SEC. 42. That any producer of pure sweet wines, who is also a distiller, authorized to separate from fermented grape-juice, under internal-revenue laws, wine spirits, may use, free of tax, in the preparation of such sweet wines, under such regulations and after the filing of such notices and bonds, together with the keeping of such records and the rendition of such reports as to materials and products, as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, so much of such wine spirits so separated by him as may be necessary to fortify the wine for the preservation of the saccharine matter contained therein: Provided, That the wine spirits so used free of tax shall not be in excess of the amount required to introduce into such sweet wines in alcoholic strength equal to fourteen per centum of the volume of such wines after such use: Provided further, That such wine containing after such fortification more than twenty-four per centum of alcohol, as defined by section thirty-two hundred and forty-nine of the Revised Statutes, shall be forfeited to the United States: Provided further, That such use of wine spirits free from tax shall be confined to the months of August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March, and April of each year. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in determining the liability of any distiller of fermented grape-juice to assessment under section thirty-three hundred and nine of the Revised Statutes, is authorized to allow such distiller credit in his computation for the wine spirits used by him in preparing sweet wine under the provisions of this section. New matter. SEC. 43. That the wine spirits mentioned in section fifty-three of this act is the product resulting from the distillation of fermented grape juice, and shall be held to include the product commonly known as grape brandy; and the pure sweet wine which may be fortified free of tax, as provided in said section, is fermented grapejuice only, and shall contain no other substance of any kind whatever introduced before, at the time of, or after fermentation, and such sweet wine shall contain not less than four per centum of saccharine matter, which saccharine strength may be determined by testing, with Balling's saccharometer or must-scale, such sweet-wine, after the evaporation of the spirit contained therein, and restoring the sample tested to original volume by addition of water. New matter. SEC. 44. That any person who shall use wine spirits, as defined by section fifty-four of this act, or other spirits on which the internalrevenue tax has not been paid, otherwise than within the limitations set forth in section fifty-five of this act, and in accordance with the regulations made pursuant to this act, shall be liable to a penalty of double the amount of the tax on the wine spirits or other spirits so unlawfully used. Whenever it is impracticable in any case to ascertain the quantity of wine spirits or other spirits that have been used in violation of this act in mixtures with any wines, all alcohol contained in such unlawful mixtures of wine with wine spirits or other spirits in excess of ten per centum shall be held to be unlawfully used: Provided, however, That if water has been added to such unlawful mixtures, either before, at the time of, or after such unlawful use of wine-spirits or other spirits, all the alcohol contained therein shall be considered to have been unlawfully used. In ence to alcoholic strength of wines and mixtures of wines with spirits in this act the measurement is intended to be according to volume and not according to weight. New matter. SEC. 45. That under such regulations and official supervision, and upon the execution of such entries and the giving of such bonds, bills of lading, and other security as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prescribe, any producer of pure sweet wines as defined by this act inay withdraw wine spirits from any special bonded ware-house free of tax, in original packages, in any quantity not less than eighty wine-gallons, and may use so much of the same as may be required by him, under such regulations, and after the filing of such notices and bonds, and the keeping of such records, and the rendition of such reports as to materials and products and the disposition of the same as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prescribe, in fortifying the pure sweet wines made by him, and for no other purpose, in accordance with the limitations and provisions as to uses, amount to be used, and period for using the same set forth in section fifty-three of this act; and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, is authorized, whenever he shall deem it to be necessary for the prevention of violations of this law, to prescribe that wine-spirits withdrawn under this section shall not be used to fortify wines except at a certain distance prescribed by him from any distillery, rectifying-house, winery, or other establishment used for producing or storing distilled spirits, or for making or storing wines other than wines which are so fortified, and that in the building in which such fortification of wines is practiced no wines or spirits other than those permitted by his regulation shall be stored. The use of wine-spirits free of tax for the fortification of sweet wines under this act shall be begun and completed at the vineyard of the wine-grower where the grapes are crushed and the grape juice is expressed and fermented, such use to be under the immediate supervision of an officer of internal revenue, who shall make returns describing the kinds and quantities of wine so fortified, and shall affix such stamps and seals to the packages containing such wines as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury; and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue shall provide by regulations the time within which wines so fortified with the wine spirits so withdrawn may be subject to inspection, and for final accounting for the use of such wine-spirits and for rewarehousing or for payment of the tax on any portion of such wine spirits which remain not used in fortifying pure sweet wines. New matter. SEC. 46. That wine-spirits may be withdrawn from special bonded warehouses at the instance of any person desiring to use the same to fortify any wines, in accordance with commercial demands of foreign markets, when such wines are intended for exportation, without the payment of tax on the amount of wine spirits used in such fortification, under such regulations, and after making such entries, and executing and filing with the collector of the district from which the removal is to be made such bonds and bills of lading, and giving such other add security to prevent the use of such wine-spirits free of tax otherwise than in the fortification of wine intended for exportation, and for the due exportation of the wine so fortified, as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury; and all of the provisions of law governing the exportation of distilled spirits free of tax, so far as applicable, shall apply to the withdrawal and use of wine-spirits and the exportation of the same in accordance with this section; and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue is authorized, subject to approval by the Secretary of the Treasury, to prescribe that wine-spirits intended for the fortification of wines under this section shall not be introduced into such wines except under the immediate supervision of an officer of internal revenue, who shall make returns describing the kinds and quantities of wine so fortified, and shall affix such stamps and seals to the packages containing such wines