The embassy has based much hope for the passing of the bill in acceptable
form on the fact that even those members of the Government who have
heretofore been little inclined to the American view have favored the
project referred to the committee. In recent interviews Count
Posadowski, imperial secretary of state for the interior, and Baron von
Hammerstein, the Prussian minister, who has most to say in the premises,
have shown themselves thoroughly favorable to this original bill, and
that Minister von Bülow would be especially glad to see it pass is
certain.
But new difficulties have arisen. To say nothing regarding the hostile
influence of wrong ideas prevailing in Germany regarding American policy
in Samoa; the statements made in our country regarding meat “embalmed,”
“diseased,” and “spoiled,” supplied to our troops during the recent war
have echoed and reechoed throughout this Empire, the Agrarian organs
being, of course, careful not to let the subject drop. As a result it is
stated that petitions have been sent in to the commission from various
constituencies demanding protection from diseases engendered by American
products, and an atmosphere has been created most injurious to any calm
and fair consideration of this subject.
I am not without hope that in the full open session better counsels may
prevail, but must confess that I shall not be surprised to see the whole
subject go over until the next session.
[Inclosure.]
Clipping from Vossische Zeitung, May 7,
1899.
The Reichstag commission for the meat-inspection law passed a law
yesterday which almost entirely prohibits the importation of meat.
The importation of lard and bacon is permissible, but naturally only
in accordance with the sanitary police control. The importation of
“manufactured” meats, i. e., sausage, meat in cans, and hams, is
entirely prohibited. The importation of fresh meat is permitted
under certain conditions, namely, that the slaughtered cattle are
hot cut into pieces, and that, in particular, the intestines remain
in their natural connection with the carcass. At the custom-house an
examination is to be made by veterinary surgeons which is to extend
to the examination for trichina. Even a restricted importation seems
to be regarded as a provisional favor, for the law as passed by the
commission does not grant the absolute introduction, but only
gives-to the Bundesrath the power to permit the introduction for a
certain period.
Fresh-slaughtered meat may be brought across the boundary for
examination. That fresh-slaughtered meat can not be brought from
America without cutting it into pieces or without removing the
intestines, without having the same spoilt, is clear. In connection
with the prohibition against the introduction of meat in cans, it
follows that the importation of meat from America is made
impossible.
At the present moment we can not state whether meat extract and
cibils (liquid meat extract) have received the attention of the
commission and whether certain reservations have been made in this
direction. In case this has not been done, we must believe that
these articles, which, from a hygienic standpoint, give no reason
for apprehension, and which have no competition in this country,
would also fall under the head of the prohibited manufactures of
meat.
In order to complete this picture, we must bring to mind that the
importation of live cattle has been made difficult in many ways
through the laws on diseases, that the prohibitory laws are enforced
far beyond the necessity of sanitary requirements, and that the
importation of meat has thus far only been a small equivalent for
the importation of live cattle.
As we are informed, Count Posadowsky opposed the adopted measure as
framed by the commission emphatically and earnestly, and defended
the Government bill, which did full justice to hygienic necessities
and would leave to commercial traffic the necessary freedom. He also
intimated that the propositions could not, under any circumstances,
be adopted by the Government.
The resolutions of the commission are atrocious. We consider the
possibility that the Government will give them their consent as
being excluded. It is impossible to provide the German consumer of
meat with that article without a sufficient importation of cattle or
meat. It is already impossible to do so. The population of Germany,
we are happy to say, is considerably on the increase. Besides this,
the wealth of the population is also increasing, and it is therefore
the governing desire to increase the average consumption of meat per
capita of the population. German agriculture is entirely unable to
increase its meat production, as is demanded by these two reasons
which affect consumption.
But, even if no consideration be paid to this necessity of
consumption, foreign politics would forbid the Government to comply
with the resolutions of the commission. The prohibition which goes
beyond the necessity of health and order, in the case of an article
of commerce, would constitute an act of commercial hostility.
Whenever a state has adopted all measures which are dictated by
experience and common sense for the preservation of health, it may
be expected that this will be acknowledged by friendly nations, and
that no such difficulty will be placed in the way of that state as
if such regulations had not been adopted for safety. A prohibition
of American dried meat would be met by severe reprisals.
It is true that we have very brave people, who are of the opinion
that Germany must, in order to carry out its will, not only begin a
commercial war, but also an actual war on land and sea, with the
entire world. A government, however well acquainted with its
responsibilities, can not share these views.
[Page 492]
Much as the Government has done to meet the views of the Agrarians on
different occasions, much as it has placed its own interests in the
background with the alcohol tax, the margarine law, and the “Börsen”
law, it will, however, be convinced that it can not acquiesce in
paragraph 14 as it has come forth from the discussion of the
commission.
The Reichstag can not force the Government to adopt this regulation,
but the meat bill is weighed down with it, and if the Government
does not consent that paragraph 14 be adopted, the compulsory
inspection of meat is done away with. How desirable it is to carry
out this meat inspection was demonstrated some time ago, and the
Agrarians answered that they were the ones who had begun to cry for
meat-inspection laws.
How matters actually lie now becomes clear. The Agrarians called for
the meat inspection, because they had the intention to use the meat
inspection as a lever to exclude, as far as possible, foreign meats.
And if they do not succeed in the exclusion of foreign meats, they
are not in the least interested in the carrying out of the meat
inspection, the burden of which they have already thrown from their
shoulders, as they exclude all animals “house slaughtered”
(slaughtered on the estate or farm of the producer), as they term
it, from the meat inspection.
In opposition to these movements we wish to state our aim. We wish to
see that, in so far as possible, no consumer is to receive meat
which might endanger his health and the health of his family, and,
furthermore, that whenever he receives meat which for some reason or
other is of inferior quality, he be placed in a position to make
himself acquainted with the grade of its inferiority.
We shall support such controlling regulations as seem fitted to reach
this end. But we declare ourselves opposed to any controlling
measure which, using sanitary police considerations as a pretense,
actually has only the purpose to prohibit foreign goods which are
wholesome. We oppose every regulation which prevents the consumer
from purchasing edibles to which he is accustomed, and which he
knows to be wholesome, as is, for instance, the case with canned
meat coming from good American firms.
We desire to retain control by the sanitary police, but we do not
wash to have the sanitary police control discredited by using it for
protective-tariff purposes.
