CONCESSIONS OBTAINED BY THE UNITED STATES

The concessions made by other countries at Geneva cover products accounting for a substantial proportion of total United States exports to those countries and include almost all the important United States export products. The table which follows shows in summary form the value of United States exports to the Geneva countries which is covered by the concessions which they made with respect to products of which the United States was their principal supplier. In addition to the value of these concessions estimated at $1,192,346,000, the United States is interested in concessions granted by these countries on a substantial range of other products of which the United States is only a secondary supplier. In the time available, it has not been possible accurately to estimate the United States trade with these countries in such products but it should be in excess of $200,000,000.

Imports from the United States in 1939, on which
Concessions of Primary Interest were made by
Listed Countries

A summary of the tariff concessions of interest to the United States made by other countries is presented under general commodity headings below and is followed by country by country analyses.

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Grains and Cereal Products.- The United Kingdom bound wheat duty free and barley at a 10% rate. The duties on corn starch were reduced or bound depending on type. France reduced the duty on wheat by 66%. China bound 15% rates on wheat and flour. The duties on oatmeal and prepared breakfast foods were bound. South Africa bound the duty on cereal food products, except oatmeal. Ceylon reduced the duty on prepared cereals.

Norway and Newfoundland bound wheat flour duty free. Benelux bound a 3% duty on wheat flour and agreed to a duty free annual tariff quota of 50,000 metric tons for the Netherlands subject to monopoly fee and mixing regulation assurances. Milled rice and buckwheat were bound free with monopoly fee ceilings.

Cuba reduced the duty on wheat flour and provided that the new lower rate will apply on flour milled from wheat of any origin, and reduced the duty on wheat by 50%. Cuba also established a special tariff quota arrangement on hulled and semi-hulled rice, and reduced duties on cornstarch, and certain livestock and poultry feeds.

Fresh Fruit - The United Kingdom reduced the duty on apples imported during winter months from 3s per cwt. to free, eliminating the preference previously enjoyed by Canada. The duty on pears was bound.

Canada eliminated the 1/2 per lb. duty on grapefruit making it duty-free and bound oranges on the free list, which now will include all citrus fruit. Certain grapes were also placed on the free list, a reduction from le per lb. Seasonal reductions were made on other fresh fruit.

France improved the treatment on apples by eliminating a restrictive quota and substituting for the old 9% duty a series of seasonal rates ranging from 6% to 12%. Pears formerly dutiable at 8% with quota will enter without quota at seasonal rates of 8% and 12%. Oranges formerly dutiable at 35% with quota, will now enter without quota at seasonal rates of 25% and 35%. India lowered the duty rates on apples, pears, prunes, and grapes.

Czechoslovakia granted substantial seasonal duty reductions on apples and pears and smaller reductions on oranges and grapefruit. Improved tariff treatment was accorded by Norway on apples and pears, while moderate duties on oranges and grapefruit were bound. Cuba bound the existing favorable duty treatment on fresh fruit, and reduced the duties on canned fruit and fruit juices. Brazil bound fresh fruits on the free list.

Newfoundland bound duty-free treatment on apples, oranges, and certain other fresh fruits. Ceylon reduced duties on apples, grapes, and other fresh fruits on a seasonal basis. New Zealand reduced duties on grapes, oranges, pineapples, and lemons. South Africa bound a 5% rate on apples and eliminated the preference. Benelux removed the monopoly fees (formerly imposed by the Netherlands) in the case of oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit, and granted seasonal duty reductions on apples, pears, oranges and grapefruit.

Dried Fruit - The United Kingdom granted 25% duty (and
preference reductions on raisins and dried apricots,
and a 1/3 cut on prunes with removal of preference.
The duties and preferences on dried apples, pears,
peaches and nectarines were eliminated and these items
placed on the free list.

Canada reduced the duty and preference on raisins from 4 to 3 per lb. Plums and prunes, dried, unpitted, were placed on the free list, a reduction from 1 per

lb.

