File No. 2338/3–4.

Ambassador McCormick to the Acting Secretary of State.

No. 212.]

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 228, of December 28, 1906, transmitting copies of the act of June 30, of [Page 403] forms of certificates, and of the various regulations concerning the inspection of our pork products. These papers were at once transmitted to the minister of foreign affairs, with the expression of the hope that they would be found satisfactory to the minister of agriculture and that the temporary order for the admission of these products without the microscopic certificate would now be made permanent.

It may be inferred, however, from the memorandum herewith inclosed, which comes from the department of agriculture, that the French authorities are desirous of obtaining specific information with regard to the mode of inspection of our pork products. But the French inspectors of these products, having added their representations to ours, it is possible that the new certificate, the form of which has just been sent in, will finally be found satisfactory.

I have, etc.,

Robert S. McCormick.
[Inclosure.—Translation.]

Memorandum from the French Department of Agriculture.

The American ambassador at Paris has addressed a request, with a view of obtaining the consent of the French Government to the suppression of the microscopic inspection which salted pork meats, destined for importation into France, are to be submitted by the American Sanitary Service.

In support of this request, Mr. McCormick points out that the United States Government has completely reorganized its sanitary inspection service; that a recent law, that of June 30, 1906, has increased the number of inspectors and has prescribed more rigorous and more efficacious measures than the former ones, but no longer including the microscopic examination, which practice has demonstrated to be useless.

In place of the old certificate of this microscopic examination a new one has been substituted, stating that the animals from which came the products that this certificate applies to were free from all disease; that the meat and meat food products made therefrom are sound, healthful, and wholesome, and were prepared and handled according to the new sanitary regulations prescribed by the United States Government.

The ministry of agriculture has the honor to recall that the admission into France of American salted pork meats was pronounced, by the decree of December 4, 1891, only in consideration of the measures taken by the United States Government to assure in its territory the inspection of meats destined for export, measures which included the microscopic examination of pork meats prescribed by the American law of March 3, 1891.

The food and drugs act, June 30, 1906, contains no provision concerning the measures taken in regard to salted pork meats exported from the United States of America and destined for France. Before modifying the French regulations concerning the admission of these meats it is indispensable that the ministry of agriculture should know the new measures taken in the United States, in order to be able to examine whether they present the guarantees exacted by the French regulations in the matter.

This department would therefore desire to be informed on this subject in detail.

Finally, to answer the request of Mr. McCormick, the ministry of agriculture consents, exceptionally, to receive salted pork meats not accompanied by the certificate of microscopic examination, but this authorization applies only to shipments actually on the way.