in which such port is situated, and shall upon the passage of this act, and from time to time thereafter as often as it may become necessary by reason of changes in the laws of the foreign countries above mentioned, indicate by proclamation the ports to which such suspension shall apply, and the rate or rates of tonnage duty, if any, to be collected under such suspension:

"Provided further, That such proclamation shall exclude from the benefits of the suspension herein authorized the vessels of any foreign country in whose ports the fees or dues of any kind or nature imposed on vessels of the United States, or the import or export duties on their cargoes, are in excess of the fee, dues, or duties imposed on the vessels of such country or on the cargoes of such vessels:

But this proviso shall not be held to be inconsistent with the special regulation by foreign countries of duties and other charges on their own vessels, and the cargoes thereof, engaged in their coasting trade, or with the existence between such countries and other states of reciprocal stipulations founded on special conditions and equivalents, and thus not within the treatment of American vessels under the most-favored-nation clause in treaties between the United States and such countries. "And sections forty-two hundred and twenty-three and forty-two hundred and twenty-four, and so much of section forty-two hundred and nineteen of the Revised Statutes as conflicts with this section, are hereby repealed.

"SEC. 12. That the President be, and hereby is, directed to cause the governments of foreign countries which, at any of their ports, impose on American vessels a tonnage tax or light-house dues, or other equivalent tax or taxes, or any other fees, charges, or dues, to be informed of the provisions of the preceding section, and invited to cooperate with the Government of the United States in abolishing all light-house dues, tonnage taxes, or other equivalent tax or taxes on, and also all other fees for official services to, the vessels of the respective nations employed in the trade between the ports of such foreign country and the ports of the United States." Under the authority and within the limitations prescribed by this act the President, on May 2 of the last fiscal year, issued his proclamation exempting from tonnage taxes vessels coming from the Island of Grenada, the colonial government of that island having first abolished taxes on American vessels entering its ports. From time to time, by proclamation of the President, vessels from the following ports, islands, and countries have been declared exempt from tonnage taxes:

Aspinwall and Panama, United States of Colombia; Island Montserrat, West Indies; Ontario and San Juan and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, January 31, 1885; Greytown, Nicaragua, February 26, 1885; Island of Trinidad, West Indies, April 7, 1885; Boca del Toro, September 9, 1885.

All ports in Europe of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and free ports in Dutch East Indies, April 22, 1887.

All ports of the German Empire, January 26, 1888.

Guadeloupe, April 16, 1888; Island of Tobago, December 2, 1891; Grenada, May 2,

1894.

The tonnage tax collected during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1895, amounted to $523,344.61. The collections during the ten previous fiscal years have been:

The amount collected from steam vessels was $362,123.98, and the number of entries at which the tax was collected 4,419, compared with $374,891.13 collected during the previous year on 4,756 entries. The amount collected from sail vessels was $160,109.55, and the number of entries 7,539, compared with $163,091.94 collected during the previous year on 7,572 entries. Of the total collections $69,316 were paid by American vessels, compared with $72,849 during the previous year, and $344,637 by vessels under the British flag, compared with $351,921 during the previous year. The distinction between 6 per cent ports and 3 per cent ports is geographical, not national. Collections from the former amounted to $422,284, compared with $436,310 for the previous year, and from the latter to $113,816, compared with $115,821 for the previous year. The collections at New York were $187,051, compared with $199,471 for the previous year; Philadelphia $47,522, compared with $51,700. Table 1 shows collections according to flag, steam or sail, and rate, and Table 2 gives the collections by ports,

Italy

104 12

9, 060.57

80.67

8

146. 70

13

227.37

43

1,779.42

43

1, 779. 42

48

1,860. 09

8

146.70

56

2,006. 79

Austria

France

51.57

63.30 22

Russia

Hawaii.

15

419. 61

TABLE 2.-Tonnage tax-collections at the various ports during the fiscal year ended June

30, 1895.

TABLE 2.-Tonnage tax-collections at the various ports, etc.-Continued.

NOTE.-Amount actually received in the Treasury during the fiscal year was $521,240.78.

The following tables, illustrating the inequality of reciprocal tonnage tax exemp tions, show the number of entries of American and foreign vessels, steam and sail, from countries, vessels from which enjoy immunity from tonnage tax in the United States, for each year since the arrangement has been in effect:

FROM UNITED STATES OF COLOMBIA (COLON AND BOCAS DEL TORO, BARRANQUILLA