No. 657.
Mr. Blaine
to Mr. Fairchild.
Department
of State,
Washington, November 15,
1881.
No. 197.]
Sir: Referring to instruction No. 195, of the 2d
instant, relative to the charges on cargo required by the Spanish
consul-general at New York, I inclose a copy of a letter from Messrs.
Nutter, Kimball & Co., of Portland, Me., in reference to like exactions
by the consular officers of His Majesty’s Government.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure in No. 197.]
Nutter, Kimball & Co.
to Mr. Blaine.
Portland, Me., November 8,
1881.
Dear Sir: We take the liberty to call your
attention to the excessive charges recently imposed by the Spanish
Government upon all American vessels clearing from the United States for
the Island of Cuba.
Under the new regulations all vessels, without regard to their size, are
obliged to pay the Spanish cousul the sum of $23, and $8 additional for
the first 50 tons of freight [Page 1066]
carried, and 10 cents per ton additional for all in excess of 50 tons.
Take, for example, a vessel carrying 700 tons. She would pay, to start
with—
| Lump sum of |
$23 00 |
| First 50 tons of freight |
8 00 |
| Balance, 650 tons of freight, at 10 cents |
65 00 |
|
96 00 |
This is in addition to the tonnage dues in Cuba of $1.35 per ton. Then,
if the vessel’s manifest does not show very nearly the exact weight of
cargo, the vessel is fined from $100 to $300, and in some cases a larger
amount. These charges are so excessive that it is difficult to find
vessels that are willing to entertain Cuba business so long as they can
find anything else to do, and is operating very seriously against
exportations from this country.
We call your attention to these matters believing them to be of such
importance that you will, if possible, take measures to secure a
modification of the present arbitrary rules of the Spanish
Government.
Respectfully, &c.,
NUTTER, KIMBALL & CO.
We concur with the above
statements.
PHINNEY & JACKSON.
GEO. S.
HUNT & CO.
CHASE, LEAVITT & CO.
J. S. WINSLOW &
CO.
ISAAC EMERY.
