The herald., 1894-03-18
ABOUT WINES AND BRANDIES.
Senator White States Some Per-
tinent Facts.
His Recent Appearance Before the
Senate Committee.
France Imports More Wine Than She
Exports, but She Excludes the
United States FIR ON
Her Markets.

Senator White OF California was be
fore the finance committee again yester
day presenting his views concerning Ger
tain items in the tariff bill affecting Pa
cihc coast interests, says the Washing
ton Post He 10 ready to support thI
specific rates for wines recommended By
the joint representatives OF the Ameri
can wine producers and the importers
which are, in effect, a compromise o
conflicting interests. It seems, however
that the French lobby has continued
some sert OF independent action and hal
created some new causes OF friction
| Oonsul-General Bruwaert of Chicngo IL
here under orders from the French gov
eminent to look after the new schedules
and there are also two special represen
tRtives of French commercial syndi-
Gates, viz, Mr.. Leon Ohotteau, delegate
of Paris committee, and w. @.
Knowles. ex-United States consul from
Bordeaux, representing q syndicate oi
Bordeaux wine merchants.
The combined importing interests oi
New York are represented by Col.
Charles Mex. Leoser, president of the
Wine and Spirit Traders society the
California wine producers by Charles A.
Wetmore Of the California State VIII
cultural commission.
The two latter have agreed to certain
terms ae to wines, but now from some
source comes an attack on brandiee and
other spirituous beverages which calls
out the full force Of the Pacific coast
opposition, and endangers the harmony
that was supposed to prevail. The pres
ent tariff on brandies and other spirits
is $3.50 per proof gallon. The Wilson
bill reduces this to $1.S0, figure not.
pleasing to genuine brandy distillers,
but suffered TO pass without serious
protest for the sake OF harmony in other
matters. Now there seems to be de-
msnd for tariff still lower.
Senator White has shown to the COM
mittee that the American tariff on
spirits is lower than that of Great Brit
tain, Canada, Australia and many
other countries, and that the proposed
reduction would benefit no one except
those engaged in manufacturing spurious
compounds.
Incidentally he has called the atten-
tion OF the committee to the popularity
of the French tariff, which is what
might be called O double tariff systsm,
viz, general high tariff against ell the
world, and q special or minimum tariff
granted to favored countries. The
United States is excluded from French
markets in all items except raw mate
rial aud a few unimportant exceptions.
The French, however, are treated in
this country on the footing Of the most
favored nation.
American wines, alcohols, raisins,
nuts, etc., as we'll as cotton, machinery,
wagons. watches, and other manu-
fsctured articles are taxed from 20 to
so per cent higher than similar products
of England, Germany, Switzerland, and
certain other countries.
1t is understood that Senator White is
in favor OF provision to be inserted in
the Wilson bill limiting the advantages
OF our new tsrih to those countries
which place !" nst;on % ,ha tqotipgg of the
then show by practical law, rather
than by doubtful promises from irres-
ponsible agents, whether she really
values commerce with this country, or
whether she lie, to use recent western
expression, only, "playing ne for green
horns"
Among the statements submitted, re-
lsting to the subject, the following are
OF general interest:
From the report Of Consul Trail, for
the United States at Maraeilles, pub.
lished in the volume of commercial re-
lations for the years 1890.91 by the de-
partment Of state, the following extract
is taken:
'Raisins and currants for wine
These two articles form very important
branch of the commerce of this city
(Msrseillss), ae they are largely used in
. bo f1fo 0f vyfn0 Iunn dYTp =
ing 1889 reached the high figure of 49,
7S9 tons, being an increase of $500 tons
! over 1883. This increase was due to the
bad crop OF grapes in the French vine
yards, the deficit in the wine out-turn
being made up with wine expressed and
made from rsisins and currants. {.
A certain quantity of inferior raisins and
currsnts is used for distilling in the same
way as inferior Persian grapes that are
imported in bags (mats) for that pur-
pose only, and 'as distilling dates.'"
The above is quoted in order TO show
that there ia large market in France for
dried grapes. A few years ago the vine
growers in California attempted to dis
pose of their surplus wine grapes by
drying, and seriously considered the
French markets, but found that they
were excluded by reason of the diacrim.
ination OF the French tariff Rgainst
American goods, and in favor OF those OF
the Orient.
From the same report referred to above
we find that the entire importation oil
wines in casks into the port of Mar
seilles for the year 1889 was 1872 COG. .S45
liters. The exports during the came
period were 1892 Az liters. This
shows that in Marseilles there ia i
demand for more wines imported than
exported.
From the volume of Commercial Re.
lations for '91 and '92 we learn from the
reports of the same consul at Marsailles
as follows:
According to the chamber of com
merce report there were imported ia.
928, ,608 liters of wine in 1891, of which
81, ,388 liters came from the United
States, an increase of $4,000 liters ovel
$780,"
During that year a trade began il
California wines on account OF the great
deficiency in the French crop and thC
ruinously low prioes at which Californii
wines were being sold. 1t ceased, how
ever, as soon as the new tariff law ol
France was passed, in January of 1892
which was 30 arranged as to preven
American competition, and incidentally
the development and progress OF Ameri
can viticulture.
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