the binder-twine industry in the following resolution passed last week:

The governor in council may authorize the payment of a bounty to any corporation, firm, or person manufacturing binder twine in Canada, such bounty to be equal to the amount paid as export duty in the Philippine Islands on manila fiber produced in such islands and used in the manufacture of binder twine in Canada. Such bounty shall only be payable in respect of binder twine manufactured on or after September 1, 1902: Provided, however, That the bounty shall not exceed threeeighths of 1 cent per pound on the manila fiber so used in the manufacture of binder twine. The governor in council may make regulations to carry out the intention of this act.

During the year 1902 Canada imported binder twine to the value of $1,750,859, and of this the United States supplied $1,683,772. E. N. GUNSAULUS,

TORONTO, CANADA, July 22, 1903.

Consul.

CANADIAN CUSTOMS AMENDMENT ACT.

The new Canadian customs amendment act reconstitutes the board of customs, which formerly consisted of the commissioner of customs, Dominion appraisers, and assistant Dominion appraisers— about 15 members in all. As these officials are located at different points in Canada, a full meeting of the board could rarely be held, and it was even difficult at times to secure a quorum. A quorum has now been reduced to three ministers. The principal advantage. of this is that it will enable the board, when occasion arises, to act promptly in deciding the rating of any article or other difficulty. This will be a great convenience to importers.

Another concession to importers is that invoices may be accepted in the currency in which goods are actually purchased, instead of, as formerly, in the currency of the country from which goods were exported. Advantage also lies in the enlargement of the time in which. refund claims may be made. Formerly, if there was an error in invoice or shortage in goods, or if goods were damaged in transit, no refund claims could be entertained unless notice were given by the importer to the collector within ten days from date of entry or landing of goods. This period has been extended to fourteen days. A new clause provides that if goods are injured or destroyed, in whole or in part, by fire or other casualty, after entering a customs port and while in the custody of the officer of customs, the duties on the goods destroyed will be refunded. Formerly no refund of duty was allowed under such circumstances.

An important change is made affecting transportation companies. Up to the present time railway, express, and steamship companies

have had to pay the charge for attendance of customs officers outside of official hours, and this charge has amounted annually in the whole of Canada to nearly $80,000. The expense of this service will hereafter be borne by the department of customs, an appropriation for that purpose having been voted by Parliament. The companies must, however, pay for the attendance of officers on Sunday.

The Government has power under the new act to reduce the duty on any articles, whether natural products or products of manufactures, used as material in Canadian manufactures. Heretofore the governor in council had power to abolish but not to reduce duties. FELIX S. S. JOHNSON, Commercial Agent.

STANBRIDGE, CANADA, July 24, 1903.

NEW COLOMBIAN TARIFF.

The following memorandum is submitted to make clearer the conditions under which importers and exporters are, and have been, laboring as a result of this new tariff, taken in conjunction with the present monetary system of Colombia.

Looking at the figures of the new tariff and comparing them with the tariff figures of 1897, 1898, and 1893—up to March 1, when the new tariff took effect-we find a tenfold increase (more or less) in all the fifteen classes into which imports are divided in the Colombian customs except in Nos. 8, 9, and 10 (rough cotton goods, etc., principally), wherein the increase is a little higher. Making a gold comparison of the duties just established this year and those in force before the war (from January 18, 1898) an all-around increase has taken place, which rises in proportion as exchange lowers.

The new tariff caused a panic among importing merchants, and in some cases large orders for goods transmitted by them were countermanded by cable. The duties on what may be termed the necessaries on which the poorer people have entirely to depend for their clothing-i. e., cotton shirtings, crude stuff, etc.-are subjected to the highest tax. The prices which merchants are forced to demand for these articles are almost prohibitive, as the following liquidation will show (Colombian currency):

This shows a twelvefold increase in duties. In an order for 100 bales a duty of $175,500 has to be paid, whereas previous to March 1 the duty on the same order was $14,625; thus the importing merchant has to meet a difference of $160,875. As matters stand, the fluctuating exchange makes little difference to the importing merchant. Take the case of these 100 bales of cotton goods. These, by the time he receives them in Bogotá, will cost him, including customs duties, river and mule freight, and sundry expenses, over $250,000 Colombian currency.

When exchange lowers, he is not able to lower his prices in proportion, as he has to continue to meet this large outlay in paper money. If exchange rises, he has to raise prices in order to enable

him to buy drafts to pay for the goods.

I deem this condition of affairs particularly important from the fact that in its present state the new tariff probably affects American interests more than any other from the character of our products— i. e., plain, heavy goods, crude stuffs, gray drilling, etc.; for while the price of labor in the United States is comparatively high, on the other hand it is admitted by all foreigners here that this class of American textiles is so good for the price that no other country can compete with them. As they put it, "America beats the world in these goods." As a result the shipments have been heavy, and the result of the increased tariff evident.

