The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-28
AMERICANS HIT
BY GERMAN LAW.
Notwithstanding Protest of Sec
retary Knox, Potash Meas
ure Is Passed.
UNITED STATES MERCHANTS
DISSEMINATED AGAINST
Teuton Syndicate Induces the
Reichstag to Make Up for
Lack of Foresight.

NEW YORK. Nov. a7.-Robcrt S.
Bradley OF Boston, who Is chairman OF
the board Of directors OF the Agricui-
tural Chemical company, who has ar
rived from Germany. talked about the
potash difficulty in Germany, which re-
Gently assumed such an acute phase as
to necess!tate the sending Of special
investigator over there.
Tho potash business has been con-
troled. by a German syndicate for more
than thirty years. said Mr. Bradley
This control has been exercised not only
over tho production of the commodity,
but Its sale in all the markets Of the
world 1t has been the custom to refer
ouch syndicate for a period OF five
years. and the latest syndicate expired
by limitation at midnight OF Juno 30.
1902
For months before attempts had been
mhdo TO form new syndicate. l had
been in Berlin investigating and was
prepared to buy potash In case OPP
portunity was offered. BY midnight of
the day mentioned the delegates repre-
scnting about sixty mines who had been
in session had failed to come TO an agree
mcnt, This caused an open market at
the time, and i Immediately made con-
tracts running two years together with
contract, which was for five yeaEs. This
covered the entire requirements Of the
American Agricultural company for sew
cra years. At half past 1 o'clock that
Same morning the president issued un
edlct calling q meeting of the Delegates
for o'clock, when new syndicate was
formed This. OF course, closed the op-
portunity TO buy potash at less than
syndicate prices.
Syndicate Is Alarmed.
t~-i.
ported OF course. 10 the new syndicate.
and the news caused CONSERVATION among
the delegates because tho prices were
80 per cont lower than the ruling prices.
IN August they sent representatives over
here to negotiate a compromise Of my
cont racts. but without avail. The next
month delegates representing about sixty
American manufacturers went to Berlin
and obtained n duplication of my con-
tracts In consequence OF their hodlng
contracts made with ono OF the Schmitt-
man mines. whereby the latter gUaran-
teed TO those American manufacturers
tained. Schmlttman was thereafter le-
galy bound TO give these men the same
| terms I had obtained. So that now, in
stead OF matter of S6.oOoooo being In
volved. there was $25,o0o.o0o
"Geheimrath Kemper and Herr Biel-
man another director OF the potash syn
| dictate. presented draft of an I'm
perial potash law which had been Intro
| proposed an export duty on potash thai
| would countcryall the prices mentioned
| In our contracts.
"They accepted our offer on principle
but In figuring ont the prices they raised
| them sufficiently TO countcrvail all the
advantages left on n halfway compro'
mise basis. We then broke OF negotia
tions Secretary Of State Knox made
! Il very strong and emphatic protest tc
| the imperial government through Em
! bassador Hill and the potash bill was
subsequently withdrawn.
Discriminate Against Americans.
Immediately thereafter tho United
| states and Germany completed a COM
| mcrcial treaty which gave Germany the
| benefit Of the American minimum, lr
| the Nav following the rcichstag passed
! a potash law more drastic and more dam
| aging in its effect on American products
| thnn the original bundesrath bill which
| had been Withdrawn ct the protest o
| this government But at tho Same timt
| Epbassador Hill received assurances
| from the German foreign office that the
! law as finally amended. would not IN
/ validate. impair or AFFECT the American
| contracts.
Notwithstanding this assurance. al
! sbinments OF potash after the law wen
| into effect were taxed S22 a ton ovcI
| the contract price. This made the price
| OF rnuriate OF potash $A2 a ton instead
| of SO The law imposes duty In the
| form of a penalty tax for production over
| the allotted quota OF a mine. and rs th'
| two mines which hold the American con-
tracts are the only ones which overpro
| duce they affect only American con
! tracts and this is therefore absolutely
| dIscriminatory against American citi'
| yenS,'