RÉGIME APPLIED IN BELGIUM TO PRESERVED AND SALTED MEATS. Count de Lichterveld to Mr. Hay. LEGATION OF BELGIUM, Washington, January 26, 1899. DEAR MR. HAY: In compliance with the desire which you were pleased to express to me this morning, I hasten to communicate to you, unofficially, a copy of the letter which I have received from Brussels relative to the passage in the President's message concerning the régime applied in Belgium to preserved and salted meats. I also send the inclosures which show what that regimé is. LICHTERVELD. [Inclosure.] The terms in which Mr. McKinley has expressed himself on the subject of the relations between the United States of America and Belgium, and the interest which he manifests, especially in the development of the transit trade, via Belgium, of American goods, have specially attracted the attention of the King's Government, which thinks that it therein sees evidence of the friendly disposition of the American Government toward us. I need not tell you that the disposition of the Belgium Government is the same, and that on its part it will spare no effort to promote the development of commercial relations between the two countries. The President's message alludes to difficulties met with by the exportation to Belgium of salted or preserved meats from the United States of America. When examined in a fiscal and sanitary point of view the régime applied in Belgium to those goods involves no measure that can be considered as a restriction of importation. I think it well to point out to you exactly what the bases of that régime are. Preserved meats which have been simply cooked, smoked, or salted, are exempted from the payment of any duty on their importation into Belgium. It is only when they are otherwise prepared that they pay, according to circumstances, a duty of 15 francs or 12 francs per 100 kilograms. You will find herewith the text of the customhouse regulations on this subject. In a sanitary point of view prepared or preserved meats from foreign countries are merely subjected to an examination by experts, which enables the competent authorities to be sure that the goods imported are suitable for consumption, and that they may without danger be sold to the public for food. These requirements are purely hygienic precautions, and their application is general. AMERICAN CATTLE-IMPORTATION INTO BELGIUM-DUTIES IMPOSED IN UNITED STATES ON BELGIAN SUGARS. No. 185.] Mr. Storer to Mr. Hay. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Brussels, March 29, 1899. (Rec'd April 14.) SIR: I have the honor to report that I have just received a visit from the minister of foreign affairs at the legation, who informed me that the royal decree revising the prohibition of the importation of American cattle will be officially promulgated during the first week of April. He at the same time handed me a Statement of the views of the ministry of finance on the question of the additional duties imposed in the United States on Belgian sugars, as he stated for my information and convenience. A duplicate of the same he also informed me had been to-day transmitted to the Belgian minister at Washington. I inclose a copy and a translation of this nonofficial statement and will advise the Department by cable of the official promulgation of the royal decree. I have, etc., BELLAMY STORER. [Inclosure-Translation.] The additional duties to which Belgian sugars are subjected on entering the United States of America have been provisionally fixed at 4.50 francs for raw sugars and 5.36 francs for refined sugars. As to German sugars the rate of such additional duties is 3.10 francs and 4.44 francs, respectively, making a difference in favor of Germany of 1.40 franes (on raw sugar) and of 0.92 franc (on refined sugar). Sugars of Austrian origin pay additional duties of 3.42 franes and of 5.25 francs, respectively, on raw sugar and refined sugar, thereby receiving an advantage of 1.08 francs and of 0.11 frane over Belgian sugars. It is well known that in Austria sugar manufacturers have formed a syndicate whereby, from the high duties which foreign sugars pay on entering that country, manufacturers can raise the price of sugar for the interior of the Empire; and so, independently of the direct export bounty, the Austrian manufacturers have the advantage of an indirect bounty for which no equivalent exists in Belgium. A similiar syndicate is at present in formation in Germany. Consequently to reestablish the freedom of competition in the American market, the additional duties on Belgian sugars should at the outside be 3 francs for raw sugar and 3.25 francs for refined sugar. In any case the difference of the additional duty on these two kinds of sugars should not be above 0.25 franc, as one can not lose sight of the fact that, contrary to the case in other countries, the entire Belgian bounty arising from the surplus production is fixed according to the richness of the raw sugar. Since there exists in Belgium no bounty to cover cost of refining, the difference between the duties on raw and refined sugar ought to be fixed in proportion (to cover this). The figures 3 franes and 3.25 francs above given have reference to the present situation. They should naturally be reduced to 2.25 francs and 2.43 francs for brut and refined sugars, respectively, from and after the 15th of August, 1899, the date of beginning work in the manufactories, when will come into force the law of 29th December, 1898, which raises the rate of the "prise en charge" from 1,900 to 2,000 grams per hectoliter of juice at one degree of density, as the application of this measure will have the effect of diminishing in the proportion of the difference of the above figures the indirect protection which sugar receives in Belgium. No. 251.] 66 Mr. Hay to Mr. Storer. