Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 8, 1908

The Secretary of State to the French Ambassador.

Department of State,
Washington, June 19, 1907.

Dear Mr. Ambassador: I am sending to you to-day a memorandum in reply to yours of March 26 last relating to the duty on Porto Rican coffee, and also a letter suggesting certain changes in the French restrictive regulations applicable to American cattle, meats, fruits, and plants, which would seem to be made practicable by the working of our new inspection laws in the United States.

I wish at the same time to confirm what I have already said to you orally, that during all the negotiations which have led to the commercial agreement between the United States and Germany, proclaimed by the President on the 1st day of this month, this Government has looked forward to proposing similar negotiations with France, and has kept in mind the complaints which have been made from time to time in behalf of French exporters to the United States regarding features of our customs administration which they considered vexatious and injurious to them; that it was our purpose to make the amendments of our regulations of such a character as to remove, so far as practicable, all cause for complaint on the part of the French exporters, as well as on the part of German exporters; and that it is the wish of this Government to apply the new regulations to trade between the United States and France without any discrimination whatever against the latter country.

In my letter relating to the regulations upon the admission of American cattle, etc., I have asked that the French Government shall send a commission of experts to the United States to examine into the workings of the official inspection system now in operation in this country. On the other hand, we are very desirous to put all the trade relations between France and the United. States on the most satisfactory basis possible, and I have conferred with the Secretary of the Treasury as to the sending of a commission of American experts to Limoges to inquire into the condition of the pottery industry there, for the purpose of establishing upon a more secure and trustworthy basis the valuations of the port of New York.

With his concurrence I take pleasure in saying that this Government is ready to send such a commission if it be agreeable to the Government of France.

We should be very glad to give to the various inquiries which have thus been indicated the broadest scope possible, for the purpose of a general improvement of commercial relations, and, if your Government is disposed to proceed further along the lines of the suggestion already made quite informally to the American ambassador in Paris, we are ready to join in the appointment of a commission of tariff experts to consider and report upon the whole subject of the tariff relations between France and the United States, with a view to undertaking the negotation of a treaty of reciprocity of the character contemplated in the proposed temporary agreement which accompanies the memorandum to which I have already referred.

Faithfully, yours,

Elihu Root.

Project of new commercial agreement.

The President of the United States of America and the President of the French Republic, animated by a desire to adjust the commercial relations between the two countries until a comprehensive commercial treaty can be agreed upon, have decided to conclude a temporary commercial agreement, and have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries, to wit:

• The President of the United States of America, the Honorable Elihu Root, Secretary of State of the United States; and
• The President of the French Republic, His Excellency J. J. Jusserand, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of France to the United States of America,

Who, after an exchange of their respective full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon the following articles:

Article I.

In conformity with the authority conferred on the President of the United States in section 3 of the tariff act of the United States approved July 24, 1897, it is agreed on the part of the United States that the following products of the soil and industry of France imported into the United States shall, from and after the date when this Agreement shall be put in force, be subject to the reduced tariff rates provided by said section 3, as follows:

Argols, or crude tartar, or wine lees, crude, five per centum ad valorem.

Brandies, or other spirits manufactured or distilled from grain or other materials, one dollar and seventy-five cents per proof gallon.

Champaign and all other sparkling wines, in bottles containing not more than one quart and more than one pint, six dollars per dozen; containing not more than one pint each and more than one-half pint, three dollars per dozen; containing one-half pint each or less, one dollar and fifty cents per dozen; in bottles or other vessels containing more than one quart each, in addition to six dollars per dozen bottles on the quantities in excess of one quart, at the rate of one dollar and ninety cents per gallon.

Still wines, and vermuth, in casks, thirty-five cents per gallon; in bottles or jugs, per case of one dozen bottles or jugs containing each not more than one quart and more than one pint, or twenty-four bottles or jugs containing each not more than one pint, one dollar and twenty-five cents per case, and any excess beyond these quantities found in such bottles or jugs shall be subject to a duty of four cents per pint or fractional part thereof, but no separate or additional duty shall be assessed upon the bottles or jugs.

