different bases for the collection of import duties which exist between the United States of America on one part, and the greater part of the Spanish-American Republics on the other, because as a general rule here the duties are collected according to the invoice value, which system is considered more equitable and would certainly be so if there were not great abuses in the valuation of merchandise; while as a general rule in the Spanish-American Republics the duties are collected according to a fixed rate on the quality, weight or measure, and only in cases of an absolute difficulty in establishing a fixed rate, the rate is collected ad valorem.

But

It does not appear to me easy for the United States to depart from its system of collecting duties on importations, adopting the specific duties which are prevalent in the Spanish-American countries, nor that these on their side should depart from the system which they follow at present, in order to adopt in all cases the invoiced value. without any of them being obliged to make this change, if not radical, at least of transcendental importance in their respective legislations, I think that it would be possible to arrive at a unification of the tariff. The different systems of weights and measures, which are used in this Republic and the other Republics of America, constitute another difficulty in this case.

This unification would not restrict, of course, in any sense the right of each State to modify its duties on importations whenever it might deem it necessary, either on merchandise comprised in the tariff or on other new articles, and in case that an agreemert on this subject was reached it would be necessary to agree from time to time, that is, say, every two or more years, that the tariff should be revised in order that the modifications or additions which had been made to the former edition should be included.

In order that this subject may be studied by the respective committees I offer the following resolution:

Resolved, That the proper committee of this Conference be requested to examine and report upon the convenience and practicability of adopting a common schedule of for

eign goods to be used by the several nations represented in this Conference, for the purpose of collecting import duties, making invoices, bills of lading, etc., each country having the exclusive right to fix the amount of duties to be levied on each article, but the schedule of the articles to be common to all.

WASHINGTON, January 2, 1890.

M. ROMERO.

Mr. ROMERO. I ask that the resolution go over until the next session.

The PRESIDENT. At the suggestion of the delegate from Mexico, the resolution will go over until the next meeting.

SESSION OF FEBRUARY 19, 1890.

FIRST REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS REG

ULATIONS.

NOMENCLATURE.

MOTION.

Resolved, That the proper committee of this Conference. be requested to examine and report as to the convenience and practicability of adopting a common schedule of foreign goods, to be used by the several nations represented in this Conference, for the purpose of collecting import duties, making invoices, bills of lading, etc., each country having the exclusive right to fix the amount of duties to be levied on each article, but the schedule of the articles to be common to all.

WASHINGTON, January 2, 1890.

M. ROMERO, Delegate from Mexico.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.

[As submitted to the Conference, February 10, 1890.]

The Committee on Customs Regulations has considered the resolution presented by Mr. Romero, Delegate from Mexico, with a view to the adoption by the nations represented at this Conference of a common nomenclature which shall designate in equivalent terms, in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, the commodities on which import duties. are levied, and also be used in shipping manifests, consular invoices, entries, clearances, and other customs documents, without restricting thereby the right of each nation to maintain the duties levied at present or to change them in any way which may be most convenient to their respective interests.

The committee favors this res lution in the belief that one of the objects for which this Conference has been convened is the assimilation of the customs laws and regulations of the American nations, in order that simplification may facilitate the mercantile operations between them and promote the development of their reciprocal trade. The committee will formulate the nomenclature contemplated in said resolution, if the occupations of the members thereof allow it, and if they are able to obtain the necessary data and expert help therefor, and if unable to do this will report to the Conference the manner in which, in its opinion, this labor can best be performed.

This is not the only subject with which the committee has had to deal. The committee is carefully considering all the other important and complex matters which the Conference has intrusted to it, and as soon as its labors are finished it will submit them to the enlightened decision of the Conference.

While such results will be presented later, the committee now submits to the Conference the following resolution:

Resolved, That the International American Conference recommends to the Governments represented therein the adoption of a common

nomenclature which shall designate in equivalent terms, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, the commodities on which import duties are levied, to be used respectively by all the American nations for the purpose of levying customs imposts which are or may hereafter be established, and also to be used in shipping manifests, consular invoices, entries, clearances, and other customs documents; but not to affect in any manner the right of each nation to levy the import duties now in force or which may hereafter be established.

J. ALFONSO.

CHARLES R. FLINT.

M. ROMERO.

H. G. DAVIS.

SALVADOR DE MENDONÇA.

CLIMACO CALDERÓN.

DISCUSSION.

SESSION OF FEBRUARY 19, 1890.

The PRESIDENT. The report of the Committee on Customs Regulations on Mr. Romero's resolution is the next thing in order according to the order of the day.

By direction of the President the motion and report were read as originally submitted. The resolution is as follows:

Resolved, That the International American Conference recommends to the Governments represented therein the adoption of a common nomenclature which shall designate in equivalent terms, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, the commodities on which import duties are levied, to be used respectively by all the American nations for the purpose of levying customs imposts, which are or may hereafter be established, and also to be used in shipping mani

fests, consular invoices, entries, clearance petitions, and other customs documents, but not to affect in any manner the right of each nation to levy the import duties now in force or which may hereafter be established.

The PRESIDENT. The report and resolution are before the Conference. What order will the Conference take? Is the Conference ready to vote upon the resolution?

Mr. ZEGARRA. The resolution offered by the Committee on Customs Regulations is, in my opinion, likely to raise a doubt which I should like to have settled in advance in order to know how I should vote. If the report of the committee means by a "common nomenclature" such a classification by schedules as is usually found in tariffs I would ask the committee to consent to a slight change, so as to make it clearly appear that the proposed "common nomenclature" is only a sort of dictionary or alphabetical manual of foreign merchandise upon which the various nations may impose import duties. If this is the signification which the committee attaches to the phrase I have no objection to make, and I shall give my vote in favor of the report; but if it is otherwise, the vote of the Peruvian delegation will be in favor of restricting the phrase so that it shall mean only an official dictionary, giving the equivalent terms in the several languages, English, Spanish, and Portuguese, of the foreign articles imported into the various

nations.

I have made the suggestion to the committee, but I do not know whether the committee will accept it. If the committee should accept the amendment, that would save a great deal of time; but if the committee