The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-28
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MEXICAN TRADE.

WASHINGTON. May 27-Warner P. Sut-
! ton consI1l general at Nuevo Laredo, sends
a report TO the state department. about
some features of American trade with
Mexico. He says: Notwithstanding the
! Increased restrictions to the commerce be-
tween the two countries, imposed by recent
legislation of both countries, the volume
of trade is steadily increasing. Ihe
Mexican important duty of $40 on stallion
and $40 on a gelding does not burden
our sellers so much as to stop trafnc IN
the high grade horses which we send 20
Mexico, but the United States import duty
of $50 on horses and mares Is prohlolGory
on the Iow-glade stock hitherto imported
from Mexico, being an average Of go to 3OO
per cent on the value. Our trade IN i've
hogs is of recent date, and was growing
very rapidly, and while the 1mposltlon Oh
the duty has not stopped 1t, 1t has hlnuer,
ed its greater extension. Mexico couIo
easily take S5O0,O00 worth OF live hogs
at rates which would be profitable to pro,
ducers, carriers and dealers as wen
as positive cheapening of food to the
people of Mexico. Besides the duty OF q oo
per head an inspection tax was imposed at
certain points. This / understand was
soon removed. A review OF our trade Win
Mexico shows more clearly the urgent
need of some reciprocal and mutually
beneficial treaty regulations. Ihere are
certain articles of each country which the
ether urgantly needs, and which can be
made free of import duty, or when re-
duced. to the great benefit of producers
consumers and carriers, and that, TOO,
without loss to the revenues OF either gov
ernment."
Mr. Sutton has learned that the shipping
of bonded goods through the United States
from European countriee to Mexico oper-
ates to the disadvantage Of this country
He says:
1T has been found impossible to exactly
state the amount of these European goods,
because proper data are not exacted
Bonded goods in transit for immediate
expectation require no invoice IN the
United States. The European invoices,
taken out before a Mexican consul there
and sent TO the consignees in this city,
are often disregarded, and new ones,
more carefully prepared, are taken out
before the Mexican consul in Laredo, lex
This is even more generally done as re-
CARDS our own goods sent from Kansas
City, st. Louis. Chicago, New York, etc
All the goods inVoiced by the American
consul in Laredo, Tex, and all goods I'M
ported at Nuevo Laredo, Mex, are stated
as coming from the United States, but
the data do not show the country of origin.
Our own law is so defective that our eX-
port data at Laredo, Tex, to domestic
products are almost valueless. The values
stated are so low as to be very misleading.
Many lines of our own goods might
profitably compete were it not for the ex-
ceptional facilities given this bonded trade
For instance, the charges for inspection,
revision, etc, have been so cut down in
the United States that by good estimates
it is done at an actual loss to our own reve-
nues When the bonded laws and regula-
tions were first established the intent was
to enable our merchants to import and
hold in the United States in bond large
quantities of these goods, so as to sell In
bond to foreign countries, and tnus enable
them to control a fair shaJe of the for
eign goods traffic Now, however,
the greater portion comes through under
Immediate transportation bonds and af-
fords very little, if any, benefit to our
merchants On the contrary, the Mexican
merchant can order by cable and get these
goods across our territory under more fav-
orable conditions, in some respects at least,
than he can American goods. / have been
informed, and presume it to be true, that
certain goods are carried from Liverpool or
Hamburg TO the interior of Mexico
for less than similar goods are carried
from New York or Chicago, and for about
the same rates that are charged from St.
Louis and Kansas City. IL is right aud
proper TO give the trade in these foreign
goods across our country fair chance,
but it seems to me that under the present
condition they are already favored at the
expense of our own goods, which are thus
shut out from their natural increased sale
here by these determinations"