Paintings in oil or water colors, pastels, pen and ink drawings, and statuary, fifteen per centum ad valorem.

Article II.

It is further agreed on the part of the United States that the modifications of the Customs and Consular Regulations set forth in the annexed diplomatic note from the Department of State to the French embassy at Washington, and made a part of the consideration of this Agreement, shall go into effect as soon as possible and not later than from the date when this Agreement shall be put in force.

Article III.

Reciprocally, it is agreed on the part of France that during the continuance in force of this Agreement the following articles of commerce, the products of the soil or industry of the United States, shall be admitted into France at the minimum rates of duty, to wit, not exceeding the following rates:

French tariff No.	Articles.		Rate.
16	Meat, fresh:		Francs.
	Mutton	Per 100 kilos	35.00
	Pork	do	25.00
	Beef and other	do	35.00
17	Meat, salted:
	Pork (ham, bacon, etc.)	do	30.00
	Beef and other	do	30.00
17 bis	Pork butchers’ produce	do	50.00
19	Canned meats	do	15.00
30	Lard and its compounds	do	25.00
ex 84	Table fruits, fresh:
	Lemons, oranges, cedrats, and their varieties not mentioned	do	5.00
	Mandarin oranges	do	10.00
	Common table grapes	do	8.00
	Apples and pears—
	For the table	do	2.00
	For cider and perry	do	1.50
	Other fruits, except hothouse grapes and fruits	do	3.00
ex 85	Fruits, dried or Dressed (excluding: raisins):
	Apples and pears—
	For the table	do	10.00
	For cider and perry	do	4.00
	Prunes	do	10.00
	Other fruits	do	5.00
ex 96	Coffee in the bean	do	136.00
128	Common woods, logs	do	.65
	Sawed or squared timber 80 millimeters or more in thickness	do	1.00
	Squared or sawed lumber exceeding 35 millimeters and less than 80 millimeters in thickness	per 100 kilos.	1.25
	Wood, sawed 35 millimeters or less in thickness	do	1.75
129	Paving blocks	do	1.75
130	Staves	do	1.75
160	Hops	do	30.00
174 ter	Apples and pears crushed, or cut and dried	do	1.50
ex 273	Sulphate of copper	do	3.00
212 ter	Rail of iron or steel	per 100 kilos.	6.00
480	Top boots	per pair	2.00
481	Boots, for men and women	do	1.50
482	Shoes	do	.75
510	Steam engines, stationary and marine, without boilers; steam pumps; gas, petroleum, hot-air, and compressed-air engines, weighing:
	250 kilos and more	per 100 kilos	12.00
	Less than 250 kilos	do	20.00
511	Steam engines, semifixed or portable, including boilers	do	13.00
512	Locomotives; traction engines:
	Ordinary gauge	do	15.00
	Narrow gauge	do	18.00
512 bis	Hydraulic engines, wheel and piston; turbines; pumps; ventilators, weighing:
	250 kilos and more	per 100 kilos	10.00
	Less than 250 kilos	do	15.00
521	Printing machines	do	6.00
522	Agricultural machines (motors not included)	do	9.00
523	Sewing machines:
	Stands and transmission gear	do	8.00
	Machines proper	do	35.00
524	Dynamo-electric machines weighing:		13.00
	5,000 kilos and upwards, and containing—
	At least 50 per cent of cast iron	do	13.00
	Less than 50 per cent of cast iron	do	20.00
	From 2,000 kilos inclusive to 5,000 kilos exclusive, and containing—
	At least 50 per cent of cast iron	per 100 kilos	18.00
	Less than 50 per cent of cast iron	do	20.00
	From 1,000 kilos inclusive to 2,000 kilos exclusive	do	20.00
	From 50 kilos inclusive to 1,000 kilos exclusive	do	30.00
	From 10 kilos inclusive to 50 kilos exclusive	do	80.00
	From 5 kilos inclusive to 10 kilos exclusive	do	100.00
	Less than 5 kilos	do	110.00
525	Machine tools:
	Heavy, weighing more than 1,000 kilos	do	10.00
	Medium, weighing 250 to 1,000 kilos	do	16.00
	Small and of precision, weighing less than 250 kilos	do	50.00
525 bis	General machinery: Transmission gearing; balances; scales; fixed railway stock; signals; presses; lifting apparatus, etc.; apparatus not mentioned, driven by mechanical force	per 100 kilos	10.00
526 quater	Open boilers; gasometers; recipients; stoves and caloriferes of sheet iron or steel, or of cast iron combined with sheet iron or steel	per 100 kilos	8.00
536	Dynamo conductors and detached pieces, such as induction coils, solid or hollow, of metal surrounded by insulated copper; worked parts of copper, fitted or not, for electric machines, electric apparatus, electro-technical apparatus, transformers and other electrical purposes, weighing:
	2,000 kilos and upwards	Per 100 kilos	25.00
	From 1,000 kilos inclusive to 2,000 kilos exclusive	do	30.00
	From 200 kilos inclusive to 1,000 kilos exclusive	do	40.00
	From 50 kilos inclusive to 200 kilos exclusive	do	50.00
	From 10 kilos inclusive to 50 kilos exclusive	do	80.00
	From 5 kilos inclusive to 10 kilos exclusive	do	100.00
	Less than 5 kilos	do	110.00
537	Tools, with or without handles:
	Of pure iron	do	12.00
	Of steel, or of iron tipped with steel	do	22.00
	Of copper	do	30.00
559	Locksmith’s wares: Locks, padlocks; keys, iron bolts of all kinds, handles, hooks, hinges of iron or sheet iron, latches, slide bolts, and all other articles of rough iron, scoured or not, turned, filed or polished, for furniture, doors, and windows	per 100 kilos	15.00
559 bis	The same articles combined with copper or brass, or composed wholly of copper or brass	per 100 kilos	20.00
579	Articles of nickel, alloyed with copper or zinc (German silver;, or of nickeled metals	per 100 kilos	100.00
ex 614	Carriages, properly so called:
	Carriages weighing 125 kilos or more	do	50.00
	Carriages weighing less than 125 kilos	do	120.00
	Velocipedes and parts thereof	do	220.00
646	Toys, games, etc.	do	60.00

