FOREIGN CORPORATIONS IN VENEZUELA.

Minister Loomis sends from Caracas, July 3, 1899, translation, in print, of a law recently passed by the Venezuelan Congress, as follows:

FOREIGN COMPANIES.

The Congress of the United States of Venezuela, decrees:

ARTICLE I.

Foreign companies which wish to establish in Venezuela agencies or branches whether they have any operations in the country or not, and whether they have a collective name or there are dormant partners, must comply with the same requirements as national companies, and if they are companies having shares they shall register in the registry of commerce and in the office for registration of the place where the business agency is situated, and shall publish in a newspaper of the same locality the partnership deed and other documents necessary for the constitution of the company, according to the laws of its nationality, and a copy duly certified of the articles referred to of those laws. The statutes of the company shall also be left with the registrar to be filed among his records.

SECTION 1. Foreign companies established in Venezuela shall be bound by the provisions contained in article 26 of the civil code and of those of 101, 102, 103, and 104 of the code of civil procedure.

SEC. 2. Every modification of the partnership contract shall be registered and published in the manner provided in this article.

ARTICLE 2.

Insurance companies who enter into business in Venezuela shall establish at least one responsible agency in the capital of the Republic, and life-insurance companies shall give good security, equivalent to the total amount of the policies issued in the country. For the purposes of this guaranty the respective agency shall remit half yearly to the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce a circumstantial report of the insurances effected and of the amounts expressed in the corresponding policies. The security shall be registered in the subregistry of the district in which the agency is situated.

ARTICLE 3.

The failure to comply with the provisions of articles 1 and 2 by the companies referred to therein shall make personally and substantially liable the administrator's agents, representatives, and all other persons who may contract in their names, for all obligations made in the country.

SECTION. All persons who enter into contracts in the name of insurance companies which have not complied with the provisions of article 2 shall further suffer a fine of from 1,000 to 10,000 bolivars.

ARTICLE 4.

Foreign companies which now have branch agencies or exploitations in Venezuela shall comply with the provisions of article I within six months from the promulgation of this law. Life-insurance companies shall within the like period comply with the provisions of article 2.

Given at the Federal Palace at Caracas this 14th of April, 1899.

VENEZUELAN PEARL FISHERIES.

The pearl fisheries of Margarita, a large island off the north coast of Venezuela, have been known since the island was discovered by Columbus in 1498. The great admiral and his officers found the native women wearing strings of pearls, which they were glad to exchange for European trinkets of small value.

Pearl fishing has been carried on by the natives of the Island of Margarita as a commercial enterprise for upwards of three centuries, and there is no record that within this long period other than the crudest methods have been employed. The annual output of pearls is valued at about $100,000 on the island; that is the sum the fishermen receive for the pearls they gather. How much these same pearls are sold for in the European market there are no statistics to show. It is doubtless true that the fishermen are frequently underpaid for the gems they find and that in the past they have been shamefully swindled.

The pearls are bought by a very few dealers who purchase pearls and other valuable gems for European merchants. There are no restrictions upon the business of pearl fishing in Venezuelan waters, except that a tax of $24 a year is laid upon each boat. There are about four hundred boats employed in this industry, none of which are provided with diving apparatus. Each boat has a heavy metal "scoop-like" drag, which is allowed to scrape along the bottom of the sea till it is believed to be filled with oyster shells, when it is brought to the surface and its contents removed. Small, smooth shells are never opened, for it is known that they contain no pearls.

The best beds of pearl-bearing oysters are not immediately adjacent to the Island of Margarita itself, but are near some smaller islands close by. Around these islands are piled hundreds of tons of shells, the accumulation of centuries of pearl fishing. Many of these shells, I am told, contain a very clear mother-of-pearl, which may ultimately be found to have commercial value.

It seems probable that a few well-equipped, economically managed boats, prepared to send down divers and to make some explorations in search of new oyster beds, would reap substantial profits for a few seasons in these waters.

FRANCIS B. LOOMIS,

CARACAS, June 30, 1899.

Minister.

PROVISIONAL CUSTOMS REGULATIONS OF
KYAO-CHAU.

The Department has received from Minister Conger, under date of Pekin, June 16, 1899, a printed copy of the provisional customs and harbor regulations of the German territory of Kyao-chau, to take effect July 1, 1899. The regulations read:

PROVISIONAL CUSTOMS REGULATIONS OF THE GERMAN TERRITORY OF KYAO-CHAU.

1.-Import, export, and transit.

(a) The import of goods into German territory is free, with the exception of opium, arms, and explosives, and the materials used in the manufacture thereof, which are subject to special regulations. (See § II and § III.)

(b) Foreign goods and Chinese commodities unaccompanied by duty-paid certificates imported from Chinese ports must pay tariff import duty on exportation from German into Chinese territory.

(c) Chinese goods imported from native ports accompanied by duty-paid certificate must pay coast-trade duty on exportation to the Chinese interior.

(d) Chinese goods arriving from the interior when exported pay tariff duty. The treaty provisions for prohibited goods are not annulled by this paragraph.

(e) Produce from the German territory of Kyao-chau, or goods manufactured therefrom or from any produce coming by sea into German territory, if accompanied by an official certificate of origin, are not liable to export duty upon shipment from Tsintau.

(f) Goods forwarded to or coming from the interior under transit pass must pay transit dues in addition to the import or export tariff duty.

(g) Transit passes and all other customs documents will be issued by the commissioner of customs at Tsintau.