France reduced the duty on raisins from 19% to 15%, and the duty on prunes from 55% to 25%. The rate of about 14% on other kinds of dried fruit was cut to 10%.

Czechoslovakia and Norway granted substantial reductions on raisins, prunes, and most other kinds of dried fruit. Lebanon reduced the duty on prunes by 20%. Brazil bound dried fruit on the free list. Benelux removed the (Netherlands) monopoly fee in the case of raisins and dried fruit and reduced duties on both items.

Newfoundland bound prunes, seedless raisins, and figs on the free list, and certain other dried fruit at moderate rates. Ceylon reduced duties on dried fruit, except dates, currants and raisins. New Zealand granted important duty reductions on dried apricots, raisins, and citrus fruit pulp, and bound a 3% rate on prunes. China bound moderate duties on prunes and raisins.

Canned Fruit The United Kingdom bound the duty on "gallon" apples and granted 20% reductions in duty and preference on canned apricots, peaches and pears. Moderate rates on canned apples, loganberries, and pineapples were bound. Fruit salad was placed on duty-free basis or bound at present rates, depending on type. Duty-free treatment on grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and orange juice was bound.

Canada reduced the duties and preferences on most canned fruits and on orange and pineapple juice and fruit syrups. France granted a 70% reduction in the duty on canned pineapple, sweetened, and one of about 60% on the unsweetened. The duty on other canned fruit, sweetened, was cut by 50%, and on the unsweetened, by 40%. Fruit juices received reductions of from 60% to 70%.

India granted moderate duty reductions on canned apricots, berries, grapes, pineapple, plums and prunes, juices of these fruits, and fruit salad, limiting the Colonial preference margin to 8% on canned pineapples. The duty on blended flavoring concentrates was bound. reduced preferences on canned fruits.

Burma

Czechoslovakia and Norway reduced duties substantially on canned fruit and fruit juices. Brazil also granted important duty reductions on canned fruit. Benelux removed the (Netherlands) monopoly fee in the case of canned fruit and fruit juices. Newfoundland made substantial reductions in duties on canned fruit and fruit juices, while Ceylon granted lesser reductions on canned fruit. New Zealand reduced duties on canned prunes and some fruit juices, and bound a 3% rate

on other fruit juices. canned fruit.

South Africa reduced the duty on

Vegetables and Preparations The United Kingdom reduced the duty and preference on canned beans by 50% and bound at 10% canned asparagus and corn. The duties on all other canned vegetables except tomatoes were bound at 15%. A substantial duty reduction on soybeans was granted.

Canada granted seasonal reductions on fresh vegetables and reduced the duty on dried beans. The rate on frozen vegetables was reduced from 25% to 20%. France reduced the duty on canned asparagus and canned vegetable juices. Australia granted substantial reduction on canned asparagus. India made moderate duty reductions on canned asparagus, peas, beans, corn, and several other kinds of canned vegetables; canned soups, and most dehydrated vegetables. Burma reduced preferences on canned vegetables.

Czechoslovakia granted substantial reductions on canned vegetables, soups, and vegetable juices, while Norway reduced duties materially on canned asparagus and vegetable juices. Benelux removed the (Netherlands) monopoly fee on canned asparagus, Favorable duty rates on canned soup were bound by Brazil and Chile. Newfoundland removed the duty on vegetable juices.

Cuba granted seasonal duty reductions on onions and potatoes, and full year reductions on peas and chickpeas; canned peas, corn, and asparagus; and canned soups. New Zealand reduced the duty on onions by more than 50 percent. China bound duties on canned vegetables, soups, and vegetable juices, and certain other canned or packaged food products.

Dairy Products - Cuba has bound the rates of duty on condensed, evaporated or concentrated milk at 5.70 pesos per 100 kilograms and malted milk duties at 8.00 pesos per 100 kilograms. Duties

on milk in other forms was reduced from 12.00 to 10.00 pesos per 100 kilograms.

