290 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



common rule. Thus, under date of April 9, 1886, an official of the 

 Mexican National Railroad writes : " Goods destined for San Luis 

 (i. e., via railway) pay a local tax in Laredo, Mexico, but on arrival at 

 San Luis pay a municipal tax. These taxes are eternally changing, 

 and are sometimes prohibitory. Take lumber, for example. Three 

 months ago there was a municipal tax of thirty dollars per one thou- 

 sand feet. This has now been reduced to one dollar per one thousand 

 feet ; but there is no certainty that the old tax will not be restored." 

 Nor is this all. For the transit of every territorial boundary necessi- 

 tates inspection, assessment, the preparation of bills of charges, and 

 permits for entry ; and all these transactions and papers involve the 

 payment of fees, or the purchase and affixing of stamps. Thus, by 

 section 377 of the tariff law of December, 1884, it is ordained "that 

 the custom-house shall give to every individual who makes any im- 

 portation, upon the payment of duties, a certificate of the sum paid, 

 which certificate, on being presented to the administrator of the stamp- 

 office in the place of importation, shall be changed for an equal amount 

 in custom-house stamps. For this operation the interested party shall 

 pay, to the administrator of whom he receives the stamps, two per cent 

 in money (coin) of the total value of the stamps." All imports into 

 Mexico at the present time are liable, therefore, to these multiple as- 

 sessments ; and the extent to which they act as a prohibition on trade 

 may be best illustrated by a few practical examples. 



In 1885, an American gentleman, residing in the city of Mexico as 

 the representative of certain New England business interests, with a 

 view of increasing his personal comfort, induced the landlady of the 

 hotel where he resided (who, although by birth a Mexican, was of 

 Scotch parentage) to order from St. Louis an American cooking-stove, 

 with its customary adjuncts of pipes, kettles, pans, etc. In due time 

 the stove arrived ; and the following is an exact transcript of the bills 

 contingent, which were rendered and paid upon its delivery : 



Original Invoice: 



1 stove weight 282 pounds. 



1 box pipe " 69 " 



1 box stove-furniture " 86 " 



Total 43V pounds, or 1993 kilos. 



Cost in St. Louis, United States currency $26 60 



Exchange at 20 per cent 5 30 



Total $31 80 



Freight from St. Louis to city of Mexico (rail), at $3.16 per 100 



pounds $15 75 



Mexican consular fee at El Paso 4 85 



Stamps at El Paso 45 



Cartage and labor on boxes examined by custom-house at El Paso. 50 



Forwarding commission, El Paso 2 00 



Exchange 16| per cent on $7.64 freight advanced by Mexican Cen- 

 tral Railroad 1 25 



$56 60 



