Mr. Buck to Mr. Sherman.
Tokyo, Japan , May 26, 1898 .
Sir: Referring to the unnumbered instructions of the Department of date July 23 and 27, 1897, and my dispatch No. 35, of date September 23 last, relating to bounty laws making a discrimination in favor of Japanese subjects, especially bounties upon exports of raw silk, I have the honor to state that, immediately upon the opening of the present session of the Diet, a bill repealing the act providing for a bounty on such exports of raw silk by Japanese subjects was introduced; which bill passed the lower house on the 21st instant; that on the 23d instant it passed the House of Peers unanimously, and now only awaits the Imperial sanction to go into effect, which is expected to be given within the next few days.
I am informed by Mr. Kaneko, His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s minister for agriculture and commerce, who has had charge of the bill in behalf of the Government, that the Japanese minister in Washington has already been informed by cable of the repeal of the silk-bounty law that he may communicate that information to the Department of State at once, which if not already done he doubtless will speedily do.
I have, etc.,