Executive Order 167

Paragraph 692 of the consular regulations is hereby amended by striking out the words, "The date of shipment is determined for this purpose by the date of the bill of lading, if there is one; otherwise, by the consular certificate to the invoice (S. 14910)," and the words, "A consular currency certificate is not required when the invoice is stated in coin not included in the Secretary of the Treasury's quarterly statement of values. The customs officers at the port of entry will in such cases ascertain from the most available sources the value of the coin in the money of the United States (S. 2909)," and by the addition of the words, "When an invoice is certified by a consul of a nation at the time in amity with the United States, or by two respectable merchants, as provided by section 2844, Revised Statutes, the currency certificate required by section 2903, Revised Statutes, may be issued by the foreign consul or the two respectable merchants who certify the invoice," and the words, "The date of the consular certification of any invoice shall, for the purposes of this section, be considered the date of exportation (tariff of 1894, sec. 25)."

The paragraph will then read as follows:

"692. Currency Certificates.—The price of merchandise obtained by purchase must be stated in the currency actually paid therefor; and when the currency paid for purchased merchandise is depreciated, a currency certificate (Form No. 144) must be attached to the invoice showing the percentage of depreciation as compared with the corresponding standard coin currency and the value in such standard coin currency of the total amount of the depreciated currency paid for merchandise included in the invoice. (Rev. Stat., sec. 2903; S. 14287, 17252.) This certificate should show, not the value of the depreciated currency in money of account of the United States, but its value in the terms of the standard coin currency in comparison with which the currency used in the purchase is depreciated. (S. 11314, 12399, 14107, 17170.)"

"In the assessment of duty the currency of the invoice is reduced to the money of account of the United States upon the basis of the values of foreign coins at the date of shipment, as proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury for the 1st day of January, April, July, and October of each year. (Tariff of 1894, sec. 25; S. 16921.) The date of the consular certification of any invoice shall, for the purposes of this section, be considered the date of exportation. (Tariff of 1894, sec. 25.) In the absence of a currency certificate no allowance will be made for depreciated currency. (S. 15435.)

"When an invoice is certified by a consul of a nation at the time in amity with the United States, or by two respectable merchants, as provided by section 2844, Rev. Stat., the currency certificate required by section 2903, Rev. Stat., may be issued by the foreign consul or the two respectable merchants who certify the invoice.

"For statistical purposes currency certificates are required for all invoices of merchandise purchased and paid for in depreciated currency, without regard to the dutiable or nondutiable character of the merchandise. (S. 14287.)"

Theodore Roosevelt.

White House,

March 10, 1902.