The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-07
PROPOSED RETALIATION.
Argentine Republics Objections to
the New Tariff Law.
MINISTER MERoU's STATEMENT.

Argentine's Representative at WASH
ington Gives Statistics to Prove That
Under the Old Tariff Trade Between
the Two Countries Was Balanced.
Washington, Sept. 7.-Senor M. Gar.
cia Merou, the Argentine minister has
not yet 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
II the United States declines to make
a treaty, but he is familiar with Its
purport, as 1t is in line with nego-
tiations he had conducted for some
time with the state department. He
Is expecting information from his gov
ernment 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 sur
prise of his government on hearing of
the practically prohibitory rate of duty
which threatened Argentine wool. He
also presented statement on the con-
dition of the trade between tho 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 ship
ments of wool to the United States
were 227Ss,s61 pounds, valued at $2,-
6S9,257. Argentine also furnished 21.9
per cent of all the hides brought into
the country, coming next to the United
Kingdom. 13 per cent of all goat skins.
and Is per cent Of all brlstles. The
new tariff law, the minister said, fxed
practically prohibitive rates on wool
and hides.
The wool schedule he represented to
be peculiarly burdensome, as the Ar
gentine wools have more shrinkage
than Australian woods, thus permit
ting the latter to have an advantage.
Minister Merou then pointed out that
Argentina had made heavy tariff con-
cessions to the United States, specify
ing as follows:
1--WE have on the " list, besides
ether articles, mowers. apers. 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 Pc
troleum, on cotton goods (this last
from 60 per cent. to 20 per cent?, and
we are leavying moderate duty on
all other American products imported
there Is per cent. ad valorem on plows.
machines and motors Of all kinds for
agricultural purposes, sewing machines,
rosin. wire for reapers. fences, etc."
The value of mowers and reapers
shipped from the United States to Ar
gentine, he said, were $S17.445 for the
year ending July 1, 1895. while the ship
ment of mineral oil. lumber. tools, all
kinds Of instruments, railroad equip
ments, ETC., also were large. This docu-
ment he followed up with a more re-
cent statement In which he showed by
official statistics that for a period Of
ten years, 1887 to 1896 Inclusive, the
trade of the two countries has almost
balanced, the shipments from Argcn-
tina to the United States being s57 $685.
1888, and those from the United States
to Argentina s57.164,606.
President Uriburi contemplates that
the Argentine tariff rates shall be re-
modelled so as to provide q maximum
tariff and minimum tariff. similar to
the plan of European countries The
advantages of the minimum rates will
then be accorded to the United States
If reciprocity treaty is negotiated
which will give concessions to Argen-
tine goods. Argentina will urge that a
treaty be negotiated by which the
president grant 20 per cent. reduction
in the duties on such goods as may be
agreed on The negotiations will not be
opened. however until Senior Merou re-
ceives explicit instructions from his
government