(h) The treaty tariff rules are applicable to all goods carried by vessels of foreign type. The duties, taxes, or other charges collectible from Chinese-built vessels (junks) and the goods brought by them to Tsintau shall not be higher than those which have hitherto been or which may hereafter be levied in any port of the Kyao-chau territory or of the whole Shantung Province.

II.-Opium.

Opium can only be imported in original chests and must, on arrival, be reported without delay to the customs, who will supervise its transportation to the customs godown.

Upon payment of duty and likin, opium may be exported under customs seal and control from German territory, but is subject to special regulations.

III.-Arms and explosives, etc.

The importation into German territory of arms and explosives, as well as materials used in the manufacture of the same, is subject to special regulations. The export of the same from German into Chinese territory is prohibited, except under special permit (Huchow) at the request of the Government, after furnishing a sufficient guaranty.

IV-Import manifest and customs supervision.

Customs officers will board vessels on arrival.

The masters of vessels arriving

at Tsintau will hand to the customs officers a manifest for the merchandise on board and customs papers if coming from a Chinese port.

The manifest must be a correct statement of the aforesaid merchandise, and, if called for, fuller particulars must be supplied for statistical purposes.

Through cargo, and cargo intended for reexport to other ports, must be entered as such on the import manifest.

Consignees of import cargo are requested to furnish the customs, within one week of landing, with full particulars as to denomination, value, weight, and quantity of their goods for statistical purposes, as far as may be considered necessary for completing the manifest. In case of noncompliance, they will be subject to a

penalty not exceeding $25.

V.-Coast-trade duty privileges.

Goods arriving from Chinese ports under duty-paid certificate are subject on importation to customs inspection under penalty of loss of coast-trade duty privileges.

VI.-Export manifest and customs supervision.

(a) A permit to ship will be issued by the customs for goods to be exported after they have been examined and have paid the tariff duty. No cargo may be taken on board without such customs permit, under penalty of confiscation..

(b) Duty-paid export cargo which can not be received on board ought to be reported to the customs before being relanded, in order to secure exemption from export duty when subsequently shipped.

(c) When the loading of a vessel is completed, a manifest of her outward cargo must be handed in to the customs by the master or agent. It must contain an exact account of the marks, numbers, contents, etc., of every package on board. For exhibiting a false manifest, the master is liable to a fine not exceeding $10. (d) Goods are not to be transshipped from one vessel to another without customs permit.

(e) When a vessel's clearance is applied for, her stamped permits and shipping orders are examined on board; and if they are found in order and the customs are satisfied of the correctness of the manifest and that the whole of the export duties has been paid, the customs clearance is handed to the captain and the vessel is entitled to receive back her papers from the harbor department and to leave the port.

VII.—Hours for loading and unloading vessels.

Vessels wishing to load and unload on Sundays and holidays, as well as between the hours of 6 p. m. and 6 a. m., must take out a special permit from the customs, which permit will be granted free of charge until further notice, if applied for on workdays during office hours.

Mail matter can be shipped and landed at any time without customs permit.

VIII.-Office hours.

The custom-house is open for the receipt and issue of all customs papers from Io a. m. to 4 p. m. on all days, Sundays and holidays excepted.

IX.-Appeal.

In case of appeal against confiscation imposed by the commissioner of customs, the procedure will be conducted in accordance with the spirit of the Rules for joint investigation in cases of confiscation and fine, Pekin, May 31, 1868."

X.

Above regulations apply to all merchant vessels and junks and will come into force on the 1st of July, 1899.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE IMPORTATION AND CONTROL OF OPIUM, ARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES, AND ARTICLES USED IN THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF.

I.-Opium.

(a) Import of opium.-Opium can only be imported in original chests; the importation of smaller quantities is forbidden. All opium must on arrival be reported without delay to the customs, who will supervise its transportation to the customs godown. The customs officials are entitled to stop all suspicious goods and to search the ship, in which case the captain is to render all possible assistance.

In case of contravention of this regulation, the opium will be confiscated and the ship will be liable to a fine equal to five times the value of the opium, but not under $500.

(b) Consumption of opium.-Opium for consumption in German territory must be prepared under the supervision of the Government and the customs.

When prepared, the opium is packed in tins containing 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 grams, and each tin provided with a stamp corresponding to the selling price. It can only be sold by licensed dealers, and a charge will be made for the license.

All opium found in the possession of private individuals contrary to above regulations will be confiscated, and the possessor will be fined five times the value of the opium, but not under $500. In case of nonpayment, imprisonment up to three months will be inflicted.

II.-Arms and explosives, etc.

Arms and explosives, as well as materials used in the manufacture of the same, must at once be declared on arrival and discharged and stored in accordance with harbor regulations. Powder and other explosives, as well as materials used in their manufacture, must be stored in special godowns and can not be delivered without permit from the harbor department. Storage will be charged for.

Arms must be stored in the customs godown and can not be delivered without permit from the harbor department. A charge will be made for storage.

Retail sale of arms and powder will only be permitted to licensed dealers under special conditions as specified on the license itself, and a charge will be made for the license.

Noncompliance with these regulations makes the arms, etc., liable to confiscation and the ship to a fine not exceeding $500. Small vessels found with arms or explosives on board, contrary to these regulations, will be confiscated, and the crew, in case of nonpayment of fine, punished with imprisonment up to three months.

TSINTAU HARBOR REGULATIONS.

(1) The port of Kyao-chau Bay consists of an outer and an inner harbor. The limits of the outer or Tsintau Bay lie between a line drawn from Pile Point to the east point of Clara Bay and a line connecting Cape Evelyn with Junnisan.