Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-23
OIL EXPORTERS
LOSE HEAVILY
WILL BEG CONGRESS TO RENEW
RECIPROCITY
American Shippers Want French ane
Spanish Treaties to Continue.
Vast Enterprise ImperiIed
by Tariff
Associated Pressl

lfAHSoCldASh tAN9Sl
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-Alarmed
by a drop from S1,O0O0 900 to $26,363 in
mineral oil exports to France in a
month, American oil exporters have
begun a movement to induce congress
to renew with the French government
the reciprocity treaty that expired on
October 81. Exporters also hope for
the renewal of the treaty with Spain,
a large importer of American oil,
which will expire on August 81, 1910.
Exports to Canada under the oper-
alton of the new tariff law have not
been compiled by the bureau of sta
tistics of the department of commerce
and labor, but indications are that
they will show relatively as great
falling off in oil exports as those to
France.
Notwithstanding the abrogation of
the reciprocity treaty with France, re-
ports to the bureau for November, the
first month under the new order of
things, show larger totals in both i'm
ports and exports than in the corre-
spending month of last year.
Raw cotton, which is imported into
France free of duty and hence is not
affected by tariff changes, is largely
responsible for the increase in exports,
while art works twenty years old and
over, admitted free under the new law,
and diamonds and hides were respon-
sible for the increased imports.
Less Champagne
The falling off in imports of cham
pagne from France, due to the in
creased tariff, was most marked, de-
clining from $5S4,674 in November, 1908,
to $5S,062 in November, 1909, owing to
an advance in duty from $6 per dozen
quarts to $3.50 per dozen.
oF g
er1ng the first month of the operation
of the new commercial relations be-
tween France and the United States
has been prepared for the Associated
Press by the bureau of statistics as
follows:
Commerce between the United
States and France in November, the
first month following the termination
of the reciprocity agreements, shows
larger totals in both imports and ex-
ports than in November of last year.
The total value of exports of domestic
products to France in November, 1909,
as shown by records of the bureau of
statistics of the department of COM
merce and labor, was $20013 Ala,
against $12,092,554 in November, 1908,
and the value of imports from France
in November, 1909, was $14166, ,199,
against $S, ,462, 024 in November, 1908.
Inc increase IN Ine Nalue OF exports
to France occurred chiefly in raw cot
ton. The value of raw cotton exports
to France in November, 1909, was $16,-
795,51S, against $7065,07S in November,
1908.
Trade Agreements
1.-The special trade agreements in eX-
istence between France and the Unit
ed States which terminated october
81, 1909, gave to certain articles en-
tering France from the United States
the minimum tariff rate Of that coun-
try and to certain articles entering the
United States from France special
rates of duty, and the termination of
these agreements made these articles
again subject to general tariff rates.
1.-THE more important articles from
the United States upon which the
French rates of duty were advanced,
as shown by a recent statement Of the
tariff division of the bureau of manu-
factures, were petroleum, crude and
refined, an increase of 100 per cent in
the rate of duty; heavy oils, an in
crease of 33 per cent; various grades
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