                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
 
                      CHAPTER 4--TARIFF ACT OF 1930
 
                 SUBTITLE III--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
 
     Part IV--Transportation in Bond and Warehousing of Merchandise
 
Sec. 1559. Warehouse goods deemed abandoned after 5 years

    Merchandise upon which any duties or charges are unpaid, remaining 
in bonded warehouse beyond 5 years from the date of importation, shall 
be regarded as abandoned to the Government and shall be sold under such 
regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, and the 
proceeds of sale paid into the Treasury, as in the case of unclaimed 
merchandise covered by section 1493 of this title, subject to the 
payment to the owner or consignee of such amount, if any, as shall 
remain after deduction of duties, charges, and expenses. Merchandise 
upon which all duties and charges have been paid, remaining in bonded 
warehouse beyond 5 years from the date of importation, shall be held to 
be no longer in the custody or control of the officers of the customs.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, Sec. 559, 46 Stat. 744; June 25, 
1938, ch. 679, Sec. 23(a), 52 Stat. 1088; Pub. L. 95-410, title I, 
Sec. 108(b)(1), Oct. 3, 1978, 92 Stat. 892.)


                            Prior Provisions

    Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act 
Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, Sec. 559, 42 Stat. 977. That section 
was superseded by section 559 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this 
section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.
    Prior provisions that goods, remaining in public store or bonded 
warehouse beyond three years, should be regarded as abandoned and sold, 
and the proceeds paid into the Treasury, and that the Secretary might 
pay the proceeds to the owner, etc., after deducting duties, charges and 
expenses, were contained in R.S. Secs. 2971 and 2972, prior to repeal by 
act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, Sec. 642, 42 Stat. 989.


                               Amendments

    1978--Pub. L. 95-410 substituted ``5 years'' for ``three years'' 
wherever appearing.
    1938--Act June 25, 1938, struck out ``(or ten months in the case of 
grain)'' wherever appearing.


                    Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

    Period of time prior to Oct. 3, 1978, disregarded in application of 
amendment to merchandise in bonded warehouse, see section 108(b)(1) of 
Pub. L. 95-410, set out as a note under section 1557 of this title.


                    Effective Date of 1938 Amendment

    Section 23(b) of act June 25, 1938, provided as follows: ``The 
amendments made by subsection (a) of this section [amending this 
section] shall apply in the case of grain imported prior to the 
effective date of this act [see note set out under section 1401 of this 
title] which, on such date, has not become abandoned to the Government 
under section 491 or 559 of the Tariff Act of 1930 [section 1491 or 1559 
of this title], and which has remained in the custody of customs 
officers.''


                     Extension of Three-Year Period

    For extension of three year period prescribed in this section, see 
Proc. No. 2948, Oct. 12, 1951, 16 F.R. 10589, 65 Stat. c41, set out as a 
note under section 1318 of this title.
    Proc. No. 2599, Nov. 6, 1943, 8 F.R. 15359, 57 Stat. 758, as amended 
by Proc. No. 2712, Dec. 4, 1946, 11 F.R. 14133, 61 Stat. 1047, was 
superseded by Proc. No. 2948, Oct. 12, 1951, 16 F.R. 10589, 65 Stat. 
c41.


                             Appropriations

    Section 2 of act June 26, 1934, ch. 756, 48 Stat. 1225, which was 
classified to section 725a of former Title 31, Money and Finance, 
repealed the permanent appropriation under the title ``Refunding 
proceeds of unclaimed merchandise (Customs) (2x326)'' effective July 1, 
1935, and provided that such portions of any Acts as make permanent 
appropriations to be expended under such account are amended so as to 
authorize, in lieu thereof, annual appropriations from the general fund 
of the Treasury in identical terms and in such amounts as now provided 
by the laws providing such permanent appropriations.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1491 of this title.