The United Kingdom rates on sweetened and unsweetened condensed milk were bound at 5 and 6 shillings per hundred weight respectively. The duty on milk powder or other preserved milk was bound at 6 shillings per hundred weight.

Canada bound the duties on condensed milk and powdered milk at 3 3/4 and 5 a pound respectively and reduced the duties on milk foods n.o.p from 25 percent to 20 percent. China granted 20% reductions on evaporated, condensed and dried milk.

India bound dried skimmed milk on the free list and reduced the rate on condensed and other preserved milks from 30% to 25%. Burma bound the duty on condensed and preserved milk and reduced preferences on the item, and bound the duty on milk foods. Brazil granted an important duty reduction on powdered milk. Newfoundland bound duty free preserved or condensed milk, bound the existing duty on butter, and granted a substantial reduction on milk foods. Ceylon bound duty free prepared milk and milk foods.

Meats and Other Animal Food Products The United Kingdom bound free ham imports up to 775,000 cwts. a year, and imports in exexcess of the tariff quota will enter at 5d. per pound from all sources Lard was bound free and hog sausage casings reduced from 10% to free,eliminating the preference. France reduced the duty on lard by 59%. Australia eliminated the 10% preference on sausage casings and placed the item on the free list.

Czechoslovakia reduced the duty on sausage casings and Norway lowered its rate on intestines by 25%. Newfoundland bound free of duty salted beef and pork, and canned meats, binding existing rates on dry-salted or pickled hams and tongues.

Cuba bound the present favorable duties on hog and salt pork, and reduced duties on fat pork merely salted, compound lard, and canned luncheon meats. New Zealand reduced the duty on sausage casings. South Africa reduced the duties on lard and edible meat fats.

Fish The United Kingdom reduced the duty and preference on canned salmon by 50% and granted duty free status on chilled or frozen salmon. Australia granted a substantial reduction in duty and preference on canned salmon. India reduced the 30% duty on all canned fish by one-third.

Czechoslovakia granted substantial reductions on canned pilchards and salmon. Norway reduced the rate on salted salmon by 25%. Ceylon reduced the duty on canned fish. Benelux removed the (Netherlands) monopoly fee on canned salmon and reduced the duty on canned fish. New Zealand reduced the duty on canned salmon.

Tobacco and Tobacco Products. The United Kingdon agreed to a reduction in the preference on leaf tobacco, to take effect when its present abnormally high tobacco duties were reduced to more normal levels. Canada granted substantial reductions on stemmed and unstemmed leaf tobacco and reduced the duty on cigarettes by $1.00 per thousand. The French Tobacco Monopoly has agreed to buy abroad specified amounts of leaf tobacco and cigarettes.

Australia granted duty reductions on stemmed and unstemmed cigar leaf and eliminated preference on both items. In the case of cigarettes, the duty was reduced and the preference was eliminated, and duties on other tobacco items were bound. India removed the British Colonial preference on leaf tobacco.

Norway bound existing duties on leaf tobacco and cigarettes. Newfoundland bound leaf tobacco duty free and Ceylon reduced the margin of preference on this product. On unstemmed leaf tobacco, Benelux guaranteed against tariff preferences to overseas territories and against differential duties. Cuba bound the existing duty on cigarettes. New Zealand eliminated the British preference on tobacco and cigarettes without binding duty rates.

Miscellaneous Agricultural and Food Products.- The United Kingdom granted a substantial duty reductions on soybean cake and meal. Canada granted duty reductions on eggs in the shell, cocoa preparations, confectionery, salt, biscuits, gelatine, seeds, and cut flowers except orchids. France reduced the duty on dried eggs from about 54% to 20% on unsweetened and 30% on sweetened.

New Zealand granted varying reductions on soups, spaghetti and beans in cans. Benelux bound industrial lard on the free list and granted similar duty treatment to oilcake with a ceiling on the monopoly fee.