New-York tribune., 1900-05-21
HIGHER GERMAN DUTIES.
Mr. MASON PREDICTS TRADE WAR AND
ADVOCATES TREATIES

Washington. May 20-Under cover OF an an
nual report on the trade relations OF Germany.
Consul-GeneraI Mason, at Berlin. has published
in the volume of Commercial Relations" issued
from the Bureau OF Foreign Commerce. state
Department. some exceedingly important state
ments relative to the present conditions govern
ing trade between Germany and the United
States Still more important are the predic-
tions made by Mr.. Mason to the treatment
Germany has in store for United States trace
at competitive points hereafter and his warn
fngs to Americans of the German purpose to
demand far higher import duties. especially
against United States products. Mr.. Mason
says that Germany has been paralyzed at the
enormous upward bound of the foreign trade
of the United States and German merchants
have come to the conclusion that this prosperity
is attributable entirely to the United states
tariff laws and argues that a similar policy
could not fail to benefit Germany, they pro-
pose a revision of their tariff the line OF
general and heavy increase Of duties. especially
upon imports from the United States
Mr. Mason has much to say about the steadily
growing irritation exhibited by the German
press against the United States and the criti-
cisms by the trades papers Of American customs
officers who are charged with practising CHI
canery in their efforts to prevent undervalua-
tlOnS or German exports 10 lHe oIiteu 'tdIcS
Complaints are made against Germans acting
as agents for the sale of American or English
goods, and conditions being imposed to dis
courage the taking Of foreign pupils in German
technical schools.
The report treats also Of the great growth In
the German trade in the East resulting from
the new policy of the Government and its deter
mination obtain share of what the far-
sighted statesmen recognize as the chief COM
mercial prize Of the twentieth century the trade
of China German trade with China has in
creased 40 per cent in the last four years and
German capital is being invested with an au-
dacity which should serve as an example to
Americans seeking foreign trade. In conclu-
sion and recurring to the subject Of relations
between the United States and Germany in the
future Mr.. Mason has this to say:
There is therefore, every probability that the
tariff and such amended special treaties as
Germany may consent enact will modify
essentially the commercial relations of the en-
pire with other nations particularly with the
United States. 1t is not to be denied or over
looked that while the attitude of the Imperial
Government toward our country has been uni
formly correct there is in certain business Cir
cles here a feeling of enmity and resentment
which did not exist prior to 1893. The heavy
balance of trade which the United States now
holds against the Fatherland, the decline in tex
tile exports and the sharpened customs regula-
tions against undervaluationS, the concessions
recently granted 10 france ana, dDONe all tHe
enormous growth of American manufactured
exports the aggressive competition of American
metal and other products in South American
and Eastern markets-al these weigh heavily
the hearts Of the people here. and will be
heard from when the tariff and treaties
come to open debate in the Reichstag. What
most enlightened thinkers expect or at least
hope for, is that out of all these mutations Will
come a broad liberal comprehensively framed
treaty, series Of treaties. between the United
States and Germany, in which all the vexed and
irritating questions relating to naturalized citi-
zenship. countervailing duties and port charges
vessels shall be regulated, and liberal justice
to imports of food products secured by recip-
rocal concessions and embodied in permanent
conventions between the two countries.
Rivals and competitors in foreign fields
South America. Africa and Asia-the Union and
the German Empire will always be, but this is
no reason why the two nations should not be,
in their direct relations with each other har
monious and mutually considerate, and this
result can be in way effectively promoted
as by intelligent revision Of obsolete treaties
and their adjustment to modern requirements
and conditions.