The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-19
SECRETARY KNOX WRITES ON TARIFF Sends Information To Sen-
 atOr Curtis
NEED OF LEGISLATION
Curtis Frames Bill-Many Foreign Countries Discriminate Against United States--Many Removed
 But Some Remain

Washington. December 1S.--seeretary
 Knox has written to Senator Curtis of Kansas d letter giving information compiled by the government. which, in the opinion of MT Knox, would justify Legislation to provide a graduated means of meeting various discrimina- tions by foreign countries against American commerce.
 The senator has framed a bill cal
 culated to meet the situation as It arises.
 The problem.s said Secretary Knox.
 'is to provide for the removal so fas as practicable. of such features in for eign commerce as may be found ad- verse to our export trade development and of serious import to those Ameri- can enterprises directly affected.
 Tn the opinion of the department, this problem may be solved through the medium of an amendment to section of the act of August 5, 1909, whereby
 may be afforded sufficient degree of
 elasticity in the imposition of tariff
 rates suited to the offenses intended
 for correction
 l Secretary Knox cited some of the
 more important instances to which the
 attention of the state department had
 been called but which properly may
 not be considered as falling under the
 classification, of undue discrimina
 tions.'
 l There have been developed in re-
 cont vpars b,e xurnta .sntt111 ai.olg In
 stances of tariff and administrative dis
 crimination against products of the | United States. Many of these, and, in-
 deed the most important as they then lexisted, were removed or were capitalized l by compensation in tariff rates granted 1 by other countries through the nego- tiations after the enactment of the tariff law of August 5. 1909 Since the conclusion of these nego- itations, other instances have developed in the way of discrimnative practices
 of American citizens in foreign coun-
 tries and in the administration of for
 eign tariffs adverse to the commercial
 Interests of the United States"
 SecRetary knox's list of countries lmaklng dscriminations wiiffh sSw-
 ever, he said. he did not consider as lproperly speaking eundue,p follows:
 Belgium Failure of state railways
 administration to permit the Conti- mental Petroleum company of Antwerp,
 representing Texas oil exporting con
 cern, to bid for supplying the state
 railways with lubricating oil of Amer ! fnar
 for bids invariably specify oil of Rus
 sian origin.
 | Germany: Administrative embargo on
 American meats, Legislation restricting
 the potash output and so taxing sur
 plus production as to make valueless
 certain advantages obtained bY Amer jeans under contracts with herman
 mines in 1906 and 1909; export tertifi- l cate practices which provide the dquva- lent of bounties on exports destructive of American trade in neutral markets; freight rates ons state railways much greater eastbound than westbound. on the same commodities, materially ad- lvantageous to Austria and Russian as compared with the United States. Italy; Manufacturing tax on Imported
 
 production.
 Austria Hungary Tariff on eotton seed oil double that applied te any other edible oil with which refined cot ton seed oil competes; unequal and op- pressive government measures applied to American investments in Austria respecting conversion of crude oii into refined oil proposed Legislation that would destroy great part of the American petroleum trade in Europe. Bulgary: Refused denaturing of cot ton seed oil when imported making it unfit for human use.
 Portugal: Practical prohibition of cotton seed oil imports.
 Spain: Imposition of rates on cotton seed oil to treble the duty applied to competing imports, denaturing of cot ton seed oil when imported. Secretary Knox stated that the amendment doubtless should originate in the House, and he, therefore com municated to the ways and means com mittee tentative draft of the proposed amendment which would provide minimum of per cent ad valorem and maximum of 25 per cent, applicable by proclamation when the President is sat isfied that another nations laws or practices are inimicable to American enterprise.
 Senator Curtis bill was framed as an amendment to tho pure food law with the intent of giving to the President discretionary power to meet discrimina-