The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-21
GERMAN AMERICAN COMMERCE.

agreement. bearing as it does on the
sugar business, has a local interest
which warrants US in making the fol-
lowing extracts from the Literary Di-
gest:
The news that the United States has
admitted Germany to the tarin reduc-
Etions accorded to imports from Europe,
Italy, and Portugal has been received
with much satisfaction in German
commercial circles. Not that the bene-
fits granted to Germany are important,
as German wines chiefly are affected;
but the agreement is taken as an in
dication that both the American and
the German governments are anxious
to avoid a tariff war, and that salts
factory commercial treaty may be
forthcoming. The Freisinnige Zeitung
CBerlin) says:
THE political Importance of the
agreement is much greater than its
material value. Germany will receive
the reductions of tariff which grants
certain favors to France, Portugal, and
Italy. Germany has demanded these
reductions under the most-favored-na-
ton clause, but the United States at
first refused to admit her claim. The
belief, however that German industrial
produce will at once benefit by i'm
portant tariff reductions is erroneous,
as the Franco-American treaty has not
yet been ratified. Until it has been
ratified, we need not expect reduc-
tons"
The Agrarians are least satisfied.
America, they contend, has thrown a
sprat to catch a whale. The upshot
is" says the Deutsche Tages-Zeitung,
that Germany is to be weakened by
granting reciprocity in the future COM
mercial treaties, and that the special
tariffs against her most important in
dustries remain in force"
But if American sugar does not bene-
fit by a reduction, neither will the
German Government relax its restric-
lions on the Importation of American
meats. The Hamburg Correspondent
says:
THE question of the sugar bounties
has not been touched at all; neither
has reference been made to the treat
ment accorded to American meat; and
the question of the American insurance
companies in Germany has also been
left out of the negotiations. unless, as is
probable, some separate understanding
matters. But whatever may be the ac-
tual value of the agreement, an impor-
tant step has been taken toward estab-
fishing the former pleasant commercial
relations with the United States"
A writer in the Nation (Berlin) ex-
press himself to the following effect:
The dissatisfaction of the Agrarians
is probably due to the fact that they
sel, g.. ..sH
exclude American agricultural produce.
But this would force Germany to fol-
low the lead of the United States and
| France. In both these countries the
aim is to exclude foreign goods by high,
protective tariffs, and to obtain free
entrance of their own produce into
other countries. Both have been over
wise. Their systems can be copied.
IN Germany many people, even in in
dustrial circles, begin to admire pro-
tective tariffs which exclude COMPETE
ton. 1t does not seem, however, that
France and the United States are sue
cessful in their aims. They can ex-
clude foreign goods, but they can not
at the same time obtain free markets
for their own in all other countries.
France has been embroiled in
number Of tariff wars which have been
disastrous to her commerce. The Unit
ed States is just warding off such strug-
giles. Germany, as France in 1892 and
the United States in 1897, is about to
create new tariff. 1t is to be hoped
that she will continue to be moderate
rather than to adopt policy which
necessitates the juggling with maxi
mum and minimum tariffs.
- -,-sTI 4.
not inclined to fatter themselves that
they have obtained important advan-
tages. The Journal des Debats (Paris)
remarks that there is really little
cause for congratulations, as the Amer
lean Congress appears unwilling to
ratify the Franco-American treaty.
The paper hopes that this ratification
will take place after the Presidential
elections. The Saturday Review (Lon-
DOM credits Germany with having OBJ
tanned an important victory over what
it describes as the tendency of the
United States to take all she can get
and give nothing in return. That pa
per says:
THE German Government has scored
success in it's diplomatic duel with
the United States. After a very pro-
tracted discussion the latter have given
way practically on all points. The ter
rible reprisals, which were to follow on
the passage of the Meat Inspection Bill.
appear to have been warily abandoned
and the Americans have made up their
minds not to jeopardize their German
trade for the sake of resenting what
was described as a most insulting
measure. The whole matter was a bust
ness transaction in which as usual the
United States endeavored by superior
'smartness' to obtain everything while
yielding nothing in return. Germany
had always interpreted the treaty of
1888 between America and Prussia, and
taken over by the empire. as emitting
each country to the most-favored-na-
ton treatment. The United States
took the characteristic line that they
were so entitled but Germany was not,
and that in return for special favors
granted by France, or Italy, or Portu-
gal, as ne case might be, they might