Evening star., 1939-03-19
STAR, WASHINGTON 1e3e-PARr ONE
Hoof-and-Mouth
Disease Breeds
.Argentine-U. 5. Ills
American Bon on 'Cheupe,
And Better Meats Foster
Virulent Bad Will
BY JOHN T. WHITAKER,

Chlcago Daily News Foreign correspondent.
BUENOS AIRES. March 18.-The
hoof and mouth disease, by which we
exclude Argentina's meats from the
American market, is the essential
problem that makes for misunder-
standing and bad trade between the
United States and this country.
Few North Americans can imagine
how much this disease affects inter-
national relations and may prove q
| decisive factor in the struggle be-
tween Germany and America for
South American trade. There is no
Argentinean above the age of IL,
perhaps, who cannot discourse upon
1t for hours.
The Argentinean thinks that he
has the best meat in the world.
The Englishman, famous for his
roast beef, also thinks so. There
may be steaks in Chicago as good,
but I never ate them so I think so,
too. The Argentinean believes that
the United States has invented the
hoof and mouth disease because the
Argentine beef is the best in the
world and because 1t can be deliv-
| cred in New York for sale st almost
half the price Of American Western
meats.
Chicanery Laid to Senate.
| American sanitary regulations are
designed. the Argentinean believes
not because the United States needs
protection from the hoof and mouth
disease, but because American cattle
growers are needlessly protecting
their home market against better
and cheaper meats. This is what
the Argentinean believes-every Ar
gentinean, all Argentineans. And
they believe, moreover, that our Sen
ate is guilty of chicanery and hypoc-
risy-words have heard frequently
and that our President promised
Argentineans relief when he had nc
intention of giving it to them.
The United States pays the Ar
gentinean more each year for lin
seed than Great Britain pays that
country for meat. And yet Britain
has a favored position and the
United States is Disseminated
against because the British buy beef
I stressed to the minister of agri-
culture the Importance of our pur-
chases of linseed. I honestly believe
that he had never known before
that we bought more linseed than
Britain bought beef. The minister
is not in the cattle business himself
he grows sugar cane up in the
hot hill country of Tucuman-but
he is meat-minded. The cattle grow
ers see to that. They dominate Ar
gentina.
We Don't Want to Sell Linseed.
well, perhaps your figures or
linseed are correct" said the min.
lister of agriculture. "but we don't
want to sell linseed. We want tt
sell meat" And that was that
I never met a more delightful
man, but on this subject his minc
was closed. He wants to sell meat
This minister is typical of the mer
with whom Washington must deal
He is not anti-American, but he i
pro- European. The corporativ,
state idea interests him, taking tn
mild form of Argentine Fascism.
He is the type the Germans ar
> working on. He told me ecstaticall
that the Germans two years az
started buying Argentine beef-tha
they were buying $4,000 tons a yea,
l asked If it were true, as I ha,
heard, that the Germans were sell
ing part of this beef in Holland
slashing prices and running an Ar
gentine market. honestly believ
: that neither the idea nor the in
formation had reached him before
although had the information
from another ministry. Like tn
) figures on linseed, this just did no
matter. He wanted to sell meat
. Germany buys meat, he said. ant
then before we knew it we were talk
ing "hoof and mouth" again.
Two Grievances.
The Argentineans have two griev
ances. One came with the Smoot
Hawley tariff bill. In putting ,
tariff Of 6 cents pound on mea
the legislators added a rider tina
no fresh meat could be brought il
from countries with hoof and moutl
disease. This affected some 2
countries and did not discriminat
technically against Argentine
though it is hard to convince al
Argentinean that the cattle-Stat
, Senators did not know what the
: were doing.
: Independently of the Legislators
: the Department of Agriculture ais
| applied an embargo to Argentine
This measure was operative agains
| the whole country. Argentinean
= argued, however, that there was n
hoof and mouth disease in Patagoni
and that the embargo should b
5 enforced on regional basis. Al
, agreement for regional application
was worked out with Brazil an