Article IV.

It is further agreed on the part of France that the modifications of the Customs Regulations set forth in the annexed diplomatic note from the French embassy at Washington to the Department of State, and made a part of the consideration of this Agreement, shall go into effect as soon as possible and not later than from the date when this Agreement shall be put in force.

Article V.

The provisions of Article I and III shall apply not only to products imported directly from the country of one of the Contracting Parties into that of the other, but also to products which are imported into the respective countries through a third country, so long as such products have not been subject to any further processes of manufacture in that country.

Article VI.

The present Agreement shall apply also to countries or territories which are now or may in the future constitute a part of the customs territory of either contracting party.

Article VII.

The High Contracting Parties mutually agree that the Commercial Agreement concluded between them on May 28, 1898, and in effect since June 1, 1898, and the Amendatory and Additional Agreement to the said Agreement concluded August 20, 1902, and in effect since August 22, 1902, shall be terminated, in all their provisions, simultaneously with the going into effect of the present Agreement.

Article VIII.

This Agreement shall take effect from and after the date of the President’s Proclamation which shall give effect thereto, and shall be and continue in force until one year from the date when either Party shall notify the other of its intention to terminate the same.

Done in duplicate in the English and French languages, at Washington, this —— day of ——, one thousand nine hundred and seven.

Exhibit A.

Annual value of concession by France of rates under agreement of 1898 on basis of imports from United States in calendar year 1905—French statistics.

