In the period after fall of November Uprising of 1830/1831 (i.e. during so-called Paskievich epoch) authorities of Kingdom of Poland signed a new trade agreement with (established by Congress of Vienna in 1815) Free City of Cracow. This treaty was signed on 1stof July1834.
The above mentioned agreement was signed to be in force for eight years; starting its duration on the last day of June 1834, and ending on May 31, 1842. Warsaw’s main governing body - Administrative Council - approved the agreement itself on 29th of July 1834.
Signed in July of 1834 Polish-Cracovian agreement contained only minor differences compared to its original text from preinsurrecional period.
At the same time to Polish – Cracovian trade convention both sides attached:
a) customs tariff applicable to products/goods made in Free City of Cracow,
b) rules specifying the way of iuusing certificates of origin of Cracow (genuity certificates), which would eventually allow crossing of goods through Cracovian border with the Kingdom of Poland,
c) contract for leasing of incom generated from proceeds of exclusive distribution of salt in the Free City of Krakow and in its District.
In general (but obviously with some exceptions) the customs tariff was raised to the height now typical in common external trade of both Russian Empire and Kingdom of Poland. This solution was carried out to "/... /avioding the Cracow trade any advantages over the trade of the Empire and the Kingdom".
Therefore, in the new Polish-Cracovian tariff introduced small number of articles, "/ ... / which City of Cracow’s industry began to produce in recent years, with such a big customs tariff on them that they could not be obstacle to industry of the (Russian) Empire and the Kingdom (of Poland)”
On the basis of treaty of 1st of July 1834, Polish Customs Chamber in Cracow was now additionally entitled for final "dispatching" to - located on Polish territory - Cracow Voievodeship (province) any foreign goods passing on their way to Poland through the Free City. With such a solution inforced, the local border trade could be carried out more rapidly.
There were small changes in the location of customs chamber, located directly on Polish – Cracovian border.
Also, according to provisions of the treaty, the government of Cracow"/…/ for the sake of saving Treasury of Kingdom of Poland from any potential loses derived from unofficial salt smuggling to Poland" granted for Polish authorities for another eight years the exclusive privilege to sell this article (i.e.salt), in the District of Cracow itself at designated price. This was combined with payment of a specific “flat fee” by Treasury of Kingdom of Poland in an amount of 332 thousand. Polish zlotys a year. This charge was higher by 47 thousand of Polish zlotys from this previously established, ie during the preinsurrecional period.
The Second Council of State of the Kingdom of Poland (1833-1841) in its report dated 1836, believed on this occasion that above all the conclusion of a new Polish-Cracovian trade convention provided the introduction of new measures, mostly effective against any defraudantom (especially of salt).
@Copyright Marek Rutkowski
