No. 276.
Mr. Frelinghuysen to Mr. Hamlin.
Department
of State,
Washington, January 30,
1882.
No. 28.]
Sir: Referring to the instruction to Mr. Fairchild
of the,2d November last (No. 195), touching the charge made by Spanish
Consuls of 10 cents per 1,000 kilograms of the cargoes of vessels clearing
from our ports for Cuba and Porto Rico, I inclose a paper, described below,
presenting further facts respecting this charge.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure in No. 28.]
Messrs. E. D. Bigelow &
Co. to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Baltimore, January 24,
1882.
Sir: We have the honor herewith to pot before
yon a petition, signed by merchants, ship-owners, and ship-brokers, of
this port, asking your intervention in the matter therein referred
to.
Very respectfully,
E. D. BIGELOW & CO.
[Inclosure to inclosure in No.
28.]
petition of merchants of baltimore.
Baltimore, December 30,
1881.
Sir: The undersigned merchants, ship-owners,
and ship-brokers of Baltimore respectfully ask the attention of your
department to a charge imposed by the Spanish Government upon every
vessel clearing from an American port to a port in Cuba or Porto Rico,
amounting to 10 cents per ton on the cargo laden on board such
vessel.
A clearance of the vessel at the Spanish consulate cannot be obtained
until said tax has been paid, and it is therefore in the present form a
heavy tax on the already overburdened ship-owner.
From the manner in which the tax in question is levied, there seems no
doubt that it is intended as a duty on the goods, and should therefore
be collected from the shipper or receiver of the cargo, and not from the
ship-owner.
Assured that if the matter is presented to the Spanish Government through
your department it will receive attention, we sincerely hope that the
negotiations will result in the ship-owner being relieved of a
difficulty which now bears heavily on the trade to the Spanish colonies
named.
For reasons here given we beg the friendly remonstrance of your
Department with the Spanish Government.
E. D. BIGELOW & CO., and
others.
