458 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Reciprocity treaties of 1854 and 1873. — The principal imports of fish- 

 ery products are from the British North American Provinces, and 

 between those Provinces and the United States there have been two 

 treaties permitting- the free interchange of fishery products. The first 

 was in force from September 11, 1854, to March 17, 1866; and the 

 second, known as the Washington treaty, from July 1, 1873, to June 30, 

 1885. Information is not available to show the quantity of fish imported 

 for consumption 1 from, the Provinces during the continuance of the 

 first treaty, nor the amount of duties thereby released, but during a 

 period of 13 years preceding and following that treaty the duties col- 

 lected on imports from the provinces amounted to $3,016,091, an average 

 of $232,007 per annum. On the same basis the amount of duties 

 released by that treaty was nearly $3,000,000, but it was actually 

 much in excess of that amount. The following compilation shows the 

 estimated amount of duties remitted by the second reciprocity treaty 

 with the British North American Provinces : 



17. Statement of the value of fishery products imported for consumption free of duty under 

 the second reciprocity treaty with the British North American Provinces and the estimated 

 amount of duty remitted. 



Customs laic of August 37, 1894. — The tariff enactment of 1891 made 

 several modifications in the rates of duty exacted on fishery products 

 by the customs law of 1890. The paragraphs relating to fishery prod- 

 ucts are set forth in the following comparative form, the first column 

 containing the provisions in the law now operative and the second 

 representing the rates of duty required by the law of 1890 : 



19. Gelatin, glue, isinglass or fish glue, and pre- 

 pared fish bladders or fish sounds, 25 per 

 cent ad valorem. 



28. Cod-liver oil, 20 per cent ad valorem. 



34. Seal, herring, whale, and other fish oil not 



specially provided lor in this act, 25 per cent 



ad valorem. 

 69. Sponges, sea moss or Iceland moss, 10 per cent 



ad valorem. 



1890. 



27. Gelatin, glue, and isinglass or fish glue, val- 

 ued at not ahove 7 cents per per pound, 1 J 

 cents per pound ; valued at above 7 cents per 

 pound and not above 30 cents per pound, 25 

 per cent ad valorem; valued at above 30 

 cents per pound, 30 per cent ad valorem. 



38. Cod-liver oil, 15 cents per gallon. 



46. Seal, herring, whale, and other fish oil not 

 specially provided for in this act, 8 cents 

 per gallon. 



86. Sponges, 20 per cent ad valorem. 



■A classified statement of the imports (but not imports for consumption) from the 

 British Provinces during the continuation of the reciprocity treaty from September 

 11, 1854, to March 17, 1866, ia given in Table 6, on page 413. 



