Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) are duty-free, quota-free, secured areas in a designated customs “port of entry,” considered outside U. S. Customs territory and exempt from customs tariffs. The FTZ program was established in 1934 to stimulate economic growth and development in the United States by lowering the cost of international trade.
In this image M. A. Holderby, deputy collector of customs, left, and Ben Potter, deputy collector in charge, inspect a shipment of Japanese-made eye glass lenses. The large crate at the left of the frame contains accordions from Italy, and the crate at the right holds papier mache products from Germany. Seattle's FTZ, located at the Duwamish East Waterway Terminal, Pier 20, had only recently opened in September 1949, and had already processed more than 500,000 pounds of freight.
Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ by a month or more): March 3, 1950
Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, December 20, 1949, page 19 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff.
ID Number: 1986.5.3508.1
Date: 1950
Physical Description: 1 acetate negative : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
