Importation tariff of the Republic of Venezuela, &c.—Continued. Articles. Class. Duty per kilogram. Table-cloths: Woolen, or wool mixed with cotton, with silk embroidery or ornaments. Ticking: Unbleached linen or cotton Cotton, white or colored Linen or linen mixed with cotton.. $2.00 2.00 25 50 50 15 2.00 50 2.00 4766 4888758 74 8783 4653 50 50 15 15 1.00 2. 00 50 15 05 2.00 05 1 00 25 50 2.00 15 05 15 1.00 50 25 05 50 100 2. 00 05 Importation tariff of the Republic of Venezuela, &c.---Continued. Articles. Wax: Manufactured, except children's toys. Shoemakers'. Wines: Red Bordeaux, in any receptacle All classes, in pipes, kegs, or barrels, except Spanish wines. All classes, in demijohns and bottles, except Spanish and Bordeaux Wine, spirits of.. Wool Wood: Brazil Common, such as boards, beams, and scantling of pine, unplaned or unjoined. Fine, for making musical instruments, and for cabinet-makers' work.. Manufactured, n. o. s.. Windmills.. Walnuts, unshelled. ARTICLES OF FREE IMPORTATION UPON WHICH THERE IS NO DUTY. Animals, live, except leeches. Articles imported by order of the national Government. Baggage, passengers', exclusive of furniture and effects that have not been used. Baggage, effects, and used furniture, introduced by Venezuelans or foreigners domiciled in Venezuela who have resided more than two years in Europe or the United States, and who wish to renew their residence in Venezuela, complying with article 166 of the treasury code. Bridges with their chains, roadways, and other attachments when they are for public use or agricultural enterprises. Books, unbound, or folios treating of the sciences, arts, and trades, catalogues, newspapers, and periodicals, and copy-books for primary schools. Cars, tools, and all other articles exclusively for railroad use. Clocks for public use, when introduced by the Federal Government. Effects introduced by foreign diplomatic agents and by Venezuelan diplomats upon their return to the republic. Extract of rennet. Fish-hooks. Fire-engines. Globes, celestial and terrestrial, hydrographic charts and maps of all classes. Implements for agricultural use, such as plows, harrows, hoes, axes, shovels, pickaxes, matchetes, bill-hooks, pruning-knives, &c. Ice. Living plants of all classes, herbariums, or collections of dried plants not medicinal, and seeds for planting. Mineral coal. Machinery for producing and lighting by gas. Machinery for sugar mills and all accessories. Machinery for agriculture, mines, weaving mills, saw-mills, foundries, and for the arts and trades, n. o. s. Platinum, and unmanufactured gold and silver, and gold and silver in legitimate money. Products of Colombia introduced over the frontier, provided that the products of Venezuela enjoy the same plivilege in Colombia. Printing presses, types, and all accessories; printing ink and white papers containing no gum or glue. Roman cement. Steam motors of all classes, with their accessories. Samples of stuffs in small pieces, not exceeding 25 kilograms in weight; of wall paper in pieces of not more than 50 centimeters in length, and of other objects whose dimensions and condition preclude them from being offered for sale. Wood prepared for naval construction, and hewed pieces of pine, oak, &c., suitable for sawing into boards or other shapes. NOTE.-The receptacles in which free articles are introduced, such as trunks, boxes, bags, &c., will be weighed separately and charged duty according to class. NOTE.-Samples of stuffs, wall papers, &c., exceeding 25 kilograms in weight, will be charged upon said excess as belonging to the eighth class. Cane rum. Cocoa nut oil. Cacao. Coffee. ARTICLES WHOSE IMPORTATION IS PROHIBITED. Chewing tobacco, in twist or plug. Counterfeit money and foreign silver not included in the monetary convention of 1865, according to executive decree of July 9, 1880. Coining machinery, except by order of the federal Government. NOTE. In order to import fire-arms, gun-powder, lead, cartridges, gun-caps, flints, or saltpéter, permission from the general Government must be obtained. VENEZUELAN TARIFF CHANGES REPORT BY COMMERCIAL AGENT SILER, OF LAGUAYRA. I have the honor to inform the Department of State that an act has been recently passed by both houses of the Venezuelan Congress, and received the approval of the Executive, which, when put into operation, will sensibly affect the tariff laws of this country. I have been unable to procure a copy of the text of this law, but hope to be able to do so at an early day, when I shall advise the Department of its leading features; however, I am enabled to say at this time that a considerable import duty has been placed on several articles which have heretofore been admitted on the free list. Among these may be mentioned corn, rice, beans, and several other food products. There are other articles in which considerable trade has been carried on here, which are peremptorily prohibited from importation by this new act. In this list are mentioned cocoa, sugar, certain grades of tobacco, wooden toys, &c. The time fixed for this new tariff law to go into effect was July 1, but it appears that among the other extraordinary prerogatives invested in the Executive of this republic is one that by a simple proclamation may cause any law to go into immediate operation, notwithstanding a different period may have been fixed by Congress. As might be expected, business is timid and unsteady here just now in consequence of this event; and this, joined to the scarcity of money in circulation, want of confidence in the Government, and general feeling of uncertainty which prevails throughout the republic, would seem unfavorable auguries of its immediate prosperity. