The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-09-07
PROPOSED
RETALIATION !
Argentine Republics Objections to the
New Tariff Law.
MINISTER MEROUS STATEMENT
Argentine's Representative at Washington
Gives Statistics to Prove That Under
the old Tariff Trade Between
the Two Countries was
Balanced.

Washington. Sept 7.-Senor NJ. Car
ella 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 II 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
toreshadowed by Senor Merou in an
othciai 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 a statement on the con-
dition of the trade between the conn
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 22,7S6,S51 pounds, valued at S2.-
639,25I Argentine also furnished q 8
per cent of all the hides brought into
the country coming next to the United
Kingdom, 13 per cent of all goat skins.
and l5 per cent of all bristles. The
new tariff law, the minister said, fixed
practically prohibitive rates on wool
and hides.
The wool schedule he represented to
be peculiarly burdensome, as the Ar
gentine woods have more shrinlage
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:
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 oaD, on canned goods, on pe-
troleum, on cotton goods (thfs last
from 90 per cent. TO 20 per cent?, and
we are leavytng a moderate duty on
all other American products imported
there Go per cent. ad valorem on plows,
machines, and motors of all kinds for
agricultural purposes, sewing machines,
rostn, wire for Teapers fences, etc)"
The value Of mowers and reapers
shipped from the United States to Ar
gentine, he said, were $817, 7,445 for the
year ending July !, 1895, while the ship
ment of mineral oil, lumber, tools, ali
kinds of instruments, railroad equip
ments, etc, also were large. This doou-
ment he followed up with a more re-
cent statement in which he showed BY
official statistics that for period of
ten years, 1887 to 1896 inclusive, the
trade of the two countries has almost
balanced, the shipments from Argen-
tina to the United States being $57 9O3 -
1888, and those from the United States
to Argentina $57 1874, SOS
President Uriburi contemplates that
the Argentine tariff rates shall be re-
modelled so as to provide a maximum
tariff and a minimum tariff, similar TO
the plan If European countries. The
advantages of the minimum rates will
then be accorded to the United States
If a reciprocity treaty is negotiated
which viii give concessions to Argen-
tine goods. Argentina win 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 win not be
opened, however, until Sonor Merou re-
cetves explicit Instructions from his