(19595.)

Regulations for the preparation of statements of inspection certificates received

and issued.

[Circular No. 126.]

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

STEAMBOAT INSPECTION SERVICE,
OFFICE OF SUPERVISING INSPECTOR-GENERAL,

Washington, D. C., July 2, 1898. To chief officers of customs:

The following regulations are prescribed for the more perfect preparation of the statement of inspection certificates received and issued under the steamboat-inspection laws, required to be rendered by all chief officers of customs in whose collection districts inspections of steam vessels are made :

1. The statement must be rendered promptly after the expiration of each quarter, upon Cat. No. 240, and be forwarded in an envelope addressed to "The Supervising Inspector-General, Steamboat-Inspection Service, Treasury Department, Washington, D. C."

The proper blank forms and printed envelopes will be furnished upon requisition.

2. The statement must be filled out in strict accordance with these regulations. It must show the name of the collection district or port, the exact period for which it is rendered, and the place where, and the date when, it was actually signed. The indorsement spaces must also be properly filled out.

3. In case no business was transacted, the statement will be rendered on the prescribed blank form, with the report "No transactions" written across its face.

4. In the schedule are to be reported (1) the certificates brought forward from the previous quarterly statement, and (2) the certificates received at the several custom houses of the district during the period covered by the statement. They must be accounted for in one or the other of the two parts into which the schedule is divided, namely, "Inspection certificates issued" and "Certificates remaining on hand," according as they were finally disposed of or not. Those certificates which were actually issued to the master or owner of the vessel named therein, in accordance with section 4423, Revised Statutes, will be reported in the first part (columns 1 to 7, inclusive) as finally disposed of; and those which were not so issued at the close of business hours on the last day of the quarter will be reported in the second part (columns 8 and 9), to be carried into the next quarterly statement.

5. The total number of vessels and total amount of gross tonnage must be

INSPECTION CERTIFICATES ISSUED.

Every certificate issued will be reported in columns 1 to 7, inclusive. 6. In the column "Names of steamers" should be entered the name of the steamer in the exact form in which it is written in the body of the original certificate, which must conform in every respect with the official name as entered in the vessel's marine documents.

The marine documents in force at the date of the inspection are, for the purpose of the name in the inspection certificate, the standard by which the correctness of the official name is to be determined.

Should the name entered in the certificate be abbreviated or misspelled, or be otherwise erroneous in form, the inspectors of steam vessels should be notified of the fact previous to the preparation of the three certified copies, in order that they may make the appropriate correction. 7. In the column "Class of certificates granted" should be reported the character of the steamer, according to its employment, as indicated in the form of the certificate granted. The several classes are: Steamers certified on Forms 2113 and 2113), "Ocean passenger" and "Inland passenger;" on Forms 2114 and 2114, "Ferry;" on Forms 2115 and 2115, "Freight," "Towing," "Canal," "Fishing," "Lighter," "Wrecking," etc., as specified in the body of the certificate; and on Form 2116, Pleasure yacht."

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reported the date on which the three certified copies required to be given to inspected steamers were actually delivered to the master or owner, in accordance with section 4423, Revised Statutes.

The particular transaction to be reported, it will be observed, is the passing out of the certified copies from the possession of the customs officer issuing the same, not the mere preparation of them for future delivery.

Certificates having been issued, they are finally disposed of, and are not to be again reported in succeeding statements.

CERTIFICATES REMAINING ON HAND.

Every certificate not issued or otherwise not finally disposed of at the close of business hours on the last day of the quarter should be reported in columns 8 and 9.

12. The columns “Names of steamers” and “Date of receipt of certificates” should be filled out in strict accordance with regulations 6 and 10, above.

Each certificate reported as remaining on hand must be accounted for in the succeeding quarterly statements as long as it is not finally disposed of by being regularly issued or by being filed in accordance with regulations 14, below.

13. Certificates should be issued as soon as practicable after the inspection, whether the steamer remains in service or not; but should a certificate be reported more than once as remaining on hand, an explanation in a footnote must be made showing the cause of the failure of the officer of customs to issue it in due time.

14. Certificates not issued that have fully expired, or that have become absolutely useless by reason of the vessels being wrecked or other valid cause, may be finally disposed of by filing them with the permanent records of the custom house, with the facts in the case indorsed thereon. Certificates so disposed of must be reported in columns 1 to 6, inclusive, of the schedule, with a reference mark in column 7 leading to any explanatory note stating the facts in the case, substantially in the following form : "+ Certificate filed, by reason of its expiration, on 189—;" or "† Certificate filed, the vessel having been totally destroyed by fire at

189—" etc. 15. Certificates can not properly be reported in both columns 1 and 8 in the same statement.

on

GENERAL REGULATIONS.

