The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 1905. GERMAN TRADE TREATIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 777, 21 March 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 1905. GERMAN TRADE TREATIES.

In view of tho fact that Germany is England's greatest rival for tho commerce of the world, the coml.iercial treaties just entered into by the former are of special interest to all Britishers. According to the text received by the last 'Frisco mail, the treaties were made with Austro-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Bel-p-iuin, Switzerland, Roumania, and Servia. The fundamental principle underlying all is that the new German minimum duty on grain shall he the standard as regards the importation of German cereals. Under these conditions the duty on ou'iside wheat will be £2 10s for rye and oats, and £2 15s for wheat and spelt, as against £1 15s under the regulations laid down by Count von Caprivi in 1893. Many trading concessions arc made by Russia, one. of them being that Jewish commercial travellers will have the same privileges as Christians. Archangel and the northern and eastern potts of Siberia, which do not come under the more vital provisions of the agreement, are to be open to German manufacturers on the same con- j ditions as those of other Kuropean countries. I'nder the old rules Germans holding property in Russia were compelled to sell at the end of three years. Now the time is extended to ten years. Free passago is to be granted to German boats on Russian rivers, and concessions arc also granted to passengers, besides the free admission of household goods ol German immigrants. On the other hand, Germany foregoes her frontier veterinary examination. Among the articles relating to sugar is one In which is recognised the right of the German Government to place a surtax on Russian sugar, which, however, must not bo higher than set forth by the Brussels Sugar Convention. The new industrial duties arc most important to England. On the whole every textile industry is affected, which suffer a considerable crease of duty in order to protect the Gorman producers, especially those of cotton and woollen fabrics. In general, therefore, it is the 'finished fabrics rather than the yarns which arc subjected to the hitrhcr duties, amounting in some instances to 30 and even 50 per cent. Indeed, it is a feature of the new treaties that la more effective protection for German industries is secured by the 'changing of the specifications and ! imposing higher duties only In eases ! where foreign competition has already made itself feW. Great Britain, which is still the principal mar:ket for German imports, may not be i inclined to aoquiesco in the new German duties on finished goods, and may in the near or more remote future resort to serious measures of retaliation. The Berlin correspondent of the London Times, writing recently on this subject, said : "It is well known that Germany desires to negotiate a commercial treaty with Great Britain, and it is by no means impossible that if any negotiations should be opened the new German treaty tariff may have to bo subjected to some revision. The treaties as a whole represent fresh . impediments in the way of the commerce of the world. In their bearing upon tho commerce oi Great Britain with the majority of European countries, they are most prejudicial, since under the "most favoured nation" system none of these countries may treat Great Britain more favourably than they treat her highly protected neighbours'." The circumstances set forth show *hat our trade rivals are fully alert, and it therefore behoves- our statesmen to give heed to the <{ueslion of preserving and increasing the measure of trade already Great Britain's.