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: Your dispatch No. 185, dated March 29, 1899, is received. You observe that the minister of foreign affairs had just informed you that the royal decree raising the prohibition of the importation of American cattle will be officially promulgated during the first week in April." You add that you will advise the Department by cable of the official promulgation of the royal decree. As the Department has not yet received such advice, it is presumed that the decree has not yet been published. The last revision of the bounty applicable to the Belgian sugar crop gave the following as the reduced and lowest rates possible under the law, namely: On raw sugar, 4.05 francs; on refined sugar, 4.60 francs. As longer delay in liquidation of duties on Belgian sugar proves inconvenient to the Treasury, it has been decided to announce at once the liquidation in accordance with the above reductions, which are somewhat more favorable than those which you indicated to the Belgian Government under former instructions. The Treasury circular for the adjustment of duties at 4.05 francs instead of 4.50 francs and at 4.60 francs instead of 5.36 francs is now issued, bearing date April 18, 1899. Any reductions of present bounty paid in Belgium to be effected under the new law will, of course, be met by corresponding reductions in the countervailing duty here. We can not doubt that the Government at Brussels will announce on its part the friendly act of reciprocity so long expected. I am, etc., Mr. Storer to Mr. Hay. JOHN HAY. No. 190.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch of April 19, numbered 251, which arriving in due course of mail did not seem to require answer until I had some further communication from the ministry to transmit on this subject. I received yesterday a visit from the minister of foreign affairs, who expressed his regret for the delay which had occurred in carrying into effect the formal engagement on the part of the ministry that the royal decree raising the prohibition of American cattle importation would be promulgated during the time heretofore reported by me. In expressing his apologies, he made the explanation that certain new embarrassments of detail had unexpectedly arisen between the Belgian minister of agriculture and the authorities of Holland, and this was the only cause which had delayed the carrying into effect of the intention of the ministry regarding American cattle, which intention remained unaltered. While unable to give assurance of the exact day that the signature of the King would be attached to this decree, which has already been drawn up, he assured me of his full confidence that this would be done, and the decree officially promulgated before the day on which I shall present my letters of recall from this port. He also expressed his regret that the rate of duties on Belgian sugar in the United States could not have been made on the basis of the suggestions of his Government, at the same time acknowledging the concessions made by the Treasury Department of the United States. I may add that in my opinion the Department may expect some advances from the Belgian minister at Washington looking to an interchange of some possible reciprocal advantages under section 4 of the tariff act. I have, etc., BELLAMY STORER. Mr. Hay to Mr. Storer. No. 254.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: Your dispatch, No. 190, of date May 13, 1899, iş received; also your telegram of the 28th instant, which reads as follows: Official promulgation to-day of decree repealing interdiction of importation of American cattle. Repeal takes effect May 31. To-day the Belgian minister also communicated to this Department the following telegram just received from his Government: Moniteur 28 publie arrêté levant interdiction bétail américain nouveau régime édicté par arrêté royal 22 janvier 1897, applicable à partir 31 mai. Informez Gouvernement. From this it appears that the decree of January 22, 1897, is restored. If you have not already forwarded a copy of the regulations now to be enforced upon importation of American cattle, you will transmit such copy to this Department as soon as may be, in order that exporters may be fully informed of the conditions affecting their shipments to Belgium. I am, etc., JOHN HAY. Mr. Storer to Mr. Hay. No. 199.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Brussels, May 30, 1899. (Received June 2.) SIR: I have the honor to report that on the evening of the 28th I received a semiofficial letter from the minister of foreign affairs, of which I send a translation herewith. I immediately cabled you as follows: Official promulgation to-day of decree repealing interdiction of importation of American cattle. Repeal takes effect May 31. To-day I have received an official communication from the minister of foreign affairs, of which I also forward a copy and a translation. I also forward, as part of this dispatch, three copies of the decree spoken of in the communication of the minister of foreign affairs, and which reads in English as follows: SANITARY INSPECTION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. IMPORTATION OF CATTLE COMING FROM THE UNITED STATES. In view of the law of December 30, 1882, on the sanitary inspection of domestic animals, as well as the general rules of administration framed to carry this law into, effect; * * * And in view of the royal decree of 22d January, 1897, fixing the conditions under which animals shipped from all countries beyond the sea may be imported, and considering the ministerial decree of the 29th of December, 1894, which prohibits the importation of all cattle shipped from the United States of America And in consideration of the opinion of the veterinary inspection officers, it is decreed as follows: * * * From and after the 31st of May, 1899, the aforesaid decree of the 29th of December, 1894, interdicting the importation or the transit of cattle coming from the United States of America, is hereby repealed. BRUSSELS, May 25, 1899. I also forward as an inclosure to this dispatch three copies of the royal decree governing all importation of cattle, which bears date May 25, 1899. Owing to the pressure of business, I have not been able to transmit a translation of this decree. I have, etc., [Inclosure 1-Translation.] BELLAMY STORER. Minister of Foreign Affairs to Mr. Storer. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MY DEAR MINISTER: I have the honor to inform you that the Moniteur of to-day will contain the information that the Government has raised the interdiction of the importation of cattle from the United States. I am much delighted that this measure, in the realization of which you have so powerfully assisted, has been brought about before your departure from Brussels. DE FAVEREAU. [Inclosure 2-Translation.] The Minister of Foreign Affairs to Mr. Storer. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SIR: I hasten to inform your excellency that, by a decree bearing date 25th of May of this year, the minister of agriculture and public works has repealed his former decree of the 29th of December, 1894, which interdicted the importation and the transit of all cattle coming from the United States of America. |