COMPARATIVE STATISTICS. EXHIBIT A. Total trade between the United States and the Argentine Republic, as shown by the official figures of each country, for the fiscal and calender year 1892. 1 Figures taken from Commerce and Navigation of the United States, 1892. 4,831, 454 Per cent. 73 2 Figures taken from the Estadistica de la Republica Argentina, 1892. No figures given except total. NOTE. Per cent shown by United States statistics in excess of Argentine statistics, 10. Total trade between the United States and the Argentine Republic, as shown by the official figures of each country, for the fiscal and calendar year 1892. 'Figures taken from Commerce and Navigation of the United States, 1892. * Less than $2,000 of “In bond" paid duty to the United States; goods simply reshipped. Figures taken from the Estadistica de la Republica Argentina, 1892. NOTE. Per cent shown by Argentine statistics in excess of United States statistics, 152; per cent free according to Argentine figures, 9; deducting coal, per cent falls to 6; deducting for evident error in plows and result will be about 5. RECAPITULATION. Imports from the Argentine Republic into the United States (according to Commerce and $5,343, 798 Exports from the Argentine Republic to the United States (according to the Estadistica de la Republica Argentina)... 4,831, 454 Excess of United States figures over Argentine figures. 512, 344 Per cent of excess of United States figures over Argentine figures.. 10 Imports from the United States into the Argentine Republic (according to the Estadistica de la Republica Argentina, 1892).. 7,376, 583 Exports from the United States to the Argentine Republic (according to Commerce and 2,927, 488 Excess of Argentine figures over United States figures 4,449, 095 Per cent of excess of Argentine figures over United States figures 152 Balance of trade in 1892 in favor of the Argentine Republic 2,415, 310 Per cent of goods free from the Argentine Republic in the United States ♪. 73 Percent of goods free from the United States in the Argentine Republic (coal only deducted). 6 EXHIBIT B. Differences by groups in value of imports from the United States into the Argentine Republic for the year 1892. [NOTE.-The United States figures are taken from Commerce and Navigation of the United States for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892. The Argentine figures are taken from the Estadistica de la Republica Argentina for the calendar year 1892.T Actual duty paid on certain articles under present Argentine tariff. EXHIBIT C-Continued. TABLE 3.-Actual duty paid on certain articles under present Argentine tariff. Cases of 10 gallons; Per case, $4.65.. Per kilo, $0.25. Per kilo, 12.. paid on cost in N. Y. 1124 Cotton-seed oil. Varnish ..... Tin packages of various Chairs. sizes. Dozen... This is valued in custom-house law at 25 cents per kilo, or 150 per cent above cost in New York. No. 59.] Mr. Buchanan to Mr. Gresham. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Buenos Ayres, October 1, 1894. (Received November 5.) SIR: Referring to your No. 23, and especially to the inclosures accompanying it, I beg to say that I see no reason to change the view I expressed in my No. 49, of the probable action of this Government with relation to lowering the duties on American products. Great stress is laid by the Argentine minister, in his letter to the Department on January 30 last, on the action of the Argentine Congress in placing crude petroleum on the "free" list, and the distinguished minister cites the amount of coal imported here, conveying the idea that our "free" crude petroleum is to take its place as fuel. When I say that no crude petroleum comes here, and that, so far as I can see, no prospect exists that any will come, unless the Standard Oil Company should build a refinery here, which seems wholly improbable, as they control the market as it is, you will be better able to appreciate the benefit of "free" crude petroleum to our commerce. "Free" crude petroleum was asked for by an importer here who felt that he would be able to get the railways to use it for locomotive fuel, but-the hard times of the last few years side-tracked that plan entirely, and, when the Argentine Congress made the article "free," there was no use for it, and has been none since. I am of the opinion that this act instead of helping will hurt us, as it is used here as the Argentine minister has used it, conveying the idea that it was a concession to us, and one of great advantage. There are a great number of articles in the manufacture of which we ought to and can compete with other countries, which by the Argentine tariff are either virtually prohibited or made luxuries; these, in my judgment, are more important to us than any one single item, and my efforts while here will be in the direction of attracting in every way the products of as many of our factories as possible to this market. While their conclusions have not been given to the public, except by the newspapers, I think I am safe in saying that the work of the Argentine tariff commission, which has just adjourned, has been in the direction of increased duties. What the action of the Government will be before the bill is submitted to Congress is uncertain. In this connection I beg to inclose a copy of a note I addressed to the foreign office, in relation to the general subject, on September 18, last, and to inclose copy and translation of the minister's reply thereto. I shall use my best efforts in trying to secure some concessions from the scheme submitted to the Government by the tariff commission. I have, etc., [Inclosure 1 in No. 59.] WILLIAM I. BUCHANAN. Mr. Buchanan to Senor Costa. