Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-03
TOKYO EXPOSITION.

IUkYU EAfUSlllUN.
 An Opportunity to Display Our Friend.
 ship For Japan.
 An invitation has been extended by Japan to the government and people of the United States to participate in a great national exposition to be held at Tokyo from April 1 to Oct. 31, 1912, and in which the principal countries of the world are to be invited to take part. This is an occasion of special in- terest to all the nations of the world and peculiarly so to us, for 1t is the first instance in which such great na- tional exposition has been held by a great power dwelling on the Pacific, and all the nations of Europe and America will, I trust, join in helping to success this first great exposition ever held by great nation of Asia. The geographical relations of Japan and the United States as the possessors of such large portions of the coasts of the Pacific, the intimate trade relations already existing between the two coun- tries, the warm friendship which has been maintained between them with out break since the opening of Japan to intercourse with the western nations and her increasing wealth and produc- tion, which we regard with hearty good will and wish to make the occa- sion of mutually beneficial commerce, all unite in making it eminently desir- able that this invitation should be ac- cepted. I heartily recommend such legislation as will provide in generous fashion for the representation of this government and its people in the pro- posed exposition. Action should be taken now. We are apt to underesti- mate the time necessary for prepara- ton in such cases. The invitation to the French exposition of 1900 was brought to the attention of the con gress by President Cleveland in De- cember, 1895, and so many are the de- lays necessary to such proceedings that the period of four years and half which then intervened before the ex- position proved none too long for the proper preparation of the exhibits.
 German Tariff Agreement.
 The adoption of new tariff by Ger many, accompanied by conventions for reciprocal tariff concessions between that country and most of the other countries of continental Europe, led the German government to give the notice necessary to terminate the re- ciprocal commercial agreement with this country proclaimed July 13, 1900. The notice was to take effect on the 1st of March, 1906, and in default of some other arrangements this would have left the exports from the United States to Germany subject to the gen eral German tariff duties, from 25 to 50 per cent higher than the conven- tional duties imposed upon the goods of most of our competitors for German trade.
 Under a special agreement made be- tween the two governments in Febru- ary, 1906, the German government postponed the operation of their notice until the 30th of June, 1907. In the meantime, deeming 1t to be my duty to make every possible effort to prevent tariff war between the United States and Germany arising from misunder- standing by either country of the con ditions existing in the other and act ing upon the invitation of the German government, I sent to Berlin com mission composed of competent ex- perts in the operation and administra- tion of the customs tariff from the de; partments of the treasury and eoEi- merce and labor. This commissioD was engaged for several months in confer ence with a similar commission ap- pointed by the German government under instructions so far as practica- ble to reach a common understanding as to all the facts regarding the tariffs of the United States and Germany ma terial and relevant to the trade rela- tions between the two countries. The commission reported, and upon the ba- sis of the report further temporary commercial agreement was entered in- to by the two countries, pursuant to) which in the exercise of the authority conferred upon the president by the third section of the tariff act of July 24. 1897, I extended the reduced tariff rates provided for in that section tol champagne and all otber sparkling wines and pursuant to which the Ger man conventional or minimum tariff rates were extended to about 96h per cent of all the exports from the Unit ed States to Germany. This agree ment is to remain fin force until the 3Oth of June. 1908, and until siT months after notice by either party tf| terminate 1t.
 The agreement and the report of thel commission on which it is based will be laid before the congress for its in1 formation.
 This careful examination into the tar if relations between the United States and Germany involved an inquiry intoI certain Of oar methods of administra- tion which had been the cause of much complaint on the part of German ex- porters. Tn this inquiry became sat isfed that certain vicious and unjusti fable practices had grown up in our customs administration. notably thl practice of determining values of In Dorfs upon detective reports never dis ' nn A V"HnI