The Washington herald., 1907-05-04


The State Department made public yes
terday the text Of the commercial agree
ment with Germany which has been ap-
proved by the German Economic Council
and viii be submitted TO the Reichstag to-
day
By the terms of the agreement the
President of the United States. acting
under the authority conferred on him by
the Dingley tariff act, has agreed that
upon the following articles imported into
the United States from Germany after
the date e the agreement goes into effect,
the duties shall be reduced as follows:
Argols. OF crude tartar. or wine lees. crude now
from / to cents pound, reduced to per cent
al yaloFem.
Brandy reduced from S2z5 to sL75 per gallon.
Champagne reduced iron S 10 S. per dozen quarts
still wines and venluth. IN casks. reduced iron
50 cents 70 s. cents pr gallon; in bottles OF Jugs
per case Of one dozen quarts reduced from Sl6o 10
S5 and upon any excess above one quart the rate
is reduced from cents 10 4 cents per pint OF such
excess.
Paintings in oil CT water cooFs pastels. pen-and-
ink drawings, and statuary reduced from y Per
cent ad Falorem to Is per cent
The United States agrees 10 certain
notifications of the customs and consular
regulations, as set out in an accompany
ing diplomatic note. These notifications
are contained in instructions issued to
customs and consular officers which de-
fine the market value" of an article TO
be the export price whenever goods,
wares, and merchandise are sold wholly
for export or sold only in the home mar
ket only in limited quantities" " and pro-
vides that statements required under
section Of the custom administrative act
are not TO be demanded By consular off,
GERS except upon the request of the ap-
pralser Of the port of entry of the goods. %
The consular regulations are to be
amended TO cover this point
Hearings TO BE Open.
1t is also conceded that in reappraise-
ment cases the hearing shall be open and
in the presence of the importer or his at
torney, unless the board of appraisers
shall determine that the public interest
would suffer thereby. But in such cases
the importer shall be furnished with the
evidence developed at the closed hearing.
other notifications are made in the rule
requiring personal appearance before
consul. which shall be required only in
exceptional cases. and in the strict re-
uuirement regarding the declaration OF
the name of the ship. The following i'm
pOrtant rules are laid down:
Special agents. confidential agents.
and others sent by the Treasury Depart
ment to investigate questions bearing
upon customs administration shall
be accredited 10 the German gov
ernment through the Department Of
State Of Washington, and the foreign
Office at Berlin. and such agents shall
cooperate with the several chambers of
commerce located in the territory appor-
toned 10 such agents. II IS hereby un-
derstood that the general principle as TO
the personae gratae shall shall apply TO
these officials. The certificates as to
value issued by German chambers Of
commerce shall be accepted by appraisers
as competent evidence and be considered
by them In connection with such other
evidence as may be adduced.'
Concession by United States.
As one Of the concessions by the United
States, the President agrees to recon-
mend to Congress the enactment OF an
amendment TO section Z Of the customs
administrative act.
In return for these concessions on the
part Of the United States the German
government consents to adopt the sched-
ules Of duties TO be levied upon importa-
tons Of American products into Germany
provided in the German minimum
tariff"
The free list under this schedule in
cludes linseed and clover and grass seed.
and nearly every kind OF fruits; live
goats, geese, pumiee stone and slate in