Mr. Thomas to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States,
Stockholm, October 28,
1899.
No. 119.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt this day of instruction No. 66, of the 14th instant, inclosing a
letter from the Acting Secretary of Agriculture, relating to the
importation of American meats into Norway.
I at once addressed a note to the acting minister for foreign affairs, a
copy of which is inclosed herewith, repeating the assurance of the
Secretary of Agriculture that all the United States meat inspectors [Page 736] are veterinarians, but stating
that the Secretary deemed it would not be practicable to furnish lists
of such inspectors to be kept up to date, accompanied by facsimiles of
their signatures, as desired by the board of health of Christiania.
As reasons for this decision, I repeated in substance a portion of those
given by Mr. Brigham, to wit, that there are now about 200 of such
officials, and not only are they shifted about from one position to
another, but some are continually being dropped out and others added.
This would make it necessary to send a weekly bulletin to such foreign
authorities as wished to verify the inspectors’ signatures, thus
entailing a large and, as it is believed, unnecessary amount of labor
and expense.
I called this afternoon at the foreign office, read my note to the chief
secretary, and in an extended conference on the subject, earnestly
brought forward the remaining reasons adduced by Mr. Brigham.
I trust that the result may be that the board of health of Christiania
will waive its request to be furnished with lists of the inspectors in
question and will accept the certificates and meat-inspection stamps of
the Government of the United States without the authentication of a
Swedish-Norwegian consul at the port of shipment.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Mr. Thomas to
Mr. Bostrom.
Legation of the United States,
Stockholm, October 28, 1899.
Sir: I have the honor to call your
excellency’s attention to the note of Count Douglas to me of August
12 last, it which it is stated that the board of health of
Christiania, before making a final decision on the question of
accepting the certificates and meat-inspection stamps of the
Government of the United States, without the authentication by a
Swedish-Norwegian consul at the port of shipment, desires to know if
all the inspectors of the Department Agriculture are veterinary
surgeons; and, if this is the case, the board wishes to receive from
the Department of Agriculture, through our consul at Christiania, a
list “a tenir a jour” of the inspectors in question, accompanied by
a fac simile of their signatures.
In response to the first request, I beg to advise your excellency
that, as already stated in my note to Count Douglas, of September 4
last, I have received information, through the Department of State,
from the Secretary of Agriculture, whose Department is charged with
the appointment of such inspectors, that, as a matter of fact, all
such inspectors are veterinarians. I am instructed to add that the
inspection is thorough and complete under the laws of the United
States and the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture.
As to the second request, I am instructed that the Department of
Agriculture deems that it will not be practicable to furnish lists
of the United States meat inspectors “a tenir a jour,” accompanied
by facsimiles of their signatures.
Among other reasons for this decision, it may be stated that there
are now about 200 of such officials, and not only are they shifted
about from one position to another, but some are continally being
dropped out and others added. This would make it necessary to send a
weekly bulletin to such foreign authorities as wished to verify the
inspectors’ signatures, thus entailing a large and, as it is
believed, unnecessary amount of labor and expense.
Trusting that the above assurances of the Secretary of Agriculture,
that all the United States meat inspectors are veterinarians, will
be sufficient to cause the certificates and meat-inspection stamps
of the Government of the United States to be accepted, not only in
the city of Christiania, but everywhere in the United Kingdoms,
without the authentication by a consul thereof, I beg, etc.,
