The San Francisco call., 1898-07-03
WINE MEN ARE NOT
 JOYFUL THESE DAYS
THE RUMoRED PASSAGE OF THE
 NEW TREATY REGRETTED.
It Will Prove a Hardship to This State - Fruit Men Partially
 Favored by the Move.

Information has been received from Washington to the effect that the Gov ernment has practically concluded nego- tiations with the Governments of Ger many and Italy and will sign reciprocity treaties with these nations on the same lines. as the one concluded with France a couple of weeks ago.
 The Italian reciprocity will have no par ticular effect on the California wine in- terests, as there Is not a great deal of Italidn wine consumed in this country, notwithstanding the fact that that Gov ernment has for number of years main- tained a commissioner in New York whose duties were to use every possible means to promote the introduction of the wine products of Italy in the markets of the United States.
 On the other hand California will feel the gocd and bad effects of the German treaty, as this reciprocal arrangement takes away one of the stumbling blocks from the California fruit men in a num- Der of ways. IL will permit the wide in- troduction of the fruit products of the State into German markets under the clause of the most favored nation.
 The products to be feared from Ger many are of the kind known as German sweets" Manufacturers there will be enabled to produce sophisticated wines, which are mostly composed of potato and beet alcohol and get them into this mar ket at less cost than the pure products Of California can be sold for.
 The protest of the producers of sweet wines in this State is based on the faN. that notwithstanding they are allowed by the Government to fortify their sweet spirits duty free. and that they make an excellent quality of such wines, their in- dustry is struggling for existence. They feel that If they had had an opportunity to place the facts before the proper com mittee at Washington their products would not have been included in the re- ciprocal treaty with Germany at least Whether or not anything can be done to modify the agreement for the benefit of that branch of the industry remains to be seen.
 The importance of sweet wine making In this State can be realized by the state ment that last years production amount ed to about 6,000,000 gallons.
 Charles Bundschu, q member of the firm of Gundlach & Co.,, and one of the best posted wine men in this State. in an article written for the Merchants Asso- citation Review for this month says:
 The. national policy of reciprocity as first proclaimed by James G. Blaine never contem- plated the uplifting of one industry through the destruction of another. The true intent of the establishment of reciprocal relations with foreign countries was 10 create A larger mar ket for our products, without crushing any of our own struggling industries. A reciprocity treaty that would admit foreign goods so low as to close our factories, simply to find an in- creased market for American beef or pork would prove q suicidal policy.
 our internal revenue tax amounts to sl 10 on every proof gallon of liquor containing 90 per cent Of alcohol; 2 per cent. therefore paws bS cents. while under the French reciprocity treaty it Is now decreed that an imported arti- cle at 24 per cent can reach the American con sumer at 35 cents. IS cents per gallon less than the interna! revenue tax amounts to for our own people. The ahsurdity of such a con cession to a foreign country at time when war taxes are levied and introduced on almost any necessity of ordinary life s simply beyond