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Laguayra, Venezuela. JAMES W. SILER. TARIFF REDUCTION IN VENEZUELA. REPORT BY CONSUL PLUMACHER, OF MARACAIBO. I have the honor to inclose a copy and translation of the executive decree of January 26 last, removing the extra import duty of 30 per cent. upon goods introduced into Venezuela by way of the Antilles. This measure, in my opinion, shows considerably better judgment than was displayed in the establishment of this extra imposition, and the interests of the country at large will be thereby benefited. It will also affect most favorably the American "Red D" line of steamers, the only vessels of any importance carrying our flag in these waters. It must be noted, however, that the animus against Curacao and Trinidad still exists, as direct importations from those points continue to be weighted with the additional 30 per cent. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Maracaibo, February 13, 1883. E. H. PLUMACHER, Consul. [Translation.] The President of the United States of Venezuela, in use of the faculty conceded to him by article 2, law vi of the treasury code regulating the fiscal laws, and with the affirmative vote of the federal council, decrees: ARTICLE 1. The products, goods, and merchandise exported from Europe and the United States to Venezuela, and accompanied with all the documents required by the customs laws, may be transshipped in foreign colonies from one vessel to another to proceed to their destination, and will be considered as arriving directly from the original points of export. ART. 2. When, by lack of immediate transport, it may become necessary to disembark the said products, goods, and merchandise in foreign colonies, they may be reembarked for Venezuela without being considered as colonial exports, always provided that, in addition to the consular documents from the port of original dispatch, the owners or consignees present at the custom-house of the republic where the goods are landed, a certificate from the Venezuelan consul in the colony asserting that the said goods were only there on deposit for lack of vessels to take them to their destination. ART. 3. The provisions of the foregoing articles will take effect from the 15th of February next in all the custom-houses of the republic. ART. 4. The minister of finance is encharged with the execution of this decree. Signed, sealed, and legalized at the federal palace in Caracas, January 26, 1883, 19th year of the law and the 24th of the federation. Countersigned: J. P. ROJAS PAUL, GUZMAN BLANCO. BRAZIL. TARIFF DIFFICULTIES. There are also many points of the tariff which must be well understood to avoid exorbitant duties. For example, articles composed of two different substances frequently pay on the whole the duty assessed on wares of the material paying highest duty. Take, for example, lamps for burning kerosene having a gilded brass collar and fittings. If imported with the brass work attached they pay duty by weight as gilded brassware, the glass being weighed as brass, and paying a higher duty than glass only. CUSTOMS-REVENUE SYSTEM OF BRAZIL. REPORT BY CONSUL PRINDLE, OF PARA. A pamphlet containing addresses of some New York merchants, before the Committee of Ways and Means, advocating certain changes in our customs-revenue system, having been sent to this office, I very respectfully beg to say that it appears to me the custom-house appraisers, named in one of the addresses, in giving their opinions that consular verifications of invoice are utterly worthless, have overlooked the fact that there is a shipper's declaration attached to the invoice and verification, and therefore, if, on examination of the goods at the port of entry, it shall appear that there is undervaluation, or that the invoice is incorrect in any other particular, whereby it is evident that there is design to defraud the revenue, the shipper has placed himself, over his signature, in a position from which he cannot extricate himself without paying the penalty. And, in a consular experience of nearly fourteen years, I feel satisfied that an appreciation of this fact operates decidedly to check attempt on the revenue. It is hardly possible that a consul could imform himself positively of the correctness of an invoice, but he, it seems to me, works in conjunction with the appraiser at home. The consul holds the shipper, so to speak, while the appraiser examines the goods. Perhaps the shipper's declaration might be improved if to it were added a clause to the effect that the party signing it acknowledges himself to be aware of the penalties attaching to an attempt to defraud the Government. The system advocated by the above-named gentlemen in some respects appears to resemble the Brazilian tariff, home valuation being one of the principal features of the latter also; and it works here somewhat as follows: The first thing a merchant at this place is supposed to do on the arrival of an importation of foreign merchandise is, through his custom-house broker, to buy an appraiser. This accomplished, the necessary papers, invoice and all, are then made out for the entry of the goods. It is not probable that an appraiser can always be bought, but if one-twentieth part of the stories told among the business men of Para are true the corruption is very great indeed. There is said to exist an established rule, that of the amount of which the Government can be defrauded on an importation the broker has one-third, the ap |