Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-07-11

ally prOmDlt, their production. On the
contrary, they maintained that the free
Importation of the coarse wool would
result in large reduction in the cost of
the cheaper grades of carpets, and en-
able the manufacturers of the United
States to secure an enormous export
trade in these fabrics. 1t was also sug-
gested that the use of the coarse woods
for the purpose of adulteration in the
manufacture of clothing might be pre-
vented by requiring that imports with
drawn for the manufacturer of carpets
should be so designated to exempt them
from customs dues, and the existing
duty retained upon those used for other
purposes.
The wool growers of the Argentine
Republic protest against what they con-
slider a serious discrimination against
their product in the tariff laws of the
United States. which impose duty upon
the gross weight instead of the value of
the article The Argentine woods are
much heavier in grease and dirt than
those from Australia and New Zealand,
which is said to be due to unavoidable
climatic conditions, and sell at lower
price. But the imports from the three
countries are subject to the same duty.
This fact was very strongly urged, to
the end that at least equal advantages
should be given to the products of
friendly country with which we are en-
deavoring to build up trade.
The Argentines desire the free admis-
sion of their coarse wool, and other
Latin-American States desire the free
admission of their sugar to the ports of
this country, with the understanding
that our peculiar products shall in turn
be admitted free into their ports. AT
present, by reason of the high duties
levied by them, the chief articles of our
production are beyond the purchasing
power of the great mass of the people in
those countries, and are luxuries which
only the wealthy can enjoy.
Excepting raw cotton our four largest
exports during the last fiscal year were
breadstuffs, provisions, refined petrole-
um and lumber.
The following statement shows the
total exports of each of said articles in
1899, and the proportion exported to
Latin America:
Exported
Total eX- to Latin
ports America.
Breadstuffs ..............S123s7 6,423 S5123,5 2s
Provisions ............... 104 122.32S 2,5O7, 375
Refined petroleum. 44,S30.44 2,94S 149
Wood and lumber. ....... $500, lGl 5000 $50
These figures should be closely studied.
1t would be difficult to understand. but
for the explanations given in the confer
ence, why, out of the three hundred mill
ions Of staples exported from this coun-
try, only fifteen millions should be con-
sumed in all Latin America with its
population of fifty millions of people,
when the United States is the only
source of supply for these articles, which
are regarded by us as the necessities of
life.
The foreign delegates all agreed that
this proportion could be increased many
fold by extending to their people the
ability to purchases; and the ability to
purchase rests, in their opinion upon
reciprocal concessions.
Attached hereto is u statement show
ing the duties charged by the South
American countries of the largest com
merce upon the articles which they i'm
port chiefly from the United States, and
also a statement showing the meager
amounts of our peculiar expOrtable
products shipped to the several Latin
American states. By a comparison of
these statements the effect of the re-
moval of the duties upon these articles
by the countries of Latin America will
at once be apparent.
Fifteen of the seventeen republics
with which we have been in conference
have indicated, by the votes of their
representatives in the International
American conference, and by other
methods which it is not necessary to de-
fine, their desire to enter upon recipro-
cal commercial relations with the United
States; the remaining two express equal
willingness, could they be assured that
their advance would be favorably con-
sidered
To escape the delay and uncertainty
of treaties it has been suggested that a
practicable and prompt mode of testing
the question was to submit an amend
ment to the pending tariff bill author
iZing the president to declare the ports
of the United States free to all the
products of any nation of the American
hemisphere upon which no export duties
are imposed whenever and so long as
such nation shall admit to its ports free
of all national, provincial (state), NUM-
cipal and other taxes, our -four, corn
meal and other breadstuffs, preserved
meats, fish, vegetables and fruits, cotton
seed oil, rice and other provisions, in
GLIDING all articles of food, lumber, fur
niture and other articles of wood, agri-
cultural implements and machinery,
mining and mechanical machinery,
structural steel and iron, steel rails, loco
motives, railway cars and supplies, street
cars and refined petroleum. l mention
these particular articles because they
have been most frequently referred to
as those with which valuable exchange
could be readily effected. The list could
no doubt be protitably enlarged by a
careful investigation of the needs and
advantages of both the home and foreign