The age-herald., 1899-03-15
TREATIES WITH
 FOREIGN POWERS Mil Bs Arranged Under the DinSley
 Law. RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS Negotiations Will Bs ReSumsd at 0lCa
 by hr. KaSSOn. FRANCES MINIMUM TARIFF RATE Will be Offered to the United States Negotiations With Great Britain Reached an Advanced Stage,
 Then Collapsed Entirely.
FRANCES MINIMUM TARIFF RATE

Washington, March 1.-Negotiations for reciprocity treaties with Germany and
 France have been resumed, and there is still a prospect that treaty may be neso- tiated with Great Britain covering the Brit ish West Indies. These several treaty ne- gotiations were interrupted some months ago by the service MT. Kasson, our recip- rocity commissioner was obliged to give to the Canad an commission. As this work is
 closed, MT. Kasson is free to resume the
 negotiations with the other countries, and
 he has written to inform them that he is at
 liberty to proceed.
 In the case of France Ambassador Cam
 bon returns from Paris with the very earn
 est hope of carrying through treaty un-
 der section of the Dingley law On the
 part of France it is proposed to give to the
 United States their minimum tariff list
 The French tariff has two rates, maxi
 mum and minimum. The difference av-
 erages about % per cent. Countries espe-
 cialy favored by France get the minimum
 rate, while those having no arrangement
 pay the maximum rate, % per cent higher.
 The effect of this is to place higher duties
 on Amer. can goods than on those of Eng
 land, Germany, Russia and some other
 countries with which France has made com
 mercial arrangements. In the arrangement
 with MT. Kasson this minimum is conce ded,
 and it only remains to be seen what reduc-
 tions America will make.
 Permits 25 Gents Reduction
 The law permits a 25 per cent. reduction
 on des gnated articles, but an arrangement
 has not been reached as to what these arti-
 cles shall be. The French contention is
 that the list is to be liberal, as their mini
 mum list covers the entire tariff list They
 also contend that the average of French
 duty on American goods is about IA per
 cent. ad valorem against 50 per cent. Amer
 ican duty French goods. MT. Cambon IS
 awaiting some further statistical informa-
 tion from Paris, and it is expected that ac-
 tive negotiations will begin in about two weeks.
 The British negotiations reached an ad- vanced stage and then collapsed entirely. They were managed by Sir Julian Paunce- fote and MT. Kasson, who together outlined the articles to be covered by the proposed treaty. The document was about ready to be signed last summer, when the London authorities made a statement that they were considering the advisability of grant ing countervaling duties to the sugar pro- | ducers of the British West Indies, after the American practice. This put off the reclpTOClly lTtuty ioi II eic tAi'PSi-sNA sS' ernment gave countervailing duties there was not the same need of reciprocity arrangement. But except for this state- l ment the imperial government has done nothing on countervailing duties and the West Indian colonies have received neither | the benefit of the duties or of the reel procity treaty.
 No Progress Attempted
 It has sufficed, however, to let the nego- tiations lapse, and no progress with the subject has been attempted of late. IT SIT Julian goes to the disarmament congress at The Hague in May he is not llKely 10 conclude the reciprocity negotiation before he goes and after that the two years pe- riod for negotiating reciprocity treatles under the Dingley bill will have expired The expiraton of this period is urging all foreign countries to hasten their negotla- lions. The Dingley law provides that the president shall have authority Tor two years from the date when the law became operatiye July 24 1S9O to make reciprocity treaties. etc. This period expires July Fl, | next. so that only three months remain to l comnlete treaties under this law. It IS salo' however. that if they fail Of completlon within that time it will not necessarily eho all negotiations; as the president stlll mas the constitutional right, independent or thls enecific law. to negotiate treaties by ana with the consent of the senate. IT deemed advantageous this constitutional authorlty will he exercised even after July 24.