as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Whenever such wine-spirits are withdrawn as provided herein for the fortification of wines intended for exportation by sea they shall be introduced into such wines only after removal from storage and arrival alongside of the vessel which is to transport the same; and whenever transportation of such wines is to be effected by land carriage the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prescribe such regulations as to sealing packages and vehicles containing the same, and as to the supervision of transportation from the point of departure, which point shall be determined as the place where such wine-spirits may be introduced into such wines to the point of destination as may be necessary to insure the due exportation of such fortified wines. New matter. SEC. 47. That all provisions of law relating to the re-importation of any goods of domestic growth or manufacture which were originally liable to an internal-revenue tax shall be, as far as applicable, enforced against any domestic wines sought to be re-imported; and duty shall be levied and collected upon the same when re-imported, as an original importation. New matter. SEC. 48. That any person using wine spirits or other spirits which have not been tax-paid in fortifying wine otherwise than as provided for in this act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished for each offense by a fine of not more than two thousand dollars, and for every offense other than the first also by imprisonment for not more than one year. SEC. 49, That wine spirits used in fortifying wines may be recovered from such wine only on the premises of a duly authorized grapebrandy distiller; and for the purpose of such recovery wines so fortified may be received as material on the premises of such a distiller, on a special permit of the collector of internal revenue in whose district the distillery is located; and the distiller will be held to pay the tax on a product from such wines as will include both the alcoholic strength therein produced by the fermentation of the grape-juice and that obtained from the added distilled spirits. New matter. SEC. 50. That on and after the day when this act shall go into effect all goods, wares, and merchandise previously imported, for which no entry has been made, and all goods, wares, and merchan dise previously entered without payment of duty and under bond for warehousing, transportation, or any other purpose, for which no permit of delivery to the importer or his agent has been issued, shall be subjected to no other duty upon the entry or the withdrawal thereof than if the same were imported respectively after that day: Provided, That any imported merchandise deposited in bond in any public or private bonded warehouse having been so deposited prior to the first day of October, eighteen hundred and ninety, may be withdrawn for consumption at any time prior to February first, eighteen hundred and ninety-one,upon the payment of duties at the rates in force prior to the passage of this act: Provided further, That when duties are based upon the weight of merchandise deposited in any public or private bonded warehouse said duties shall be levied and collected upon the weight of such merchandise at the time of its withdrawal. SEC. 51. That all goods, wares, articles, and merchandise manufactured wholly or in part in any foreign country by convict labor, shall not be entitled to entry at any of the ports of the United States, and the importation thereof is hereby prohibited, and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to prescribe such regulations as may be necessary for the enforcement of this provision. New matter. SEC. 52. That the value of foreign coin as expressed in the money of account of the United States shall be that of the pure metal of such coin of standard value; and the values of the standard coins in circulation of the various nations of the world shall be estimated quarterly by the Director of the Mint, and be proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury immediately after the passage of this act and thereafter quarterly on the first day of January, April, July and October in each year. Old law provided for annual estimation and proclamation. SEC. 53. That all special taxes shall become due on the first day of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, and on the first day of July in each year thereafter, or on commencing any trade or business on which such tax is imposed. In the former case the tax shall be reckoned for one year; and in the latter case it shall be reckoned proportionately, from the first day of the month in which the liability to a special tax commenced to the first day of July following. Special tax stamps may be issued for the months of May and June, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, upon payment of the amount of tax reckoned proportionately under the laws now in force, and such stamps which have been or may be issued for the period ending April thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety, may, upon payment of one-sixth of the amount required to be paid for such stamps for one year, be extended until July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, under such regulations as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. And it shall be the duty of special tax payers to render their returns to the deputy collector at such times within the calendar month in which the special tax liability commenced as shall enable him to receive such returns, duly signed and verified, not later than the last day of the month, except in case of sickness or absence, as provided for in section three thousand one hundred and seventy-six of the Revised Statutes. SEC. 54. That section twenty of the act entitled "An act to simplify the laws in relation to the collection of revenues," approved June tenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 20. That any merchandise deposited in bond in any public or private bonded-warehouse may be withdrawn for consumption within three years from the date of original importation, on payment of the duties and charges to which it may be subject by law at the time of such withdrawal: Provided, That nothing herein shall affect or impair existing provisions of law in regard to the disposal of perishable or explosive articles." SEC. 55. That all laws and parts of laws inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed: Provided, however, That the repeal of existing laws, or modifications thereof, embraced in this act shall not affect any act done or any right accruing or accrued, or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil cause before the said repeal or modifications, but all rights and liabilities under said laws shall continue and may be enforced in the same manner as if said repeal or modification had not been made. Any offenses committed, and all penalties or forfeitures or liabilities incurred under any statute embraced in, or changed, modified, or repealed by this act may be prosecuted and punished, in the same manner and with the same effect as if this act had not been passed. All acts of limitation, whether applicable to civil causes and proceedings or to the prosecution of offenses, or for the recovery of penalties or forfeitures, embraced in, or modified, changed, or repealed by this act, shall not be affected thereby, and all suits, proceedings, or prosecutions, whether civil or criminal, for causes arrising or acts done or committed prior to the passage of this act may be commenced and prosecuted within the same time and with the same effect as if this act had not been passed. 9006-8 |