December 21 1898
CHAP. 31—An Act Providing for a national exposition of American products and manufactures at the city of Philadelphia, for the encouragement of the export trade.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America. in Congress assembled, National Expositon of American products etc., Philadelphia, Pa. That there shall be held a national exposition of American products and manufactures, suitable for export, at the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, in the year eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, under the auspices of the Philadelphia Exposition Association; and that there may be admitted to said exposition such articles not of American manufacture and such other objects as may conduce to the interest of the exposition and may be useful for comparison with American products and manufactures:
Proviso—Liability of United States for limited.Provided, That the United States shall not be liable for any of theexpenses attending or incident to Such an exposition, nor by reason of the same, further than hereinafter provided for.
Imports for exposition admitted free of duty.
Sec. 2 That all articles which shall be imported from foreign countries for the sole purpose of exhibition at said exposition, upon which
there shall be at tariff or customs duty, shall be admitted free of payment of duty, customs fees, or charges, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe;
—subsequent sale of
but it shall be lawful at any time during the exhibition to sell, for delivery at the close thereof, any
goods or property imported for and actually on exhibition in the exhibition building, or on the grounds, subiect to such regulation for the
security of the revenue and for the collection of import duties as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe:
Proviso
—duty on
Provided, That all such arti-
cles when sold or withdrawn for consumption in the United States shall
be subject to the duty, if any, imposed upon such articles by the reve-
nue laws in force at the date of importation; and all penalties prescribed by the law shall be applied and enforced against the persons
who may be guilty of any illegal sale or withdrawal.
Appropriation for collection foreign merchandise exhibits. Sec. 3 That for the purpose of enabling the collection in foreign markets of samples of merchandise of the character in favor and demand therein, of illustrating the manner in which merchandise for such markets should be prepared and packed, together with necessary business data concerning said samples to be displayed at the said exposition for the instruction and benefit of American manufacturers and merchants, and thereby laying the foundation of am great system of national commercial education, there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise approprinted,to the board of trustees of the Philadelphia Museums the sum of fifty thousand dollars:
Proviso.
—limitations.
Provided, That this sum shall be expended only for the purposes set
torth in this section. and the samples of merchandise so collected shall
become the property of said Philadelphia Museums.
Consular service to co-operate.
The Department
of state is hereby directed to cooperate in this work, through the cousulur service of the United States, in such at manner as may be agreed
upon by conference between the Secretary of State and the trustees
and others of the exposition association.
Appropriation for building Government exhibit.
Sec. 4 That to aid in providing buildings necessary for the purposes
of the exposition (soul buildings to be erected on lands set aside by the
city of Philadelphia for the board of trustees of the Philadelphia
Museums, and after the close of the exposition to be available for one
or more of the various purposes of the Philadelphia Museums corporation. as set forth in its charter), and for the purpose of collecting,
installing, and caring for such an exhibit by the United States Government as may be found expedient and desirable, there is hereby appropriated, out of any money not otherwise appropriated, to the said Philadelphia Exposition Association the sum of three hundred thousand
dollars:
Proviso
—subscriptions to equal appropriation.
Provided, That no liability against the Government shall be
incurred, and no payments of money under this section shall he made,
until the officers of said exposition shall have furnished the Secretary
of the Treasury proofs to his satisfaction that there have been obtained
by said board of trustees of the Philadelphia. Museums and said Philadelphia Exposition Association, in good faith, subscriptions, contribu-
