Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-08-24
WAR ON AMERICAN MEATS. y
aermany's Restrictions will Destroy
Our Trade With Denmark.


Our Trade With Denmark.
Washington, Aug. 22.-The German
government has taken further steps to
continue its war on American fresh
meats. The latest imperial decree af-''
,ecting American meats, Consul Gem
sral Mason at Berlin writes to the state
department., was promulgated early in
July, and took effect last Tuesday. 1t
declares that hereafter fresh meat
shall not be imported from Belgium
into Germany. AS Belgium has no
surplus homegrown beef supply to eN-
port anywhere, it was at once evident
that the decree was in reality aimed
at American beef and was occasioned
by the fact that the Belgian govern
ment, which has for several years past
prohibited the importation of live cat
tie from the United States, has recent
ly rescinded that restriction, leaving
the butchers free to import at certain
designated ports American cattle for
immediate slaughter, and, unless pre-
vented by new regulations, to export
the meat across the frontier into Ger
many.
"The last Decree says Consul Gem
.ral Mason, sis therefore, the logical
furtherance and fulfillment of a policy
upon which the German government
entered in 1894, and which has the fol-
lowing history:
During that year Texas fever pre-
vailed among the cattle in certain dis
tricts of the United States, and the ag-
ricultural department had during sew
eral years the subject under scientific
One vital point upon
which the studies hinged was whether
Texas fever is bacterial disease. In
that there was great danger in it's
transmission through flies from fresh
slaughtered beef to live cattle; while,
If the view maintained by the depart
ment was correct-that the disease
was due to cattle ticks-there could be
no danger of the introduction of this
disease into any foreign country
through the medium of fresh beef.
Furthermore, if the views of the de-
partment are correct, there is no dam
ger of its introduction even from inn
ported live cattle, since the cattle ex-
ported to Europe are not taken from
the Texas fever district, and even il
they were, the danger of infection
could be prevented by the removal Of
the parasites before the cattle leave
America.
"After careful, scientific study OF
the subject, the government experts
decided that Texas fever was not d
bacterial disease and, therefore, not
susceptible of transmission by means
of slaughtered meat. From this con-
clusion, DR.. F. Billings, a western
state bacteriologist, dissented and pub
lished his reasons. The judgment of
the agricultural department concern
ing the nature of Texas fever is now
generally accepted by scientific men,
and has been confirmed by the investi-
cations of a government commission
in Australia, and later by the studies
of Prof Kosh, the German bacteriolo-
gist, which have been made in Africa.
TN 1894, the German government,
assuming the disease to be of bac-
terial nature, and, therefore, trans
missible by the meat of diseased cat
tie, issued on November 10 of that year.
a decree forbidding the Importation
into Germany of live cattle or fresh
beef of American origin, and this pro-
hibition has since been rigidly main
tanned.
belgium, Denmark and other neigh
boring countries followed the lead of
Germany in this policy, and American
cattle and their flesh in fresh, UNI
cured state were practically excluded
from continental Europe. Great Brit
ain, however, took measures to ascer-
tain that there was no real danger
from Texas fever, and continued to
permit the importation of American
cattle and cold storage beef.
Belgium has dense population of
working people and her food imports
are necessarily large and constant. The
Belgian government has seen how
safely and economically the people of
Great Britain have enjoyed American
beef, and after some hesitations and
discussion has annulled it's restrictions
against the import of American cattle,
with the result that Germany, fearing
that such meats may enter that coun-
try by way of the Belgian frontier, in
terposes the present decree, shutting
off all imports of fresh beef. The new
restriction will, therefore, make no
change in the. amount of cattle and
lfeSn peel exported 10 Europe lioHi
the United States. 1t is aimed at a
traffic which does not exist, since there
has been hitherto practically no export
of fresh beef from Belgium to Ger
many.
'.But where the recent decree will do
American interests most injury is in
Denmark, which country is ready to
follow Belgium's lead in admitting
American cattle, but hesitates to do SO
for fear Germany will, in such event,
promptly shut out fresh meat imports
from Denmark, and thereby destroy a
trade which is of real Importance to
Scandinavia, the German imports of
fresh beef and veal from Denmark and
Sweden having reached a total of 49,
556,411 pounds during 1898. The Ger
man decree has, therefore, the direct
effect of excluding American cattle
from Denmark, which country, there
is good reason to believe, would other
wise admit them as readily as England
has for years, and Belgium has now
consented to do.