A great sentiment having developed throughout the country for putting this tariff on a gold basis, and the rumor that it will be presented to the present Congress under the heading "free stipulation," has led me to submit this memorandum.

BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA, June 30, 1903.

ALBAN G. SNYDER,

Consul-General.

INSECURITY OF THE HARBOR OF VALPARAISO.

The statistics on shipping in the harbor of Valparaiso for the past year note the arrival of 8,000 vessels of all classes and the departure of practically the same number, with a tonnage, both incoming and outgoing, of something like 12,000,000 tons.

Notwithstanding the great shipping interests represented by these figures and the further fact that Valparaiso is the chief commercial port of Chile-the second city in size in the Republic, with a population of 150,000 inhabitants-the harbor, or rather the bay upon which the city is built, is one of the most insecure on the west coast of South America. There is absolutely no protection to ships. and shipping interests against the strong winds and severe storms

that prevail during the months of June, July, and August of each year. There is no breakwater in the Bay of Valparaiso, which fronts to the north, the direction from which the severe storms and heavy seas come during the winter months. As a result, great damage is done to vessels in port and to cargoes along the water front by the storms called "northers." Not infrequently ships and many lives are lost. The insecurity of the harbor is such that most of the steamships put to sea upon the approach of a norther in order to avoid possible disaster. Sailing vessels, of which there are always a large number in port, are unable to quit the harbor in time of storms; consequently, many are damaged or are driven ashore and destroyed.

A disastrous storm visited this port Monday, June 2, destroying a fine passenger steamer, the Arequepa, of 3,000 tons register, of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, with about one hundred persons on board, including passengers and crew. Of this number only about twenty were saved.

During the same storm two sailing vessels were driven onto the "malecon" and destroyed. They were the British bark Foyledale and the Chilian bark Chivilingo. The wife and daughter of the captain of the Foyledale were lost. The German ship Persimmon was also driven from her moorings and drifted into one of the floating docks in the harbor, causing considerable damage.

The mole along the water front was almost entirely destroyed and a great deal of valuable cargo awaiting transfer from the shore to ships in the bay was destroyed. In addition to the disasters and damages above enumerated, there was also great damage to small craft in the bay.

Statistics show that every season heavy damages are sustained in the Bay of Valparaiso from the storms that prevail in this latitude during the winter months, and that on an average of once in seven years some terrible disaster, like that of June 2, occurs, resulting in the destruction of vessels and great loss of life.

The natural conditions of the Bay of Valparaiso make the building of breakwaters impractical because of the deep water at the mouth of the harbor and the heavy seas that are driven in by the north winds. These conditions and the damages resulting therefrom annually have a tendency to divert from this port much of the shipping trade that formerly came to Valparaiso.

VALPARAISO, CHILE, June 8, 1903.

R. E. MANSField,

Consul.

PROPOSED CUSTOM-HOUSE AT DALNY.

I have just received a clipping from the CONSULAR REPORTS for May, 1903, which states that under the date of February 15, 1903, Commercial Agent R. T. Greener reported from Vladivostock that the Russian newspaper Novy Kry, of Port Arthur, announced that on January 1/14, 1903, the custom-house at Dalny was opened for levying duty on merchandise carried by the Chinese Eastern Railroad into and from Manchuria. This newspaper announcement conveys a wrong impression; there are at present no customs duties collected at Dalny.

I am told by a Russian customs officer here that the customhouse at Dalny was opened on the 1st of January, 1903, but closed on the same day. I have been informed by reliable persons that in order to promote the commercial interests of Dalny, it was decided that duty should be collected on goods passing to and from Manchuria by the Chinese Eastern Railway beyond the station of Wa Fung Tien, and that this duty should be payable at Dalny, thus forcing the Port Arthur merchants to send their goods to Dalny to be examined and passed. The inference was that to save time and expense these merchants would be induced to establish themselves at Dalny. This measure caused great alarm in business circles in Port Arthur and protests were made to Admiral Alexeef, the commander in chief of the military and naval forces of the Quangtung district. The admiral, wishing to see Port Arthur develop, made strong representations to St. Petersburg, asking that if duties are to be collected a custom-house be established at Port Arthur also, or at Wa Fung Tien. The Minister of Finance is said to have given in at the time.

I hear that negotiations are being carried on at Peking for the establishment of a custom-house at Dalny (with a branch at Wa Fung Tien) on the same lines as the one at Tsin Tao, in the Shantung district. Russian customs officials are now in Dalny to make the necessary arrangements, and it is believed that the custom-house will be a reality within the next month or two.

DALNY, MANCHURIA, June 17, 1903.

M. M. LANGHORNE,

Commercial Agent.