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

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.

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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

[[Page 67054]]

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. 98-32356 Filed 12-3-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F