The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-07
GERMANY MUST BACK DOWN
~ Nor TARIFF VAR WILL
mr. az OVER POTASH.
state Department win Consider the Ber-
lin Gosernnaent's Artisa From Paint
or View OF ndne Dascrtnaina tisn
Trouhie Over Turkish Ceneession.

! WASHINGTON. Nov "a tariff war
between the United States and Germany
I iss'nev table. in the opinion Of Government
officers here. unless Germany recsdes
from it, position IN tho potash question
! The ra'Hfion of th" proposals made by
! representatives of the American potash
b interests by Nh. German potash syDd,-
cate. which action has been upheld by the
! German Foreign Osice. has brought tn.
commercial relations between the two
, countries ~ an acute stage
| While no official report on the situation
, has heen received at the State Depart
n.nt II is cxIrCied thar complete advices
will he v"d bv mail from DR. Dav id
~. Hill. American Ambassador AT Berlin
and Mr. Mack n Davis Of the bureau
OF trade relations IN a week OF Secre
tarv of State Knox will return to Washing
ton on "Wednesday after voting in Pitts
hirg Ii Is anticipated that h.' will then
" ia other State Department officers
make a study Of the question whether the
action Of the German Government con-
stitu,es an undue discrimination against
American interests.
/ In tn" vent that tn. State department
and th" Tariff Board so decide President
I TAFT vail Ia. requested to iss,.e an eSec-j-
I i've order Withdrawing the minimum rates
/ now applied Ia German products under
the authority Of thu new tariff Law
II such an order h" issued the ina III
mum rates. which are % per cent. higher
than the minimum rates. will be imposed
! on German products entering tins country.
! The volume uf trade bel Seen the n'tad
States and Germany amounts tn several
hundred million dollars annually
| The potash question IL important 10
, American consumers because potash ~
the principal ingredient of Fertilizers for
cotton. ioba >co and IN. grains. nd.r
th.. new German law he price Ia American
purchasers has risen from SO ~ "A ton 10
s3s ton. IN spite ~ he fact tha' the
American potash interc,'s hlv" con;
tracts with the German Svndirit" nv
! which IN. price - fixed At ssbsO ton
Germany j. the chief -Ou-I' ~ supply
vi his important arricl- lii" nited
States buys ona-i half of all that Germany
exports The American "unsImorS have
heretofore purchased about s,.'snu1
/ worth Of potash annually
For MANY wears the mining and sale <
pn'asn were controlled by a German
syndicate which was dissolN .-d IN June.
TO agrss IN terms for the continuance
uf IN. agreement under which u lad been
operating 4 free market Wa "-rit"d
aud he representatives of ne American
! ,nn-r-ne-S who We. 'h-n IN Berlin
o mad. contracts with IN. mare owners
~ future purchases on favorable '-rai-.
VI ~ II these, contracts Were for a psrio
1T '"n yeas. wI;h rh- "pt,rn ~ - 'iye
I v..'r- extension
Immaiia;. ely after rh.-~. contracts YER.
signed H." old -vndI"lt" was reformed
end = - said took steps a. One. 80 prevent
P the execution Of tn. American cont -act-
\ Till was Introduced IN IN. German
/ ReighstaR on December u lADe. provid-
Iug Tor placing all tn" potash mines Of
! Germany under ih. cont rol ~ a synd. at -
! fr- ia. purpose of preventing the al" or
: potash Nv some mines az prI'"s Iwer
than were acc"stani' IN o;hrv Mines
! WI 10. tho dIf Inina',r negotiations w,.r,.
E..',iinc betw""n ,h, United States and
! Germany for g,'lh'Iug he German pruu-
! uotS me rIin'lTm ra."> "f III. Payh,-
/ ltlriCh acf thu It'll WIS Withdrawn from
! rh- Eeichsta: After IN" ann negu.is-
/ Toms were conrhin.d and he MIR mum
rates wer- granted to- Ge-nluv ~,
b
the German synd,.lre 4 new IaH was
i ,-rIa"i 81 Nv th. II. nns'ag OF Nav ~. 1871"
: imposing FAX on INNING ~ -Nce-s Of
specific sllofn"nt- This Law Rad th.
I .sffac' Of taAInR rh. American Cuntracr.
nea.
! TLa AMERICAN consum"r- ~ potash
app..I'' Il for assistance tn 10. stat" d.
pa-tm'nt in oh; iininx ~" cognition
J g 81
knox protested AGAINST tts proposed
! rnr=aur" H. r"C..Iv"d assurances from
the German Foreign ono. tina; IN. exist
ing cont acts would no, h. invalid IL. o.
impaired since the Bund satin or Fed raj
/ Council lad tn. AUTHORITY 10 protect
them and - power TO fix prices In
fact. IN" Bud srath had power Ia reduce
tn" taxes IN po:ssh supplied on contract.
made prior "a December II 1870 70 such
an ax,snt thai III. prio-s Of delivery after
SIay /. 1910. irciiding RI. taxes should
not h.. higher tnan I'll" prices IN force
unt June 80 1909 IL has failed however
to offer any ad .l'lnt- measure 81 pro-
ta,,tinn 20 N" American contracts
The last stages 81 the negotiations he
gan in b" lin IN September. when repre-
s..n- atlves Of TN" American potash in
with officers Of the German svnhica'a
The pot Ash situation Is not tho only
diplomatic question on which tho stat.
Depart rnent has had dinicuty With
tn, German Government som. months
ago tn. Ottoman-AmeriCan Development
Company. an american concern. applied
10 the Turkish Government for n railway
and mining concession in Asia Minor
! II had she diplomatic support Of Secretary
Knox The German Government at
| tempted 10 block the entrance of the
American concern into that region and
instructed it- diplomatic representa- i've
Mt Constaniinopl. 10 protest against IN.
granting Of the conversation TO TIA. American
company
A. soon AZ Secretary Knox heard Of the
German opposition he instructed Am
bas@ador Hill 20 AJAX the German Foreign
Office To reconsider its attitude toward the
proposed concession In reply IN. German
Foreign OfIics assured Mr. Knox that it
had no objection TO the proposed conces-