dues shall be reduced to a single one, to be known as tonnage dues.

Second. That the amount to be so charged shall not exceed 10 cents per registered ton, payable once a year. For the purposes of such payment the year to be deemed as beginning on the 1st day of January and ending on the 21st day of December.

Third. That a ship which shall have paid tonnage dues in one port shall be exempt from such dues in every other port of the same nation, on presenting a certificate of payment issued by the authority concerned.

Fourth. That the following shall be exempt from tonnage dues:

1. Ships of war and transports.

2. Ships of less than 25 tons burden.

3. Ships which have been obliged to enter port, owing to damages received at sea.

NICANOR BOLET PERAZA.
EMILIO C. VARAS.

CLEMENT STUDEBAKER.

APPENDIX.

PORT CHARGES OF THE UNITED STATES, MEXICO, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.

ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

Wharfage of the Riochuelo, from 4 to 5 cents per ton.

Port dues of entry, 10 cents to 60 cents per ton only for entrance. Steamers pay one-half.

Pilotage (compulsory), $40 to $130 and $50 to $150, according to dis

tance.

Light-house, 8 cents per ton.

Captain of port, $20.

Health visit, $25.

Bill of health, $25.

Port dues, national or nationalized, $3; foreign, $4.

NOTE.-The Argentine Congress made many important changes in 1888.

BRAZIL.

Port and custom-house regulations are very explicit and rigorously

enforced, not only to prevent disorder and preserve health, but to check smuggling.

Consular legalization for vessel of 200 tons and under, $6.75.

The maximum charge is $15.75.

Authenticating crew list and bill of health, $2.25.

Consular passport, $2.25.

No vessel is allowed to remain in port more than fifteen working days unless for some good reason, when she is granted an extension of ten days, after which she must pay a fine of 200 milreis per ton.

Anchorage, 25 cents per Brazilian ton, which is an increase of 33 per cent. over an American ton. Vessels in free pratique only pay 20 reis per metrical ton.

The general charges in the principal ports of the Republic are as follows:

Rio de Janeiro.-Light and anchorage dues are collictible only six times in any one year.

Port dues three-masted vessels, 12,800 reis; two-masted vessels, 9,600 reis.

Seal dues, 40 reis for each mast.

Hospital dues vessels of three masts, 600 reis; vessels of two masts, 400 reis. Each man on board, 400 reis. Visit of doctor, 8,200 reis. If vessel is sent into quarantine when it enters into free pratique, 8,200 reis.

The official charges on a foreign vessel of 220 tons is about 210 milreis.

Pernambuco.-Pilotage compulsory: Varies, according to capacity of the vessel, from 11,000 to 34,000 reis, and 1,000 reis more for each additional 50 tons.

Light-house dues, from 20,000 to 50,000 reis, according to tonnage of

vessel.

Fort pass, 6,000 reis.

Hospital charges: Vessels of three masts, 6,000 reis; vessels of two masts, 4,000 reis; each person of crew, 640 reis.

Stamp dues: On outward freight to Brazilian ports, on each 1,000 milreis 2 milreis; from ports of Brazil, 4 milreis.

Translation of manifest: First three pages, 5 milreis; each additional page, 3 milreis.

Notarial signature, 5 milreis.

Bill of health, 2 milreis.

Wharfage: For each meter of vessel's length, 400 reis per diem while vessel is loading; when idle, 200 reis per diem.

Mooring compulsory: Mooring boats, 8 milreis; pay of crew, 4 milreis. Rio Grande do Sul.-The official charge of vessels of 245 tons, including pilotage, would be about 255,380 reis.

Chili.-Crew list, $2.

Hospital, 10 cents per registered ton, payable but one time yearly; but if port is entered after December, 10 cents additional per ton.

Colombia.-Tonnage, $1; pilotage, $5 to $10; harbor dues, $6; lighthouse, 5 cents per ton register for first 100 tons, and 2 cents per ton additional.

Vessels that come from other ports of the Republic only pay onehalf. Mail steamers do not pay port dues. In Panama wharfage ranges from 75 cents to $3.75 per ton, according to tonnage of vessels. Costa Rica. Foreign steamers are free of tonnage, and only pay $25 for entering and clearing. Sail-vessels pay 25 cents per ton register and $10 for entry and clearance.

Ecuador.-Wharfage, from $8 to $10 per day; pilotage, from $2 to to $2.50 per Spanish foot. Tonnage, 50 cents per ton. Anchorage, $10. Light-house, 374 cents per ton. There is, in addition, captain of port, $4; permit of entry, $6; crew list, $1; bill of health, $8; harbor dues, $4. Guatemala.—Anchorage, $2; tonnage, 25 cents per ton.

