The record-union., 1899-03-19


are seriously incorrect, and do not tally
with the figures furnished to Robert P.
Porter. since he has been here, and by
Oscar P. Austin, Chief of the Bureau of
Statistics of the United States Treasury
Department. The latter has collected
figures of both fiscal calendars for the
year of 1898, and they both show an
enormous discrepancy compared with
the figures of Count Won Posadowsky-
Wehner The latter set forth that the
excess of imports of American goods,
compared with the exports to the United
States in 1898, were 507, 100000 marks,
the imports being S52 600, 600 marks and
the exports 344 100000 marks. Accord
ing to the United States Treasury De-
partment the American exports to Ger
many during the last fiscal year were
about 624 100000 marks, while for the
calendar year they were l72,000,OOO
marks below Count Won Posadowsky-
Wehner's figures This enormous and
unexplained discrepancy is greatly ham,
pering the negotiations for CONNER
cial treaty, and almost bars Mr.. Por-
ter's way for the present
Germany claims that the balance of
trade has lately been going, under the
Dingley law, too much the American
way to make treaty under the exist
ing conditions profitable to Germany. In
proof of this the German officials adduce
the alleged enormous American surplus
of 1898. According to the American
figures, the excess of American exports
to Germany during the ten years be-
tween 1888 and 1898 is only $115, ,O00,-
coo, or less than the excess which Ger
many claims for 1898 alone.
During 1886, ,9G191 and 1898 Germany
exported an excess to the United States
while the annual average of America s
excess of exports to Germany for ten
years is only little over S11, 900, ,O0O
a trf1e in SO enormous a trade, of which,
moreover, 2,240,OOO marks were raw
material, cotton, copper, tobacco and
petroleum, from the United States and
produced in Germany.
An American expert here has fur
nished the correspondent of the Associ-
good explanation of the discrepancy
Count Won Posadowsky- Wehner's fig
ures include among the imports from
the United States all goods passing
through Germany in transit, which
form very large amount, but just how
large cannot be stated precisely. The
expert does not take into account the
fact that nearly the whole carrying
Of exports from the United States to
Germany is done in German vessels,
the profits of which are also large. A
German expert showed the figures to
a British statesman, and the latter,
after carefully studying them, said: "a
magnificent showing for Germany. 1t
would be a magnificent showing for
any country"
According to the butchers organ, the
Government has decided to place Amer
lean hard sausage" on higher tariff
as luxury. This increases the duty
from seventeen to sixty marks per hun
dred kilos.
Referring to the visit of Cecil
Rhodes, a number of papers have dis
cussed whether it would not be best
to insist upon Samoa in exchange for
Germany's consent to the building of
the Cape o-Cairo railroad through
German East Africa The 'Deustche
ZeitIng' approves of the scheme. In
the meanwhile, the United States En-
bassador, Andrew D. White tells the
that though he has not received any
recent instructions on the subject, he
does not doubt the correctness of the
dispatches from Washington saying
that the status quo will be maintained
at Samoa, and that Herr Self, the new
Municipal President of Apia, will be
confirmed by the United States and
Great Britain. Mr.. White added that
Herr Self seemed to be the proper man
for the position, and that if Mataafa
behaved decently, and the ineligibility
of Malietoa Tanus be shown, there will
be no objection to Mataafa's continu-
ance on the throne.
The ETnbassador further remarked
that SO far, except with a possible sin
gular particular it has been shown that
Chief Justice Chambers had behaved
correctly.
The Catholic press of Germany has
devoted much space recently to Arch
bishop Ireland and the question of
Americanism. The Cologne Volt Zei-
tung," the leading Catholic organ, says:
America and her unruly spirits will
surely not be permitted to prescribe to
the church how to conduct herself
The Emperor and Empress are due
to arrive at Kiel tomorrow, and will
be there for two days.
On Monday Prince Valdemar, eldest
son of Prince Henry of Prussia, who
was born at Kiel on March 20, 1889
will formally enter the army, and
deputation of the First Guards Regi-
ment will go to Kiel in order to attend
the ceremony.
The State Secretary of the Brunswick
Court, Herr Kennecke, has been ar
rested on the charge of lese majestic.
The midland ship canal bill has been
presented to the Prussian Diet, accom-
panied by a detailed memorial con-
tanning a mass of weighty data The
sum needed amounts to 2,6O7 ,S47 900
marks. The plan provides for a net
work of canals touching at Dortmund,
Magdeburg, Osnabruck, Minden, Lin
nwuefielhindesheim, Lehte and Pc
inc. The main canal is to be two and
one half metres deep, eighteen metres
wide at bottom and thirty metres wide
at the surface The State assumes the
:, 100000 marks annual operating ex-
penses and the provincial authorities
assume 100000 marks. The canal
will effect a greatly needed reduction
in freights.
The Bicycle Combine.
CHICAGO, March 1S.-J. w Kidier.
President of the Monarch Bicycle Man
Company, said to-day that
a syndicate had been formed which pro-
posed to buy out the plants of the lead
in po bicvcLa rookorc of the country All