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, MR. MINISTER: I beg to acquaint your excellency with the fact that I am in receipt of a dispatch from my Government acknowledging my dispatch in which I transmitted the assurances made by your excellency of the wish and purpose of your excellency's Government, in return for the action of the American Congress in placing wool on the "free" list, to modify and reduce, so far as possible, the duties on some of the more prominent articles exported from the United States to this Republic. It is needless to say that my Government received the information with satisfaction, and that it sincerely hopes such modifications will be made as will demonstrate to the American people the wisdom of the action of the American Congress. The Department incloses copies of two letters from your excellency's minister in Washington, both confirming the views of your excellency's Government as expressed by your excellency. In his letter to the State Department on January 30 last, your excellency's minister says: "The Argentine Government desires to strongly insist upon its opinion that the approval of this action in respect to wool (referring to the recommendation of the Ways and Means Committee to place wool on the 'free' list) will extraordinarily increase the volume of the commercial relations between the two countries and permit the manufactured products of the United States to enter into active competition with similar articles of European origin in the rich Argentine market. "It is also expected that the Argentine Congress will exempt from the payment of duties lumber, lubricating and fuel oils, and refined petroleum from this country, which articles are consumed in Argentine upon a large scale." And, in his note to the Department on July 30 last, he says: "The inclosed copy of the telegram of the minister of foreign relations of my Government, in which he acknowledges receipt of the news of the vote to which I have referred, shows that the executive power of my Government proposes to advocate additional reductions of duty in respect to products of the United States of America; and a commission appointed to study the reform of the customs laws has already publicly stated its opinion in favor of the reduction, to an important extent, of duties upon refined petroleum, agricultural machinery, and white pine and spruce (lumber), which articles are at present among the principal purchases of the Argentine Republic in the market of the United States." (The minister is mistaken: Pitchpine is of far greater importance to us than spruce, and is the one class of lumber discriminated against by your tariff.) These expressions and the views they represent have given my Government great pleasure, and it is reasonable to believe had some bearing on the subject of "free" Wool. It is unnecessary for me to assure your excellency that I, whose views on the subject of tariffs you well understand, am especially gratified to feel that, in the wise course indicated, your excellency's Government can, by reducing and fairly adjusting the duties and valuations on several American products, focus the judg ment of the American people on the benefits that follow the free introduction of the great slope products of sister countries. In this connection I may say that I will not believe the rumor which has reached me, from apparently authentic sources, that the tariff commission now sitting proposes to increase the duty on agricultural implements, make no change in petroleum, and only a trivial correction in the glaring injustice of your tariff as applied to pitch-pine lumber, which is wholly, I may say, a product of the United States. Such a course would be so inconsistent with the views of your excellency's Government, as communicated to my Government, that I can not consent to credit it. I hope your excellency will furnish me with an early opportunity of talking over this matter with yourself and the minister of Hacienda. I have, etc., WILLIAM I. BUCHANAN. [Inclosure 2 in No. 59.- Translation.] Senor Costa to Mr. Buchanan. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MR. MINISTER: I have had the honor to receive your excellency's note of the 18th instant, referring to the tariffs in force or projected in both countries. Taking keen interest in so important a note, I am pleased to state that I have transmitted it to the minister of finance, calling his attention to the matter. It will be very agreeable to me to talk with you in regard to these matters, and I permit myself to invite your excellency to come to my office on Tuesday, the 24 of October, at 2 p. in. I avail, etc., EDUARDO COSTA. No. 63.] Mr. Buchanan to Mr. Gresham. LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Buenos Ayres, October 5, 1894. (Received November 21.) SIR: You will have noted in inclosure 2 in my No. 59 the invitation of the minister of foreign affairs to confer regarding the proposed Argentine tariff for 1895; a reference to my Nos. 49 and 59 will give you the position I have taken regarding the subject. As requested, I met the minister, Dr. Costa, with the minister of hacienda, Dr. Terry, in conference on the 2d and 3d instants, with the results herein given. I have on several occasions discussed informally with the minister of foreign affairs the question of tariff, and felt sure, as I now do, of his sincerity in expressing his desire to do what he consistently could to aid our commerce. I have had a like confidence in the justness and high purposes of His Excellency President Saenz-Pena, and have the greatest pleasure in recording his uniform kindly and interested wishes for the mutual success of both countries. As to the position of others having to do with the subject of tariff, I do not deem it wise to express my opinion, lest I might do an unintentional injustice. It is apparent to me that the large and small manufacturing concerns here will work to maintain or increase the duty on almost all manufactured articles; and, strange as it may seem, so little is known here in a general way on the subject of customs tariffs that some newspapers object to having lumber cheapened, as it would be by reducing the duty, because, they say, it will benefit some other country. I advised the Department in my No. 49 that I believed the tariff commission, which is an appointive body created by the minister of finance, and presumably carrying out his views, would in its report increase the duty on many American products. I was enabled to secure, before the conference on the 2d instant, a printed copy of the commissioners' report, and found that in regard to several of our prominent shipments to this country my belief was well founded. It should be understood that this report is in the nature of a tariff bill, which is submitted to Congress by the Government with such few changes as seem desirable. The commission placed all agricultural implements on the dutiable list; advanced the duty from 5 to 10 per cent; placed those which, under the existing law, are free on the 10 per cent list, and on those valued under $150 raised the duty from 5 to 25 per cent, unless, like plows, they are specifically mentioned in the 10 per cent list. The commission changed the lumber classification, lowering one and |