The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-07
ARGENTINE ANXIOUS TO ESCAPE
THE RIGORS OF THE DING
LEY BILL.
THE NEW TARIFF PR0HIBITIVE.
UNDER 1T THE REPUBLIC WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO Do
BUSINESS.
A Special Message just Submitted
by the President of the South
American Country.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6.-Senor Gar
cia Merou, the Argentine minister, has
not yet received official notice of the
message sent to the Argentine congress
by President Uriburus, suggesting
either reciprocity treaties with the
United States, or retaliatory tariff leg
islation if the United States declines
to make a treaty, but he is familiar
with its purport, as it is in line with
negotiations he has conducted for some
time with the state department. He is
expecting 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 practi-
cally prohibitory rate of duty which
threatened Argentine wool. He also
presented a statement of the trade be-
tween the countries, which he said
showed that the main articles sent by
Argentine to the United States were
wool, hides, goat skins and bristles. In
1896, the shipments of wool to the
United States were %, 735, S51 pounds,
valued at $2,63S, 257. Argentine also fur
nished 21.9 per cent of the hides
brought into the country, coming next
to the United Kingdom; Is per cent of
all goat skins and Is 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 burden
some, as the Argentine woods have
more shrinkage than Australian woods.
Minister Merou then pointed out that
Argentina had made heavy tariff con-
cessions to the United States, speci-
flying as follows: 1--WE have on the
free list, besides other articles, mowers,
reapers, threshers, raw petroleum, coal,
coke, locomotives, rails and sleepers;
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 American products imported"
The value of mowers and reapers ship
ped from the United States to Argen-
tine, he said, were $S17,4 for the year
ending July l, 1895, while the shipments
of mineral oil, lumber, tools, all kinds
ETC., were also large. This document
he followed up with a more recent
statement, in which he showed by Of
fetal statistics that for a period of ten
years, 1887 to 1896 inclusive, the trade
of the two countries has almost bal
anced, the shipments from Argentina
to the United States being $57, $685. 1888,
and those from the United States to
Argentina $57 1874 COS.
President Uriburus' plan contem-
plates that the Argentine tariff rates
shall be remodeled, so as to provide
maximum tariff and a minimum tariff
similar to the plan of European coun-
tries. The advantages of the minimum
rates will then be accorded to the
United States, if reciprocity treaty
is negotiated which will give conces-
sions to Argentine goods. Argentina
will urge that a treaty be negotiated
by which the president grants 20 per
cent reduction in the duties on such
goods as may be agreed to- The nego-
tiations will not be opened, however,
until Senior Merou receives explicit in
structions from his government.