The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-10

Berlin, July 9-(SpeciaD-The Ameri-
can-German trade war; of which we have
heard SO much, Is assuming definite and
acute shape in and out of the empire.
So far the Germans seem to be the ag-
gressors. The Americans are minding
their own business going after the trade
on merit-and, generally speaking, get
| ting It, This latter fact is what seems to
| be greving the German official and In
dustrlal world and is leading to measures
| that are, to say the least, somewhat I'M
| professional. These measures apparently
have the active support Of the highest au-
| thority-which means the Emperor. Under
| his majesty's stimulation the imperial
government is going right after the Amer
| lean trade captains wherever they can be
| found.
An excellent illustration of this govern
mental activity is given by the recent dis
patch inspired by Official sources" which
was transmitted to the correspondents
here Among other things this dispatch
set out that:
Baron Marshall Won Bieberstein, the
German ambassador to Constantinople,
represented to the sublime porte that for
| The Turkish government to grant conces-
| sions sought by an American financial
group would be to controvert the mining
| law agreed upon by the Turkish govern
ment and the European ambassadors,
| The American State Department there
upon requested this government to look
into the matter. The reply OF the Tor
| eign office to the State Department has
| been formulated and in substance is most
| favorable in principle to American enter
| prise In. Turkey except where IN the
present case. specific German concessions
| are adversely affected. Accordingly. 1t is
| suggested that the American financial IN
terests reach an understanding with the
owners of the Bagdad railway.
The owners of the Bagdad railway
are strong German financial Interests.
which do not take kindly to the Idea or
American enterprise participating IN the
DEVELOPMENT of the far east Such devel-
opment would of course, carry with 1t
commercial and trade relations with the
tense population there. 1t Is the same
Influence" that protested against the
participation of American capital IN the
Chinese loan. 1t is generally consloereu
| that. as In the Chinese case. the inter-
yention of the Washington government
will force an end to the underground
work against American interests with
he Turkish government. The activities
| Of the pushing Germans have therefore
defeated themselves in this instance.
somewhat similar situation thougn
along different lines, has come to heaS
at Hamburg with the collapse of the gov
arnment,s case against the Standard on
,ompany, This unexpected fiasco has lett
| the German business and Official Worlo
| in something of mild daze-
| The Hamburg matter began with the
discharge of an employe, native Ger
| man who had served the Deutsche va
|
| Deutsche Vacuum company Is the luprl-
| eating oil branch of the Standards Or
| "a nization In Germany. The former sales
| man went to rival houses with stories
| charging the Standard with various cor
rupt practices. The matter was put ~
shape by these rival concerns anu supl.i,.-
| rcd to the Fremdenblatt. strong paper
| with ideas of enterprise" 1t transpirec
| II the hearing that the persons who insti-
| rated the publication, German distrlpu-
| tors of Russian, Austrian and Gallcian
| ills. knew the charges were un1ounoeo'
| Rut the Fremdenblatt accepted the
| charpes In good faith and soon begun
| ~ or,,sade at a rate that would have
yiyar no,nters to some of Its Amnrlcan
contemporaries
II was charged, among other things,
that the Standard people had Tor years
been in the habit Of bribing employees
of intending buyers, for the purpose Oh
rels containing inferior oils with brands
rsnresenting a better quality, and, by
doctoring accounts by manipulation OF
purchase and selling prices, mad SHOWN
reduced profits and resulting lowef
amount subject to state taxes inese
and other charges were readily peheVed
by the general public, as they were
right in line with the ?upllca.ions tliae
had appeared in American newspapers
and magazines and reproduced by the en-
terprisine Fremdenblatt The crusade be-
cor in September last, and was kept up
continuously until the public prosecu-
tor at Hamburg took up the case on be-
half of the government. This, II was
generally supposed, meant the finish OF
BE Tremdenblatt and the people behind
the charges. the public prosecutr, after
a long and extensive hearing, exon0'ated
~. American concern and gave 1t clean
bill of health.
usual reticence regarding Its business, 1t
was somewhat of surprise 10 see now
much of the mysteries of the oil bust.
ness and its own share IN IL the STANDARD
voluntarily revealed
For instance, for the first time on
record we were given exact facts re-
garding the extent Of the standards
enormous foreign business. 1t was shown
that the total of petroleum products
exported from the United states to
foreign countries amounted for the year
to s111,S00, 70s OF this huge amount the
Standard exported s79.657.136 or well over
70 per cent. To Germany alone the
United States sent 81, 372, 322 in petroleum
products and over 70 per cent of this
total was shipped and distributed by the
Standard. The representative of the
STANDARD who presented these figures
made an explanatory statement that
caused the German business world to sit
up and take notice.
''Crude production In the United