Basis of claim: Appearing in. Effective date: July 11, 1978. Rate issued by Regional Commissioner of Customs: Boston, August 7, 1978. (W) Company: Turbine Hispano Ogasco, Inc. (T.H.O. Inc.). Articles: Industrial gas turbines Merchandise: Imported blades, rotors, and other parts. Factory: Houston, Tex. Statement signed: June 6, 1978. Basis of claim: Used in. Effective date: January 26, 1978. Rate issued by Regional Commissioner of Customs: Houston, August 8, 1978. (X) Company: The Weatherhead Co. Basis of claim: Used in. Effective date: April 17, 1978. Rate issued by Regional Commissioner of Customs: Chicago, August 18, 1978. (Y) Company: Whitin Roberts Co., International Division. Articles: Textile machinery. Merchandise: Imported machine components. Factories: Whitinsville, Mass.; Charlotte (3) and Sanford, N.C. Statement signed: April 12, 1978. Basis of claim: Appearing in. Effective date: March 1, 1978. Amendment issued by Regional Commissioner of Customs: Boston, April 17, 1978. Amends: T.D. 67-202-M, as amended, to cover additional factories at Sanford, N.C. (Z) Company: Wiegmann & Rose International Corp. Articles: Pressure vessels and heat exchangers. Merchandise: Imported heat exchange tubes. Factory: Richmond, Calif. Statement signed: August 14, 1978. Basis of claim: Used in. Effective date: August 1, 1976. Amendment issued by Regional Commissioner of Customs: San Francisco, September 6, 1978. Amends: T.D. 76-327-S, to provide for change in name from Wiegmann & Rose Machine Works. (T.D. 79-3) Foreign Currencies-Variances From Quarterly Rate Rates of exchange based upon rates certified to the Secretary of the Treasury by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York The following rates of exchange are based upon rates certified to the Secretary of the Treasury by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, pursuant to section 522 (c), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (31 U.S.C. 372 (c)), and reflect variances of 5 per centum or more from the quarterly rate published in T.D. 78-382 for the following countries. Therefore, as to entries covering merchandise exported on the dates listed, whenever it is necessary for Customs purposes to convert such currency into currency of the United States, conversion shall be at the following rates: Foreign Currencies-Daily Rates for Countries not on Quarterly List Rates of exchange based on rates certified to the Secretary of the Treasury by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for the Hong Kong dollar, Iran rial, People's Republic of China yuan, Phillippines peso, Singapore dollar, Thailand baht (tical) The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, pursuant to section 522(c), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (31 U.S.C. 372(c)), has certified buying rates for the dates and foreign currencies shown below. The rates of exchange, based on these buying rates, are published for the information and use of Customs officers and others concerned pur suant to part 159, subparɩ C, Customs Regulations (19 CFR 159, Delay in effective date for mandatory use of cargo declaration forms in connection with vessel arrivals or departures AGENCY: U.S. Customs Service, Department of the Treasury. ACTION: Delay in effective date for use of cargo declaration forms. SUMMARY: Treasury Decision 77-255 provided for the mandatory use as of September 1, 1978, of newly developed cargo declaration forms in connection with vessel arrivals or departures. Because a number of ocean carriers advised Customs that mandatory use of the forms as of September 1, 1978, would work a hardship on them, Customs agreed to delay the mandatory effective date until January 1, 1979. This document extends the time for mandatory use of these forms until April 1, 1979, to allow time for consideration of a possible amendment to the Customs Regulations to simplify procedures relating to the reporting of bill of lading numbers of containerized cargo on one of the new forms and to give carriers additional time to comply with the new requirements. EFFECTIVE DATE: The use of the cargo declaration, Customs form 1302, and the cargo declaration outward with commercial forms, Customs form 1302-A, shall be mandatory as of April 1, 1979. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald H. Reusch, Carriers, Drawback and Bonds Division, U.S. Customs Service, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20229; 202-566-5706. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BACKGROUND Treasury Decision 77-255, published in the Federal Register on October 25, 1977 (42 F.R. 56317), amended part 4, Customs Regulations (19 CFR pt. 4), to provide for newly developed cargo declaration forms in connection with vessel arrivals or departures and to establish procedures for their use. The forms, the cargo declaration, Customs form 1302, and the cargo declaration outward with commercial forms, Customs form 1302-A, follow a format developed by the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization, as modified by the International Chamber of Shipping. Their development implements an agreement made by the United States when it ratified the Convention of Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic to use standardized international forms in connection with vessel arrivals or departures to the extent that the forms satisfy U.S. legal requirements. The purpose of the new forms is to simplify paperwork without reducing effective Customs control over vessel movements. T.D. 77-255 provided for the use of the forms any time after October 25, 1977, and for their mandatory use as of September 1, 1978. However, a number of U.S. ocean carriers advised Customs that mandatory use of the forms as of September 1, 1978, would impose a hardship and requested that they be given additional time to comply with the new requirements. After consideration of these requests, by Treasury Decision 78-291, published in the Federal Register on August 18, 1978 (43 F.R. 36621), Customs delayed the effective date for mandatory use of the forms until January 1, 1979. REPORTING OF BILL OF LADING NUMBERS FOR CONTAINERIZED CARGO Section 4.7a (c) (2), Customs Regulations (19 CFR 4.7a (c) (2)), as amended by T.D. 77-255, provides that: (1) All bills of lading for inward foreign cargo shipped in containers shall be listed in numerical sequence on Customs form 1302; (2) the number of the container which contains the cargo covered by that bill of lading and the container seal number shall be listed opposite the bill of lading number; and (3) the number of any other bill of lading for cargo in that container also shall be listed immediately under the container and seal numbers. Therefore, for containers with merchandise covered by more than one bill of lading number, the same bill of lading numbers must be listed more than once on Customs form 1302. Because multiple listings of the same bill of lading number impose a burden on carriers without corresponding benefit to Customs, a simplified alternative is being developed to eliminate the need to report bill of lading numbers more than once on Customs form 1302. The alternative procedure, if adopted, will be the subject of an amendment to section 4.7a (c) (2), Customs Regulations, published in the Federal Register and the CUSTOMS BULLETIN in the near future. REQUEST FOR FURTHER DELAY IN EFFECTIVE DATE Customs has been requested, on behalf of an association of U.S. ocean carriers, to delay further, until April 1, 1979, the mandatory date for use of the new forms. The delay is requested to permit consideration of the amendment to section 4.7a (c) (2), Customs Regulations, described above, and to provide carriers additional time to comply with the new requirements. DELAY IN MANDATORY EFFECTIVE DATE After considering this request, Customs is delaying the date for mandatory use of Customs form 1302 and Customs form 1302-A until April 1, 1979. No further extensions of the time for mandatory use of the forms will be granted. DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this document was Mark Jenkins, Regulations and Legal Publications Division, Office of Regulations and Rulings, U.S. Customs Service. However, personnel from other Customs offices participated in its development. Dated: December 21, 1978. R. E. CHASEN, Commissioner of Customs. |