The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-30

wines, the purity and high qualities of which
have been attested. Already they meet with
popular acceptance, which has brought about
a reduction of imports and gradual abandon
ment of the importing trade. The growth OF
American vitculture is shown by statistics OF
the industry In California, as presented by the
San Francisco Chronicle:
Ten years ago the yield of California claret
was from 100000 to OO,OO0 gallons; last year the
claret vintage must have reached 3,UOO,OOO gal
Ions. Ten years ago there were 5000 or 6OOO
cases Of champagne made in this State; five
years ago there were 5000 and last year there
were 1900 cases. The vintage for the State
last year has been estimated as high as lO,Oo,-
600 gallons the lowest being 100000; while an
other authority estimates the California wine
and grape product for 1882 as representing a
money value of S4,5OO,OW.
The import trade has been seriously Grip
pied by the tariff revision, and may be still
more seriously injured by the adoption OF
policy of retaliation. France has unJustly
prohibited the importation of American Pork'
so has Germany. In both instances the &C
ton was taken under the plea of public health,
but some of the Berlin press does not hesitate
to assert that the real reason was the protec-
ton of home industry, and Consul Wilson
says that was the reason in France where it,
in effect, protects French pork manufacturers,
continued, as it has been, when every ex-
PLANTATION and proof as to healthfulness and
cleanliness has been made public" He
adds:
The evil effects nf adulterated wines and Ii
quOrs in France might be compared with those
charged by France to trichinOsis in American
pork. The magnitude of the one and the in
significance of the other will be apparent on
moments consideration. If
the policy of reprisal shall be adopted by the
United States and placed, as was the prohihi-
bition of pork in France, on the score of pub
lie health the choice of wines and liquors as
its subjects would seem to be justified to such
extent as that France could be estopped from
making any complaint.
have found certain evidence, consisting OF
official communications and reports made by
the Chamber of Commerce of this city, which
represents large pork interest, to the minis
ter of agriculture and commerce at Paris.
which consider to be newly discovered and
highly valuable. 1t declares the inability OF
the French pork manufacturers to compete
with the like industry of the United States. 1t
charges their failures to the competition from
the United States, and says plainly that If the
administration does not desire the disappear
ance of this industry from France, it must aid
the pork manufacturers by such action as will
finder, if not prevent, the Ito them idetrimen-
tai importatiOns from the United States.
|, of course, cannot know that it was in ans
wer to these appeals that the minister issued
the decree prohibiting the entry of American
pork into France, but it is fair subject for
argument If this was true it shows that the
decree was passed more in the interest of the
pork manufacturers than for the benefit of the
public health.
The Government trade reports show that
$751;, SOC, 200 represents the pork trade with
France in the course of the eight years just
previous to the prohibitory decree, and figures
procured from the Nantes Chamber of Com
merce by the National Republican prove that
the difference in price in favor of American
lard and pork was 81 69 francs per 100 kilo-
grams of pork or SS,4Io, I79 for I32,69t54o
Kilograms; and 40 francs per 100 Kilograms of
lard or ST. 5,S44,49o per I9S, o56, 90 Kilograms
the number of Kilograms representing the
quantities of lard and pork used-a total of
$24, Cog which French consumers have
paid in premiums to dealers.
We have no late statistics of the pork trade
of Germany but what has been said of France
may be considered true as to Germany. All
the facts show PROFESSIONALLY that the policy
of the two countries is not one dictated by
solicitude for the health of the people but for
the state Of their exchequer. This being the
case we should not be backward in prevent
ing to some extent the importation of foreign
wines. True we, have no native Chateau Lafitte
nor Chateau Larose but we have the Black Bur-
gundy of Santa Clara, wine Of peculiarly
rich favor, the Carbono, another choice wine,
Malbec, Mataro and Cabernet, Zinfandel, the
common wine OF California, and in white
wines the Rieslings, pre-eminent in piquancy,
the Angelica, celebrated for its fruitiness, and
the Berger and Chesselas, California products
steadily growing in favor. Of course, were a
reprisal policy adopted there would continue
to be more or less importation of foreign wines
of the best qualities but we should not suffer
from the deleterious effects of the cheap and
adulterated.