There is a government regulation that an importer who does not wish to
pay immediately the customs duties on his goods may have them stored
in a warehouse, provided he furnish a bond with a surety that he will
pay the duty within three years or export the goods to some other
country. It is also a requisite that the goods be deposited in a
bonded warehouse in the care and custody of its proprietor, who also
must furnish the government with a bond of indemnity. The bond of the
proprietor is a general bond and usually covers what might be
considered a fair amount of total values due the government at any
time. Officers of the United States are stationed at the bonded
warehouse during business hours. These are there in evidence of the
government's proprietary interest in the merchandise stored. When an
importer makes entry at the custom house for bonding his goods, he at
that time provides the security required.
By a recent decision of the Treasury Department at Washington goods in
bond are in the joint custody of the United States government and the
proprietor of the warehouse, and after the government has received its
customs duties for the goods they are in the proprietor's sole
possession. The government cannot interfere to enforce delivery of the
goods to the importer. The claim of the warehouse proprietor for
storage charges becomes a first lien after the government's claim is
satisfied. When the importer has paid both customs and storage charges
he is privileged to remove his goods.