Act No. 2137 CHAPTER I.

Persons who may issue receipts.

Section 1

SECTION 1. Persons who may issue receipts.—Warehouse receipts may be issued by any warehouseman.

Form of receipts; Essential terms.

Section 2

SEC 2. Form of receipts; Essential terms.—Warehouse receipts need not be in any particular form, but every such receipt must embody within its written or printed terms— (a) The location of the warehouse where the goods are stored, (b) The date of issue of the receipt, (c) The consecutive number of the receipt, (d) A statement whether the goods received will be delivered to the bearer, to a specified person, or to a specified person or his order, (e) The rate of storage charges, (f) A description of the goods or of the packages containing them, (g) The signature of the warehouseman, which may be made by his authorized agent, (h) If the receipt is issued for goods of which the warehouseman is owner, either solely or jointly or in common with others, the fact of such ownership, and (i) A statement of the amount of advances made and of liabilities incurred for which the warehouseman claims a lien. If the precise amount of such advances made or of such liabilities incurred is, at the time of the issue of the receipt, unknown to the warehouseman or to his agent who issues it, a statement of the fact that advances have been made or liabilities incurred and the purpose thereof is sufficient. A warehouseman shall be liable to any person injured thereby, for all damage caused by the omission from a negotiable receipt of any of the terms herein required.

Form of receipts; What terms may be inserted.

Section 3

SEC. 3. Form of receipts; What terms may be inserted .—A warehouseman may insert in a receipt, issued by him, any other terms and conditions: Provided, That such terms and conditions shall not— (a) Be contrary to the provisions of this Act. (b) In any wise impair his obligation to exercise that degree of care in the safe-keeping of the goods intrusted to him which a reasonably careful man would exercise in regard to similar goods of his own.

Definition of non-negotiable receipt.

Section 4

SEC. 4. Definition of non-negotiable receipt.—A receipt in which it is stated that the goods received will be delivered to the depositor, or to any other specified person, is a nonnegotiable receipt.

Definition of negotiable receipt.

Section 5

SEC. 5. Definition of negotiable receipt.—A receipt in which it is stated that the goods received will be delivered to the bearer, or to the order of any person named in such receipt is a negotiable receipt. No provision shall be inserted in a negotiable receipt that it is nonnegotiable. Such provision, if inserted, shall be void.

Duplicate receipts must be so marked.

Section 6

SEC. 6. Duplicate receipts must be so marked.—When more than Duplicate receipts, one negotiable receipt is issued for the same goods, the word "duplicate" shall be plainly placed upon the face of every such receipt, except the one first issued. A warehouseman shall be liable for all damage caused by his failure so to do to any one who purchased the subsequent receipt for value supposing it to be an original, even though the purchase be after the delivery of the goods by the warehouseman to the holder of the original receipt.

Section 7

SEC. 7. Failure to mark "Not negotiable."—A nonnegotiable receipt shall have plainly placed upon its face by the warehouseman issuing it "nonnegotiable," or "not negotiable." In case of the warehouse-man's failure so to do, a holder of the receipt who purchased it for value supposing it to be negotiable, may, at his option, treat such receipt as imposing upon the warehouseman the same liabilities he would have incurred had the receipt been negotiable. This section shall not apply, however, to letters, memoranda, or written acknowledgments of an informal character.