REGULATIONS relating to Customs Facilities for Clearance of British and Foreign Commercial Travellers' Samples.

[General Order

3

1907-]

Custom House, London,
January 12, 1907.

1. To give effect to an Agreement recently concluded between His Majesty's Government and the Belgian Government for the purpose of facilitating the clearance through the respective Customs Departments of samples brought by commercial travellers from the one country to the other,* the Board direct the issue of the following regulations on the subject for the guidance of all officers concerned.

2. Negotiations are now in progress with other countries for the purpose of arranging similar reciprocal facilities, and in the event of Agreements of like tenor being concluded, the regulations herein prescribed will become applicable, subject to any variation thereof which may be mutually agreed upon. Further directions will be communicated to the Service as required.

3. Regulations governing the admission in the United Kingdom of Samples and Patterns brought by Commercial Travellers of certain countries with which special arrangements have been made for reciprocal facilities.

Dutiable Articles.

(1.) Articles liable to duty serving as patterns or samples introduced into the United Kingdom by commercial travellers of the several countries enumerated below are to be admitted free of duty, subject to the observance of the following regulations.

(2.) On the production by the commercial traveller of a list or declaration containing a description of the samples brought by him, officially attested by the proper authority in the country of exportation, examination of the samples may be limited to ascertaining that they are fully enumerated on the list produced.

(3.) The list referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph is to be utilized in assessing the duty chargeable on the samples. A deposit of the duty is to be required before delivery of the samples, or alternatively bond (form No. 1) for the amount thereof may be accepted instead of a cash deposit.

(4.) If the commercial traveller is unprovided with the list referred to in sub-paragraph (2), a list is to be compiled giving a description of the samples sufficient for identification and assessment of the duty chargeable thereon. The duty may be deposited or security given as set out in the preceding sub-paragraph..

* Novemb.r 10, 1906. See Vol. XCIX, page 188. [1907-8. CI.] 2 U

(5). Should the samples bear the marks, stamps, or seals of the country of exportation, no additional marks or seals for purposes of identification need, as a rule, be affixed by officers of this Department. Contrariwise, if the samples on importation bear no seals, they are to be marked or sealed for future identification, should such a course be deemed necessary by the officers at the port of arrival.

(6.) The list of the samples, whether that produced by the commercial traveller or that compiled at the port of arrival, will be signed and dated by the officers at the port or place of importation, who will affix to the list a statement bearing an official seal or stamp, and showing:

(a.) The name of the port at which the samples are imported and the amount of duty chargeable on the patterns or samples; also, whether it was deposited in money, or whether security was given.

(b.) The marks, if any, that have been applied to the patterns or samples.

(c.) The date upon which the amount of duty deposited will be carried to the public account, or the amount recovered under the security given unless it is proved that the patterns or samples have been previously re-exported or placed in bond. This date is to be not later than twelve months from that upon which the samples were brought into the country.

No charge is to be made for the document issued or certified by the officers or for marking for identification.

Non-dutiable Articles.

(a.) Gold and Silver Plate liable to Assay.

(7.) The foregoing regulations will also apply to all patterns or samples of plate. The deposit to be made or security given is to be approximately equal to the amount of duty formerly chargeable on such articles, viz., gold 17s., and silver 1s. 6d. the ounce troy.

(b.) Other Articles.

(8.) The production of the list referred to in sub-paragraph (2) will not be required in the case of patterns or samples not liable to duty, and the examination of packages containing such patterns or samples will be restricted to ascertaining that no dutiable articles are therein contained and that the goods produced are bona fide samples.

Exportation of Imported Samples.

(9.) Patterns and samples of dutiable articles and of plate may be produced to the Customs officers at any port in the United Kingdom for examination prior to exportation. (Nondutiable samples are not required to be produced on shipment.)

(10.) To obtain the return of the deposit made on entry of the patterns or samples, or the cancellation of the bond entered into, the commercial traveller is required to produce with his samples the list thereof, signed by the officers at the port of arrival. Provided that the time allowed for production (see sub-paragraph (6) (c)) has not been exceeded, and the officers are satisfied that the goods as produced are identical with those enumerated on the list, the amount of duty originally deposited may be refunded forthwith. The list is to be noted as to the exportation of the samples, the statement referred to in subparagraph (6) being retained.

(11.) The statement is to be transmitted, with a certificate of exportation of the samples, to the collector at the port of importation with the object of having an adjustment of accounts effected, where a deposit has been made, or the bond cancelled, as the case may be.

(12.) In the case of plate which it may be desired to retain in this country, the samples, with relative list and statement, are, within the time allowed, to be produced at some customhouse in the United Kingdom with a view to the plate being assayed as required by law. The usual procedure is to be followed as if the goods were then being imported for the first time, and on completion of the assaying the deposit is to be returned or the bond cancelled.

(13.) The facilities set out in the preceding sub-paragraphs are to be granted to commercial travellers from the following countries:

Belgium.

