The herald., 1897-09-07
DUTY ON WOOL
Peculiarly Burdensome to
Argentina
RECIPROCITY is REQUESTED
AND AN EFFORT PUT FORTH TO
SECURE IT
RECIPROCITY IS REQUESTED
If the Treaty Cannot Be Negotiated
Argentina Will Try Retalia-
tory Tariff System
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
| WASHINGTON, Sept. e-Senor M.
Garcia Merou, the Argentine minister,
has not yet received official notice of
the message sent to the Argentine con-
gress by President Uruibaya, suggest
| ing either reciprocal treaties with the
United States or retaliatory tariff leg
islation If the United States declines
o make treaty, but he is familiar with
its purport, as it is in line with the nego-
tiations he has conducted for some time
past with the state department.
The present action in Argentina was
foreshadowed by Senior Merou in an Of
fetal note which he sent to Secretary
Sherman some time ago. In this the min
lister referred to the painful surprise of
his government on hearing of the prac-
tically prohibitive rate of duty which
threatened Argentina wool. He also pre-
sented a statement of the trade between
the two countries, which, he said,
showed that the main articles sent by
Argentina to the United States were
wool, hides, goatskins and bristles. In
1896 the shipments of wool to the United
States were 22,736S51 pounds, valued al
81, ,63S, ,257. Argentina also furnished 219
per cent of all the hides coming into the
country, coming next to the United
Kingdom; 13 per cent of all the goatskins
and Is per cent of all the bris'tles The
new tariff law, the minister said, fixed
practically prohibitive rates on wool and
hides. The wool schedule he represent
ed to be peculiarly burdenssme, as the
Argentine woods have more shrinkage
than Australian woods, thus permitting
the latter to have an advantage. He
then pointed out that Argentina had
made heavy tariff concessions to the
United States, specifying as follows:
1--WE have on the free list, besides other
articles, mowers, reapers, threshers, raw
petroleum, coal, coke, locomotives, rails
and sieepers; we have reduced the duty
on lumber, yellow pine and oak; on
canned goods, on petroleum, on cotton
goods, and we are levying a moderate
duty on all other Anne rican products i'm
ported there 6 per cent ad valorem on
plows, machines and motors of all kinds
for agricultural purposes, sewing mH
chimes, rosin, wire, forceps, fences etc.)"
The value of mowers and reapers ship
ped from the United States to Argen-
tina, he said. was s7,S17,445 for the year
ending July l, 1895, while the shipments
of mineral oil, lumber, tools, all kinds of
instruments, railroad equipments, etc.,
also were large. This document he fol-
lowed up with a more recent statement
in which he showed by official statistics
that for a period of ten years, 1887 to
1897, inclusive, the trade of the two coun-
tries has almost balanced the shipments
from Argentina to the United States be-
ing $57 ,903,S77 and those from the United
States to Argentina s57,164, 605. Presi-
dent Uruibayas plan contemplates that
the Argentine tariff rates shall be re-
modelled so as to provide maximum
tariff and a 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 by
which the president shall grant 20 per
cent reduction in the duties on such
goods as may be agreed upon. The ne
gotiations will not be opened, however,
until Senor Merou receives explicit in
structions from his government.