16. No steamer will be permitted to navigate the waters of the United States without the required inspection papers, after due notice shall have been given by the customs officer that such papers are ready for delivery. Certificates should be delivered promptly, whether the steamer remains in service or not.

17. In no case will an officer of customs make alterations or changes in a certificate. Should the name or tonnage of a vessel as entered in the certificate be not in accordance with the vessel's marine documents in force at the time of inspection, the inspectors of steam vessels should be notified of the fact, in order that they may make the appropriate corrections.

The inspection certificate issued must be for the particular class for which it was inspected, and on the particular form upon which it was granted by the inspectors of steam vessels. Certificates being valid for one full year from the date of inspection, no changes in the class or character of a steamer can be made except by indorsement by the inspectors of steam vessels upon the face of the original certificate.

18. Steamers that are documented, or subject to be documented, can have their names changed only by permission of the Secretary of the Treasury, such changes to be entered on the current inspection certificates by indorsement made by the inspectors of steam vessels. In the case of undocumented steamers, the name can be changed by the owners only at the time of making application for the regular annual inspection, the new name to be given in the application and to be entered in the body of the certificate.

19. In the case of unlicensed pleasure yachts—that is, steamers of less than five tons inspected and certificated as pleasure yachts on Form 2116, but not licensed—"the inspector's certificate granted is valid by its terms only while the boat is not used to carry merchandise or passengers for hire, and collectors may accept such certificates as indicating that a boat not exceeding five tons in burden is a pleasure vessel within the meaning of the statute.” (Extract from decision of Commissioner of Navigation, dated October 12, 1885.)

20. When a statement is returned for correction or explanation, it must be corrected if an error exists; if the existence of an error is not acknowledged, a letter of explanation giving the facts in the case should be sent with the returned statement to enable the Department to reconcile the discrepancy noted.

When a statement or other document is returned for correction, the particular paper returned must be corrected if practicable. Should the preparation of a new paper to be transmitted as a substitute be rendered necessary, the old statement or other document must be sent back with it for comparison with the substitute.

JAS. A. DUMONT, Approved :

Supervising Inspector-General. O. L. SPAULDING, Acting Secretary.

(19596.)

Ground talc.

Ground talc (not commercially known as French chalk) classifiable under paragraph 97,

act of July 24, 1897, at 35 per cent ad valorem as "an article composed wholly of mineral substance."

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 2, 1898. SIR: The Department is in receipt of the decision of the Board of General Appraisers (G. A. 4179), dated the 11th ultimo, on protest 357316-918, of Ernst & Co., wherein it is held that certain ground talc is properly dutiable at the rate of 20 per cent ad valorem under section 6 of the act of July 24, 1897.

It appears that the merchandise was classified for duty as French chalk, dutiable at the rate of 1 cent per pound under paragraph 13 of the act of July 24, 1897. Reports received from the collector of customs at New York state that it is the practice at that port to assess duty on ground talc, not commercially known as chalk, at the rate of 35 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 97 of the act of July 24, 1897, as an "article composed wholly of mineral substance."

As the ground talc in this case is unquestionably a mineral substance, it is the opinion of this Department that the same is specially provided for in paragraph 97, and that resort to section 6 of the same act, which provides for nonenumerated articles, does not become necessary. In view of the unsatisfactory record, however, no appeal will be directed in this case; but you are hereby instructed to classify ground talc, of the kind herein referred to, as dutiable at the rate of 35 per cent ad valorem under paragraph 97 of the act of July 24, 1897. Respectfully, yours,

W. B. HOWELL, (7104 h.)

Assistant Secretary. COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, New Orleans, La.

(19597.)
Transportation of unappraised merchandise.

Unappraised merchandise for two or more ports may be placed in the same car.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 6, 1898. SIR: Replying to the inquiry contained in your letter of the 230 ultimo, you are informed that free goods may be placed in a car with unappraised merchandise in bond in instances where the free goods are destined for the same port as the dutiable merchandise, or for places beyond such port; but free goods for an intermediate port must not be placed in such cars. The Department perceives no objection to the lading of a car with unappraised merchandise consigned to two or more