Mr. Jackson to Mr. Hay.
Berlin, November 15, 1898.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that in last night’s issue of the semiofficial Berliner Correspondenz an article appeared of which the following is a translation:
The presence of San Jose scale in shipments of fruit coming from America has recently, as formerly, been repeatedly established. In Hamburg, scale insects were found on dried California pears on September 29; on fresh California pears on September 30, and on dried California nectarines on October 21. These shipments were held up, and their reexportation, under official supervision, was ordered.
This article will be brought to the attention of Dr. Stiles, who is at present absent from Germany, investigating the sources from which uninspected American pork is thought to be imported into the Empire. It will be noted that it is not stated whether the scale found were alive or dead, making it appear probable that they were in a harmless condition.
In this connection I mention that on September 27 last, the Berlin representative (a Mr. George Kolb) of a Hamburg importing house, called at the embassy to ask if it could not assist him to obtain the repeal of a ruling according to which 150 cases of California pears, in which the scale had been found, must be reexported. He was informed that the embassy could not help him, and nothing further has been heard of the case.
I have, etc.,