Hayti.-Tonnage, $1 per ton, if there is a reciprocal treaty; if not, $1.50. Wharfage, 1 per cent. on total dues payable by vessels. Telegraph, $2 to support the line. Pilotage varies. Health visit, $5; bill of health, $1. Entry, 6 cents per ton. Loading vessel, 50 cents per ton. Anchorage, $25 if leaving port within twenty-four hours, and from $200 to $300 for privilege of going to a second port. Hire of coach, $2 per day. Interpreter, $4.

Honduras.--Manifest, $2. Tonnage, 25 cents per ton.

Mexico.-Sail-vessels, $1 per ton; steamers, no charge; vessels loaded with coal, no charge. Light-house: Sail-vessels, $25; steamers, $100 each entrance and $100 each clearance; vessels loaded with coal, $25. Nicaragua.-Tonnage, 10 cents per ton. Lighterage, $1 per ton. Pilotage, $3 per foot draught.

Paraguay.-Manifest of discharge of vessels coming from foreign

Vessels navigating between ports of the Republic pay one-half of the preceding charges.

Bill of health....

Legalization of documents.

$2

1

There are no port, pilot, anchorage, and light-house charges. Peru.-Wharfage, 12 cents per ton entry, and 75 cents per ton on all cargo discharged or embarked.

Tonnage, 25 cents per ton every six months. Light-house, 1 cents per ton each time vessel enters. Hospital, 4 cents per ton register every six months.

Salvador.-Entry, $5 to $15. Tonnage, 15 cents per ton.

United States of America.-Tonnage, 3 to 6 cents, not to exceed 15 cents in any one year. Entry fee: Vessels of 100 tons and upwards,

$2.50; vessels under 100 tons, $1.50. Clearance: Vessels of 100 tons and upwards, $2.50; vessels under 100 tons, $1.50. Bill of health, 20 cents.

Uruguay.-Tonnage, 10 cents per ton; vessels coming regularly, 4 cents per ton. Pilotage, conventional but compulsory, varies from $50 to $100; vessels from Buenos Ayres must carry pilot to Port Indio; the price varies according to draught, from $6 to $9. Anchorage: Tonnage from beyond seas foreign vessels, 30 cents; national vessels, 20 cents. Pratique Foreign vessels, $8; national vessels, $2. Light-house, 4 cents per ton on every vessel from or to places outside the capes. Hospital, $2 for vessel, 40 cents for captain, 20 cents for each seaman, and $1 for each passenger.

Paysandu.-Pilotage from Montevideo, $60 to $100. Light dues, 15 cents per ton. Custom-house charges varies from $24 to $60; notarial, $4.80; bill of health, $4; stamps, $4 to $5. A foreign vessel will probably pay $70 to $80.

Venezuela.-Tonnage, 50 cents per ton, payable on entry and on clearance. Pilotage, $4 per draught foot entry and on clearance. Light-house, 6 cents per ton. Wharfage, $4 to $40. These charges vary according to port. There are other charges, such as measuring, interpreter, doctor's visit, bill of health, sea-pass, etc.

DISCUSSION.

SESSION OF MARCH 18, 1890.

The FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT. The order of the day is the discussion of the report of the Committee on Port Dues. The secretary will read the conclusions of the report, unless some honorable delegate desires that the entire text of the report be read.

The secretary read the conclusions in English and Spanish.

Mr. HURTADO. For the better understanding of the second recommendation of the last part of the report I think it should read:

That the amount of dues should not exceed 10 cents on each registered ton, to be paid once a year upon each vessel, etc.

Mr. VARAS. I did not quite catch the remark of the honorable delegate from Colombia. If I understand

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aright, the honorable delegate asks whether the provision that the dues shall not exceed 10 cents for each registered ton, should not be followed by the statement that this must be paid by each vessel.

Mr. HURTADO. No, sir; my idea is this: I asked whether it was not necessary, in order fully to express the sense of the article, to have it read: "which should be paid but once a year by the same vessel.” Otherwise the article appears somewhat indefinite.

Mr. VARAS. It seems to me, sir, that as the fee affects the vessel entering the port, it can only be paid by such vessel. This is explained in the latter part of the recommendation; it is also set forth in that recommendation that for the payment of this fee the year shall be counted as beginning on the 1st of January and ending on the 31st December. So that a vessel which enters the port of New York, for instance, on the 1st day of January shall pay this fee upon that day, and may continue entering and leaving that port until the 31st day of December without making any other payment, because it is provided that this fee shall be paid but once a year, the year being understood to extend from January 1 to December 31. I think the wording of the recommendation is sufficiently clear.

Mr. HURTADO. It did not seem clear to me, and therefore I asked for an explanation. The phrase, "the same vessel," which I propose to insert, seems to me to complete the sense.

The PRESIDENT. Does the honorable delegate propose any modification?

Mr. HURTADO. No, sir; I merely asked for an explanation.