The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-29


the reciprocity arrangements than any
other interests. From them, it says,
have come the most urgent appeals for
a restoration of the policy. One of the
largest manufacturers OF Hour is quot
ed as having informed the committee
that the loss to the merchant millers Of
this country occasioned by the repeal
was at least $16,0O0,000 a year, or $4,000
900 barrels of flour, to produce which
would require the continual occupation
of 1S9 Touring mills with a capacity of
100 barrels per day for year. Quota
tions are given from reports made to
the committee by large mill owners who
assert that the reciprocity treaties OF
1890 were very favorable to the export
trade of the United States. They kept
the flour trade in healthy condition
and were the cause of the fine develop
ment of that industry that has placed
the United States ahead of all other
milling countries. The result of their
repeal is the disastrous milling trade
now existing.
The fear is expressed by the commit
tee that the injury done to our COM
merce with Brazil by the repeal of the
reciprocity arrangement is permanent
at least so far as flour is concerned
Under that convention, from April l.
1891, to August 2S, 1894, flour from the
United States was admitted free into
that country. Now there ie a duty of
fifty cents a barrel. Then we had alb
solute control of the market. Now our
wheat and flour exporters are
$50 h. A tyrG
Republic and the capitalists who have
erected mills in Brazil to grind the
wheat from that country and Uruguay
Before the reciprocity was repealed
there was only q few flour mills in Bra
zil Now they are springing up al
along the coast built by Argentine and
Uruguay millers with European capita
and filled with Europeon machinery tc
avoid the duty upon -four, for wheat is
admitted free.
The report showed that under the
stimulating effects of reciprocity oul
exports of flour to the German Empire
increased from 5000 barrels in 1881 tc
$4,000 in 1892 In 1893 these importa.
tions were increased to 100000 barrels
with further expectation of 2S6,00C
barrels in 1894. One year after the alb.
rogation of the treaty our exports o1
flour to Germany were reduced to 1885,.
900 barrels.
Equally interesting are the statistics
with reference to the expectation o.
-four to France. In 1892 the value o.
these exports was $1,173,000, while un
der the present tariff law it has shrunk
en- to 1000
Reference is made in the report tt
| the circumstances that nearly all thu
great nations are increasing their rate:
of tariff both for the protection of do
mestic and industries, and for revenue
and attention is directed to the utter
ances of Mr. Chamberlain, the colonia
! secretary of Great Britain on the 2Stl
of March last, in which he proposed al
| imperial zollverein based upon FREE
| trade within, and tariff for protec
tion without, the British Empire.
The chapter devoted to our commerce
with Latin America contains vas
amount of data of general interest. L
| shows that last year the United States
| bought of the republics to the south o.
! it products worth in the aggregate
| $246, 600, 900, and that 92 per cent. o.
these products were admitted free o
duty. During the same year we sole
them merchandise to the value of $143,
000,000 every ounce of which was taxed
| from to 100 per cent on its value II
their custom houses, The balance o
trade against the United States, $103,
100000, was paid in gold.
The exports from England to Latin
| America consist of cotton goods ant
other wearing apparel, drugs and med
icines, machinery and implements
boots and shoes, and other articles o
leather, hardware, railway supplies anr
other articles of iron and steel, and al
| the various forms of manufacture,
merchandise that enter into the want
of mena The almost uniform testimon.
of the merchants and manufacturer
who have replied to the inquiries sen
out by the committee is that the ad
vantages enjoyed by their competitor
in cheap labor, in convenient bankin!
| facilities, and in regular lines of trans
| portation are almost insurmountabl
obstacles to the extension of thei
! trade
While the reciprocity arrangement
was in operation in Brazil the privi
| leges 1t gave to merchandise from tn
| United States were an almost complet
offset to the advantages the Europeal
| rivals had enjoyed, and if they ha'
been allowed to remain undisturbed ou
merchants might have obtained a fai
shade of the trade.
1t requires no argument, the repor
continues, to demonstrate that the peo
pie of Cuba will consume more flour !
the duty on that article is reduced fron
S5.7S to SS cents a barrel, or that tn
| people of Brazil, since they produce n
other food products, will buy their sup
| plies in the United States if they cal
| import them from this country at
duty of 25 per cent. less than they mus
pay on the same articles when importe
from Europe. And when one consider
that the value of cotton goods importe
into the Latin-American countries an
nually reaches beyond a hundred mil
lion dollars, it is waste of time t
discuss the advantage of securing sue
a concession.
The annual imports of the Latin
American countries average $500, 1000, ,O0(
and of these we have usually furnishe
about Is per cent. The annual export
of the Latin American countries aver
age about $500, ,000,0 00O and we have usu
ally purchased about so per cent. L
their commerce with Great Britai
these conditions are reversed.
The committee regret, in conclusion
that the impossibility of securing leg