COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Unit of Quantity Requirement for Textile and Apparel Products Produced or Manufactured in Various Countries

November 30, 1998.

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).


ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs requiring visa quantities be in whole numbers only.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1999.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian F. Fennessy, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-3400.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:


Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended.


The United States Government has notified all countries with visa arrangements with the United States of the requirement to issue visas in whole numbers. Shipments of textile and apparel products subject to visa arrangements are charged by U.S. Customs Service using whole numbers only. Quantities stated in decimals or fractions will not be accepted. Shipment quantities not in whole units must be reported as a whole number on the visa, as follows:

1.Shipments of less than a single whole unit must be reported as ``one'' whole unit;
2.Shipment quantities over one whole unit, may be rounded up or down to a whole number. Quantities one-half of a whole unit or higher must be rounded up. Shipment quantities of less than one-half of a whole unit may be rounded down.

In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to require that the quantity stated on the visa be listed in whole numbers only.

Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.



Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements November 30, 1998.


Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.


Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); and Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, the United States Government has notified all countries with visa arrangements with the United States of the requirement to issue visas in whole numbers.

Effective on January 1, 1999, you are directed to require that shipment quantities of textile and apparel products entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption into the United States (i.e., the 50 States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) be stated on the visa in whole numbers only. Quantities stated in decimals or fractions will not be accepted. Shipment quantities not in whole units must be reported as a whole number on the visa, as follows:

1.Shipments of less than a single whole unit must be reported as ``one'' whole unit;

2.Shipment quantities over one whole unit, may be rounded up or down to a whole number. Quantities one-half of a whole unit or higher must be rounded up. Shipment quantities of less than one-half of a whole unit may be rounded down.


The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-0000 Filed 0-00-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F