in triplicate, written in Spanish on plain paper and of uniform size, containing the name of the master, that of the ship, the number of Spanish tons burthen, the place whence the ship comes, a description by marks and numbers both in writing and figures of each package of goods on board, the names of the consignees, the weight, measurement, and kind of goods stowed in bulk, their names, with every distinctness, those of the goods to remain in transit on board and those to be discharged, specifying if possible the articles to be left in bond, and those for consumption, the provisions, spare stores, armament, and coals, in case the vessel be a steamer, and. finally, a note stating that the vessel does not carry any other goods and that none of those manifested are prohibited from fear of contagion. After which the master will affix his signature, making himself answerable to the Custom-house for the correctness of the manifest.

IV. If from stress of weather or other extraordinary cause, the master of a vessel may have been obliged, during the voyage, to throw overboard part of the cargo, a declaration to that effect must be made, and a specification will be required of the marks, numbers, and quantities, as far as possible, of the cargo so jettisoned, and, if the Customs authorities demand it, the Long Book shall be presented to prove the facts.

V.—Every master and supercargo subscribing a manifest is allowed four days after its delivery to augment or otherwise rectify the same, in case there be any omission or other error: this must also be done in triplicate. Should any omission be noticed in the manifest after this period and the one allowed, packages found to be omitted shall be seized, and the subscriber of the manifest fined an amount equal to the value of the goods omitted, provided such value does not exceed four hundred dollars, and in case it does, and should the goods omitted belong or be consigned to the subscriber of the manifest, the fine will then be quadrupled. If on the contrary it should be found at the completion of this discharge that the nuinber of packages noted in the manifest and in the subsequent corrections be in excess of cargo actually on board, the master shall be fined one hundred dollars for each package found short unless the same should be cargo in bulk, in which case the duties thereon will be quadrupled. Finally, if on visiting the vessel any package be found which is not

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