4. Regulations governing the Exportation and subsequent Re-entry of Samples and Patterns, dutiable or non-dutiable, by Commercial Travellers proceeding from this country.

(1.) Commercial travellers proceeding abroad on business may, in order to facilitate their entry into foreign countries, have their samples sealed and the list thereof officially certified by officers of this Department under the following regulations.

(2.) On prior application by the firm concerned, the samples, accompanied by a list in duplicate containing a full description thereof, including, if required, quantity and value, may be produced at any custom-house for examination. One copy of the list is to be retained for future reference if necessary.

(3.) The list, after being verified by a comparison with the samples, which are then to be officially sealed or marked as may be most convenient, is to be signed and officially stamped by the officers. In regard to the values stated on the list, a formal declaration by the commercial traveller or by one of the firm concerned may be required if such is considered

necessary.

(4.) The samples having been produced to the proper officer and shipped, the list is to be noted accordingly.

(5.) The re-entry of the samples may be effected at any port. The list referred to in sub-paragraph (2) must be produced; and upon the samples brought back being found to correspond therewith, they may, after removal of the official seals, be delivered forthwith. The list is to be retained, a note being made thereon of the delivery of the goods, or of such portion of them as is reimported.

(6.) Application must be made to the proper officer in all cases where examination and sealing of samples is desired at private premises either before exportation or after re-entry. The expenses of the officer's attendance for such examination are to be borne by the applicants.

A copy of the Agreement with Belgium is printed as an Appendix.*

By Order of the Board,

R. HENDERSON.

LAW of the Netherland Government admitting Ships under. Foreign Flag to the Coasting Trade from and to the Ports of Stagen and Sabang (Borneo).—The Hague, December 29, 1906.†

(Translation.)

WE, Wilhelmina, by the grace of God, Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange Nassau, &c.

Know:

To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting! That we have taken into consideration that it has appeared desirable to admit ships under foreign flag to the coasting trade from and to the ports of Stagen (Residency South and East Department of Borneo) and of Sabang (Government of Atjeh and Dependencies);

We, therefore, having heard the Council of State, and with the agreement of the States-General, have decreed, and do decree as follows:

Sole Article. The last sentence of the first paragraph and the second paragraph of Article 6 of the Law of the 8th August, 1850 (Netherland "Staatsblad" No. 47)‡ are not applicable to

*November 10, 1906. See Vol. XCIX, page 188. "Staatsblad," No. 341.

Loi (A) réglant les intérêts de la Navigation néerlandaise.-La Haye, le 8 août, 1850.

(Extrait.)

ART. 1. A la fin de l'article 3, § 1, de la loi du 19 juin, 1815, doivent être ajoutées les dispositions suivantes :

Une égale exemption est accordée, lorsque l'importation a lieu par des navires de nations:

(a.) Qui assimilent le pavillon néerlandais au pavillon national, tant

the trade from and to the ports of Stagen (Residency South and East Department of Borneo) and Sabang (Government of Atjeh and Dependencies).

We charge and order that this shall be inserted in the "Staatsblad," and that all Ministerial Departments, authorities, colleges, and officials, whom it concerns, shall see to its careful execution.

Given at The Hague, the 29th December, 1906.

D. Fock, Minister for Colonies.

Issued January 16, 1907.

E. E. VAN RAALTE, Minister for Justice

WILHELMINA.

CONVENTION between the Argentine Republic, Bolivia, &c., on Literary and Artistic Copyrights. Signed at Mexico, January 27, 1902.

[Ratifications deposited with the Government of Mexico, March 31, 1908.]

THEIR Excellencies the Presidents of the Argentine Republic, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Hayti, Honduras, the Mexican United States, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, the United States of America, and Uruguay, desiring that their respective countries

pour les arrivages que les appareillages de leurs ports (le cabotage et la pêche exceptés);

(b.) Qui assimilent le pavillon néerlandais au pavillon national, en ce qui concerne la navigation de leurs colonies (si elles en possèdent), tant pour les arrivages que pour les appareillages; et

(c.) Qui ne perçoivent, soit au préjudice des produits des colonies néerlandaises, soit au préjudice de l'importation de produits des autres parties du monde expédiés de ports néerlandais, aucun autre droit différentiel, que ceux établis en faveur des produits de leurs propres colonies et de leur importation directe.

6. Le pavillon des nations, qui remplissent à notre égard les conditions énoncées en l'article 1er de la présente loi, sera assimilé par nous au pavillon néerlandais dans les colonies et possessions de l'État dans d'autres parties du monde. Cette assimilation ne s'étendra cependant point au cabotage dans les colonies néerlandaises aux Indes orientales.

Les navires néerlandais, ceux qui font partie de la marine marchande des colonies, et les bâtiments indiens qui leur sont assimilés, sont seuls admis à participer à ce cabotage tel qu'il peut se faire d'après les ordonnances en vigueur.["State Papers," Vol. XLII, page 1272.]