French tariff No.	Articles.	Per 100 kilos			Value of concession.
		Maximum	Minimum.	Difference.
		Francs.	Francs.	Francs.
17 bis	Pork butchers, produce	100.00	50.00	50.00	$71,815
19	Canned meats	20.00	15.00	5.00	1,649
30	Lard and its compounds	40.00	25.00	15.00	67,074
* ex 84	Table fruits, fresh:
	Lemons, oranges, etc.	8.00	5.00	3.00
	Mandarin oranges	15.00	10.00	5.00
	Common table grapes	12.00	8.00	4.00
	Apples and pears:	Francs.	Francs.	Francs.
	For the table	3.00	2.00	1.00	$2,083
	For cider and perry	2.00	1.50	.50
	Other fruits, except hothouse grapes and fruits	5.00	3.00	2.00
ex 85	Fruits, dried or pressed (excludmg raisins):
	Apples and pears—
	For the table	15.00	10.00	5.00	2,864
	For cider and perry	6.00	4.00	2.00	6,228
	Prunes	15.00	10.00	5.00	536
	Other fruits	15.00	5.00	10.00	17,957
128	Common woods, logs	1.00	.65	.35
	Sawed or squared timber 80 millimeters or more in thickness	1.50	1.00	.50	357
	Squared or sawed lumber exceeding 35 millimeters and less than 80 millimeters in thickness	1.75	1.25	.50	1,435
	Wood sawed 35 millimeters or less in thickness	2.50	1.75	.75	4,729
128	Walnut, sawn:
	35 to 80 millimeters	1.75	1.25	.50	589
	35 millimeters or less	2.50	1.75	.75	2,635
	Other, sawn:
	80 millimeters or more	1.50	1.00	.50	47,438
	35 to 80 millimeters	1.75	1.25	.50	15,552
	35 millimeters or less	2.50	1.75	.75	42,174
129	Paving blocks	2.50	1.75	.75
130	Staves	1.25	.75	.50	48,409
160	Hops	45.00	30.00	15.00
174 ter	Apples and pears crushed, or cut and dried	2.00	1.50	.50
	Total annual French revenue concession under agreement of 1898				333,524

Exhibit B.

Annual value of proposed concession by France of minimum rates on certain American articles now subject to maximum duties, enumerated in projet of agreement.

