The herald., 1898-02-03
CALIFORNIA APPLES SAID TO BE
WORMY
The Reason Given a Mere Pretext for
Retaliating Against the Tariff
on Sugar
Associated Press Special Wire


BERLIN, Feb. 2-The Prussian Min
lister of Finance, DR.. MIGUEL, issued
decree yesterday, which goes into
effect Immediately, prohibiting the i'm
fresh fruit. The decision has been sent
to all the German ports and frontier sta
tions, excepting Bavaria, SaXony, and
Wurtemberg. The United States En-
bassy was not previously warned and
the United States Ambassador, MIR.
White, sent formal letter to the For
eign Office today. inquiring upon what
authority this inimical step was taken.
The United States Consul at Ham
| burg, DR.. Hugh Pitcairn, telegraphs
that 10000 barrels of American apples
have been forbidden to be unloaded and
that two trains full of American fruit
have also been forbidden to cross the
frontier at Emerich, which, aside from
Hamburg is the principal place of entry
for American fruit.
On receipt of this news, Mr.. White sent
a stronger remonstrance than before
to the Foreign Office, calling attention
to the evident violation of the treaty.
At the Foreign Office it was learned
that the Prussian government prohibits
the entry of American fruit on sanitary
grounds, claiming that California and
other vermin threaten German trees and
fruit
A MERE PRETEXT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.-Senator
Perkins, of California, when informed
of the German decree against American
fruit said the prevention of importa-
tion on sanitary grounds was a mere
preteXt and that it was merely to keep
out fruits which compete with German
products, and the order was no doubt
issued as retaliation against the
United States because of the dfferential
tariff on sugar from bounty paying coun
tries. Senator Perkins said he had no
doubt that the United States could meet
this order by retaliation and that if
Germany did not want to be market
for our fruits and meats, measures could
be taken which would also limit the
markets in the United States Of Ger
man products.
NO OFFICIAL NOTICE
The State Department has not yet been
informed by Ambassador White of the
decree against the importation of Amer
lean fresh fruits into Germany, and the
official statement of the matter is
awaited with anxiety at the Department,
which desires to know just how far the
German government is willing to yield to
the wishes of the Agrarian party, which
insists on the exclusion of all American
farm products which enter into competi-
ton with the German farmer. For two
years the State Department has been
engaged almost fruitlessly in an at
tempt to secure from the German gov
ernment the reversal of a decree like
the present one, but applied to our meat
products. The attitude of the Germans
in this matter is not encouraging and
the announcement of this additional de-
cree against another great American
staple export has tried the patience of
the Department 1sorely and there is no
telling how far we may go towards re-
taliation If the conditions justify it, OF
course, nothing will be done in the alb
sence of full official information from
Mr.. White as to the facts in the case,
and it may be that the history of the
meat Exclusion negotiations will be re-
peated; this may bring about a long
correspondence to induce the German
government to demonstrate, if it can.
the great dangers in American fruit.
The indications are that there is as little
reason for this decree as in the case of
American meats, and it is said the Pres
ident will probably avail himself of his
statutory power to retaliate sharply un-
der Section of the Act Of August 3Oth,
1890.
To the knowledge of the state depart
ment, no complaint has ever been made
against the character of American fresh
fruits. There was some complaint a few
years ago from Hamburg and Cologne
against certain importations of dried
fruits on the ground that they contained
traces of zinc, taken UP from the trays
on which they were dried, but there has
never been an, attack upon fresh fruit.
The reports of the United States consuls
show that the imports Of the latter have