The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-08
TEE TARIFF IN BRAZIL.
Increase of Duties Obstructs Both
Export and Import Trade.

Export and Import Trade.
Consul General Seeger. at Rio Janeiro. in
a report TO the State Department on trade
conditions in. Brazil during the year 1899.
says thatgthe results of both the import
and expost trade were unsatisfactory. he
also makes-the significant statements that.
through their constant increase, the i'm
port duies Ehaye reached the point where
they act prohisatively on the import trade.
and that the purchasing power of the PEG
pie has seriously decreased Among other
things Mr.. Seeger reports:
''The collection of 10 per cent o, the Gus
toms duties in gold. inaugurated On jan
uary l. 1888. was equivalent 10 an increase
Ct IS per cent. Since January !, 1900. Is
per cent Of the duties are payable in gold.
N increase ID over so per cent in one year.
Srd this in a declining market at time
of commercial stagnation-
The custom house receipts for 1899
show decrease OF S4.I72. 1883 as COM
pared with 1895
The United States occupies the sixth
rank in imports into Brazil. while We buy
more Of Brazil's staples-coffee and rub
be---thau all Europe combined
There have been runaors Of late - re-
gard to . reciprocity treaty between 3r1
iii and Argentina II is cificult to con-
ce'ye onLwkat basis such a treaty could
1 duTably be arranged, inasmuch as Brazil is
producing almost all the articles Argentina
| could sell here. The imports OF corn,
beans. peas, and pork have very eonsidera-
| bly, decreased Of late. because local produc-
ticn is increasing; and this will probably
continue in gecmetrieal proportion. Be-
fgra h. a.
years ago the State OF Rio Grande do Sui
\ was wheat-groWing state, and the ruins
Of many windmills between the cities Of
| Pelctas and Beige remind the present gem
| Grafton Of tire -four industry OF days gone
| by. That state enjoys now a stable and
| excellent government; Industries are being
| established in great numbers. railroads
/ built. agriculture revived. the erection OF
modern -four mills begun. and in less than
4 ten years Rio Grende do Sui. as well a.
| the other southern states. viii likely fur
nish the bulk Of cereals and meat products
consumed in Brazil-leaving title 10 be
( supplied b. Argentina or Uruguay
| Fortunately. the quality Of United
j States -four is such that a considerable
quantity Of il will always fnd a market
here. / was told by an expert that for
| certain grades Of bakery products Ameri-
! can -four was Indispensable. and that
I Brazilian bakers find it very advantageous
/ to mix American -four with the Brazilian
| and Argentine product even when the lat
tsr is much lower in price. The charac-
{ teristic feature OF the trade in the Rio
market In 1899 is a considerable decline in
I the sale Of -four from the United States
and corresponding increase in favor OF
the Argentine Republic and of the local
I products.
Il was credihly informed that there Is
| Of late no profit n importing -four into
| Brazil. and that several important failures
| in this line took place during the present
| year; but the same may at present be
said Of almost all branches Of the import
! trade The losses by failure Of jobbers
have probably more than absorbed the ap-
pa7cnt profits in the trade. A very pecu-
! liar-nOt to say ludiCrOBs-feature has de-
veloped in the dry goods trade. namely.
/ the fact that the foreign exporters. with
/ long credits forced from them. have actu-
ally financed the local cotton mills which
! are also protected by a very high tariff.
! While the foreign exporters have 10 give
from nine months to a years credit. the
local mills sell for cash. So Il happens that
/ out Of the amount realized BY retailers
from the sale Of imported goods. the local
manufacturers are first paid. and what is
left goes gradually into the hands OF for
| eIgn dealers.
| The last National Congress did not find
! much time for the annual tariff changes
/ The executive has been granted power u
| levy maximum and minimum duties. and
this has led 10 diplomatic correspondence
With France. Italy. and Spain On accoun.
| OF their coffee duties which are consider
ed excessive by Brazflians- In France. for
example. coffee which sells in bond al
from STAT 20 SiS.44 per 220 pounds. paws
a duty Of S3e,le Brazil demands a re-
duction OF those duties Of at least 50 Del
cent and France seems not TO be inclined
20 grant this demand The consequence
VIII probably be a tariff war between the
two countries.
The export business OF the last year. $,
Tar as the principal stapie-coffee-is con
cerped. was as bad as the import trad
TIL toward the end. when marked i'm
provenent set in II had a CHASTITY origi,
| the pest The first case IN one Of tn
coffee centres OF Brazil had scarcely beel
| diagnosed (aS very mild and easily con
troiable form OF the bubonie plagued whe,
a wild shrek OF terror went up-fro1
somewhere IN Wall Street Soon the Ney
York coffee prices went UP also, and som
stocks and bends Quotations in Brazi
naturally followed From that epoch late
the rise in coffee, so benefcent for Brazil
In that regard the pest was a blessing i
! disguise to this country. and now. sine
/ Il is gone. even those Spectators VIII
made such an exaggerated use OF il vii
admit that il was a rather mild form O
! the dreaded diseases cases in all Rrazi
in three months. OF which II were sata
(3S in Santos, u fatal: II in Sac Panic.
fatal; in Rio fatal.
The advance in the coffee prices wa
Tapid-reariy 60 per cent in currency be
tween the lowest price in September an
the highest in December
in spite Of the Importance OF the mat
ter. there are no official figures obtainabl
as 10 the quantities and value OF eoffe
leaving this port The general guess q
present seems TO be that the Brazilian
coffee crop OF 1901 is about LOO. 90
bags less than in the preceding year i
this assumption is correct, and II then
is no reaction in the largely increased con
sumption OF coffee which has taken place
especially IN the United States. the presen
prices may easily be sustained"
AN ANCIENT CRETAN PALACE
Z nfsanrnrfas H.,