The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-09
THE FRENCH PORK DECREE.

PARIS, Dec. SIN the matter of the de-
cree Withdrawing the prohibition of the
Importation of American pork the French
officials are desirous of having it under
stood that their action was practically de-
cided upon year ago but actually settled
last July, when the chamber of deputies
gave an overwhelming vote in favor of he
bill They say that nothing then pre-
vented the formal withdrawal of the de-
cree but the accidental delay in the senate
caused by the cabinet crisis in the last
three days of the session. At that time
the government fully intended to with
draw the decree within a week and had all
the necessary Preparations made for the
event. The French officials also insist
that they caused the removal of the prohi-
bition 10y the German government, which
did not intend to withdraw its prohibition
unless France did. The German en-
bassy at Paris, the French officials
declare, was constantly sending
to the government offices and
to the American legation trying
to lind out the progress of the negotia-
tions. The vote in the French chamber
of deputies showed that the French gov
erDment was absolutely committed TO the
removal of the prohibition aud could not
deoently withdraw from the position. The
delay in the senRte's action gave the Ger
mans the chance to get in ahead. SO they
Instructed Count Arco Valley, the Ger
man minister at Washington, TO arrange
the matter through General Foster as
speedily as possible. No considerable
effort had been made in any other quar-
ter till the negotiations were brought
nearly to conclusion here and congress
had published some of the correspondence
1t WAS openly said in debate and said
everywhere privately by French polite
lans, that they were forced to defeat the
government efforts to restrict the duty
fa.1f to fssarN 80, a.
the action of Germany and Italy. They
say: IF we bad not named the same duty
with these countries. we would have been
Offering a premium to bring all the Ameri-
can pork here in rivalry with our farmers
and keepit out of Germany and Italy"
The American minister to France, Mr..
Whitelaw Reid, was called upon recently
10y the representative of the Associated
Press and urged TO give his views upon
these points. Mr.. Reid hesitated at first
to give utterance TO anything for publica-
tion, but finally said: Yes, it has been
long struggle. Almost the first inStruc-
tions received from the American gov
ernment were on this subject The home
administration was very much in earnest
about Il. Still, so far as the French gov
ernment was concerned, the struggle has
been ever since the close of the diplomatic
correspondence on the subject in Septem-
Der, 1880. Since that date the French cab
lnSO LdS Dttu absolutely unanimous Tor
the withdrawal of the prohibition and for
the 12-franc duty. 1t named that duty in
the tariff bill sent TO the chamber OF denu-
ties, and has steadily aud unanimously
opposed any advance in the rate. The
chamber of deputies gave the bill its
adhesion in July last, but raised the pro
posed duty to 20 francs. The senate made
most determined resistance and finally
raised the duty again to - francs
Nv hat ahout the inspection here?"
"lf our inspection in America is proper
ly done, DO not believe the one here will
make much delay, or cost much or last
long. But the government was so pressed
and the stories about our inspection were
so reckless that they had to promise one
here at the outset"
will there be much business?"
I'm the higher grades, certainly. As to
shoulders aud sides more will depend upon
the price. In the last veal before the pro-
hibltion OF 1880, the imports OF pork from
the United States alone were 81, 2S4. 3 o
kilos, and from ali other countries only
4,475,0O0 kjios. In 1889, with American
pork prohibited, the total Imports were
only $500 O0o Allos-say tS, 00O, 900 kilos
less than IN 1881. That is the size of the
gap there still Is to be filled, as We can
still sell cheaplv enough under the ad
vanced duty TO tempt the same classes Of
French buyers"