821.1561/96
The Secretary of the Treasury ( Mellon ) to the Secretary of State
Sir: Receipt is acknowledged of your letters of April 24, and May 22, 19309 (LA 821.1561/89, LA 821.1561/94), inquiring whether it is true, as has been alleged, in justification of the imposition of a special tax on privately owned lighters operating in the port of Buenaventura, Colombia, that similar taxes are imposed in the harbor of New York on similar services.
The Department has no knowledge of Federal lighterage charges or special taxes levied on privately owned lighters operating in New York harbor, which has been verified by the Collector of Customs at New York, N. Y. It seems probable, however, that there are port or local lighterage taxes assessed at New York, over which the customs officers have no jurisdiction, and which are not controlled in any way by the Federal Government.
[Page 647]The Department has no further information on the subject of your communication.
By direction of the Secretary:
Respectfully,
Assistant Secretary
- Neither printed.↩