Evening journal., 1897-09-07
MEROU'STARTFFPLAN
Argentine Minister Wants Lower
Rates For His Country.
SAYS DINCLEY DUTIES ARE UNJUST.
United States Asked TO Enter Into Rec
iprocity Relations With the South
American RepubIic-otherwise
Retaliation Is Threatened.

Washington. Sept. 7.-Senor NJ Gar
cia Merou, the Argentine minister, has
not vet received official notice Of the
message sent to the Argentine congress
by President Uriburu suggesting either
reciprocity treaties with the United
States or retaliatory tariff legislation
If the United States declines to make
a treaty, but he is familiar with its
purport, as IL is in line with negOtia-
tions he has conducted for some time
with the state department. He is ex-
pecting information from his govern
ment at an early day.
The present action in Argentine was
foreshadowed by Senior Merou in an
official note which he sent to Secretary
Sherman some time ago. In this the
minister referred to the painful surprise
Of his government on hearing of the
practically prohibitory rate of duty
which threatened Argentine wool. He
also presented a statement on the con-
diton of the trade between the coun-
tries. which, he said. showed that the
main articles sent by Argentine to the
United States are wool, hides, goat
skins and bristles.
In 1896 the shipments of wool to the
United States were 22,736s51 pounds.
valued at 81, 63S. .257 Argentine also fur
nished 21.9 per cent of all the hides
brought into the country. coming next
to the United Kingdom; 13 per cent of
all goatskins and Is per cent of all
bristles. The new tariff law. the min
lister said, fixed practically prohibitive
rates on wool and hides. The wool
schedule he represented to be particu-
larly burdensome, as the Argentine
woods have more shrinlSage than Aus
tralian woods, thus permitting the lat
ter to have an advantage.
Argentine's Concessions.
Minister Merou then pointed out that
Argentine had made heavy tariff con-
cessions to the United States, specify
ing as follows:
I'VE have on the free list, besides
other articles, mowers. reapers, thrash
ers raw petroleum, coal, coke. locomo-
tives. rails and sleepers. We have re-
duced the duty on lumber (yellow pine
and oak), on canned goods, on petrO-
leum, on cotton goods (this last from 6C
per cent to 20 per cent?. and we are
levying a moderate duty on all Other
American products imported there 6 pei
cent ad valorem on plows, machines ant
motors of all kinds for agricultural pur.
suits, sewing machines, rosin, wire FOL
reapers, fences, etc)."
The value of mowers and reaperi
shipped from the United States TO Ar
gentine, he said, were sS17.445 for tn
year ending July /, 1895, while the ship
ment of mineral oil, lumber. tools, al
kinds of instruments and railroad
equipments also were large. This docu
ment he followed up with a more re
cent statement, in which he showed b.
official statistics that for a period of te
years. 1887 to 1895 inclusive. the trad
of the two countries has almost bal
anced the shipments from Argentine (
the United States. being S57,9O3, 7SS, an
those from the United States to Ar
gentine. s57164. COS.
President Uriburus' plan contemplate
that the Argentine tariff rates shall b
remodeled so as to provide a maximum
tariff and a minimum tariff, similar {
the plan Of European countries. Tn
advantages of the. minimum rates wi
then be accorded to the United State
If a reciprocity treaty is negotiate
which will give concessions to Argen
tine goods. Argentine will urge that
treaty be negotiated by which the presi
dent grant 20 per cent reduction In tn
duties on such goods as may be agree
on. The negotiations viii not be oper
ed, however, until Senor Merou receive
explicit instructions from his govern
ment.