French tariff No.	Articles.		Maximum.	Minimum.	Difference.	Value of concession.
16	Meat, fresh:		Francs.	Francs.	Francs.
	Mutton	per 100 kilos	50.00	35.00	15.00
	Pork	do	40.00	25.00	15.00
	Beef and other	do	50.00	35.00	15.00
17	Meat, salted:
	Pork (ham, bacon, etc.)	do	50.00	30.00	20.00	$614
	Beef and other	do	50.00	30.00	20.00	15
212 ter	Rails of iron or steel	do	7.00	6.00	1.00
480	Top boots	per pair	2.50	2.00	.50	} 3,749
481	Boots, for men and women	do	2.50	1.50	1.00
482	Shoes	do	1.00	.75	.25
510	Steam engines, stationary and marine, without boilers; steam pumps; gas, petroleum, hot-air, and compressed-air engines, weighing:
	250 kilos and more	Per 100 kilos	18.00	12.00	6.00	} 4,714
	Less than 250 kilos	do	30.00	20.00	10.00
511	Steam engines, semifixed, or portable, including boilers	per 100 kilos	17.00	13.00	4.00
512	Locomotives; traction engines:
	Ordinary gauge	do	20.00	15.00	5.00
	Narrow gauge	do	24.00	18.00	6.00
512 bis	Hydraulic engines, wheel and piston; turbines; pumps; ventilators, weighing:
	250 kilos and more	per 100 kilos	15.00	10.00	5.00	} 8,106
	Less than 250 kilos	do	25.00	15.00	10.00
521	Printing machines	do	8.00	6.00	2.00	2,047
522	Agricultural machines (motors not included)	Per 100 kilos	15.00	9.00	6.00	282,520
523	Sewing machines:
	Stands and transmission gear	do	10.00	8.00	2.00	} $2,825
	Machines proper	do	50.00	35.00	15.00
524	Dynamo-electric machines, weighing:
	5,000 kilos and upwards and containing—
	At least 50 per cent cast iron,	per 100 kilos	30.00	13.00	17.00	} 11,897
	Less than 50–per cent cast iron,	per 100 kilos	30.00	20.00	10.00
	From 2,000 kilos inclusive to 5,000 kilos exclusive and containing—
	At least 50 per cent cast iron,	per 100 kilos	30.00	18.00	12.00
	Less than 50 per cent cast iron,	per 100 kilos	30.00	20.00	10.00
	From 1,000 kilos inclusive to 2,000 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	30.00	20.00	10.00
	From 50 kilos inclusive to 1,000 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	45.00	30.00	15.00
	From 10 kilos inclusive to 50 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	120.00	80.00	40.00
	From 5 kilos inclusive to 10 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	150.00	100.00	50.00
	Less than 5 kilos	do	150.00	110.00	40.00
525	Machine tools:
	Heavy, weighing more than 1,000 kilos	per 100 kilos	15.00	10.00	5.00	} 45,111
	Medium, weighing 250 to 1,000 kilos	per 100 kilos	20.00	16.00	4.00
	Small and of precision, weighing less than 250 kilos	per 100 kilos	70.00	50.00	20.00
525 bis	General machinery: Transmission gearing; balances; scales; fixed railway stock; signals; presses; lifting apparatus, etc.; apparatus not mentioned, driven by mechanical force	per 100 kilos	15.00	10.00	5.00	5,587
526 quater	Open boilers; gasometers; recipients; stoves and caloriferes of sheet iron or steel, or of cast iron combined with sheet iron or steel	per 100 kilos	12.00	8.00	4.00	1,724
536	Dynamo conductors and detached pieces, such as induction coils, solid or hollow, of metal surrounded by insulated copper; worked parts of copper, fitted or not, for electric machines, electric apparatus, electro-technical apparatus; transformers and other electrical purposes, weighing:
	2,000 kilos and upwards,	per 100 kilos	50.00	25.00	25.00	} 6,062
	From 1,000 kilos inclusive to 2,000 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	50.00	30.00	20.00
	From 200 kilos inclusive to 1,000 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	100.00	40.00	60.00
	From 50 kilos inclusive to 200 kilos exclusive	Per 100 kilos	100.00	50.00	50.00
	From 10 kilos inclusive to 50 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	150.00	80.00	70.00
	From 5 kilos inclusive to 10 kilos exclusive	per 100 kilos	150.00	100.00	50.00
	Less than 5 kilos	do	150.00	110.00	40.00
537	Tools with or without handles:
	Of pure iron	do	18.00	12.00	6.00	557
	Of steel, or of iron tipped with steel,	per 100 kilos	27.00	22.00	5.00	3,383
	Of copper	per 100 kilos	35.00	30.00	5.00
559	Locksmith’s wares: Locks, padlocks; keys, iron bolts of all kinds, handles, hooks, hinges of iron or sheet iron, latches, slide bolts and all other articles of rough iron, scoured or not, turned, filed, or polished, for furniture, doors, or windows,	per 100 kilos	20.00	15.00	5.00	577
559 bis	The same articles combined with copper or brass, or composed wholly of copper or brass	per 100 kilos	25.00	20.00	5.00
579	Articles of nickel, alloyed with copper or zinc (German silver) or of nickeled metals	per 100 kilos	150.00	100.00	50.00	10,615
ex 614	Carriages, properly so called:
	Carriages weighing 125 kilos or more,	per 100 kilos	60.00	50.00	10.00	} $1,610
	Carriages weighing less than 125 kilos,	per 100 kilos	150.00	120.00	30.00
	Velocipedes and parts thereof,	per 100	250.00	220.00	30.00	3,868
646	Toys, games, etc	Per 100 kilos	75.00	60.00	15.00	625
	Total					396,209

1. Note—The rates in Exhibit A are those applied in the calendar year 1905. The law of July 18, 1906, increased the maximum rates as follows:

   French tariff No.	Articles.	Per 100 kilos.
   		Maximum.	Minimum.	Difference.
   ex 84	Table fruits, fresh:	Francs.	Francs.	Francs.
   	Lemons, oranges, etc.	15.00	5.00	10.00
   	Mandarin oranges	25.00	10.00	15.00
   	Common table grapes	25.00	8.00	17.00
   	Apples and pears:
   	For the table:	5.00	2.00	3.00