No. 431.
Mr. Boker
to Mr. Evarts.
Legation of
the United States,
St.
Petersburg, October 12, 1877.
(Received October 29.)
No. 224.]
Sir: I have the honor to forward to you herewith a
communication addressed to me by two American merchants residing at St.
Petersburg, complaining of differential duties exacted against citizens of
the United States upon the three articles of tools, sugars, and wine, and
stating that in their belief this is contrary to the stipulations of the
treaty of 1832.
You will observe that this differential duty is indirect, the Russian
Government taxing certain articles imported by land less than those imported
by sea.
I have had some conversation with the British ambassador upon this subject,
and he tells me that the question was submitted to the law officers of the
Crown, and that they advised Her Majesty’s Government that this differential
duty was not one of which they could complain as contrary to their treaty
stipulations.
I have also spoken to Mr. de Rentern, the able minister of finance,
informally upon the subject, and have received from him a communication, of
which I send you a copy and a translation. You will perceive that as regards
sugars there is now no cause for complaint. As regards tools and wines, he
takes the ground that there is no discrimination against any one nation, as
all nations can send by land if so disposed.
I am farther informed, unofficially, that, as regards tools, this
discrimination is simply a matter of protection to Russian manufactures, the
manufacturers of Toula fearing the competition of American, English, and
French tools, but having no fear of those produced in Germany and
Austria.
I have the honor, also, to send you a copy of the Russian tariff translated
into English. It is possible that the Treasury may not have a copy, and that
it may be of service to the Secretary. It is recommended to me as a model of
clear arrangement and classification.
I have the honor, &c.,
[Page 748]
[Inclosure 1 in No. 224.]
Complaint of American merchants of differential
import duties in the Russian tariff.
The Hon. Geo. H.
Boker,
Minister of the United States of
America at St. Petersburg, Russia:
Sir: The undersigned, American merchants at St.
Petersburg, beg leave to call your attention to the existence of
differential import duties in the Russian tariff, as follows:
Duties on hardware.
Duties on wines and spirits.
Duties on sugars.
- First. The duties on tools, as specified in paragraph 173 of the
“Tariff of import duties,” is levied at the rate of 50 copecks per
pood on articles imported by land, while on those imported by sea
they are at the rate of 80 copecks per pond.
- Second. The duties on wine and other drinks in casks brought in by
land over the western frontier, as will be seen by the general
observation following paragraph 80 of the “Tariff of import duties,”
are subject to a rebate of 8 per cent.
- Third. The duty on sugar, as specified in paragraph 73 of the
“Tariff of import duties,” is levied at the rate of 2 roubles and 50
copecks per pood when brought in by land, but on that which is
brought in by sea it is at the rate of 3 roubles per pood.
As the usual method of bringing these productions of the United States of
America is by sea, while those of Austria and Germany only usually come
in by land, because of the contiguity of those countries, it follows
that, in the cases above cited, the productions of the United States of
America are discriminated against to the extent of 60 per cent, in
hardware, about 9 per cent, in wines and spirits, and 20 per cent. in
sugars.
In the first the United States of America are already large exporters,
and the differential duty goes far to shut us out of this market.
In the second, the trade in spirits, distilled from apples and from
peaches, might be made considerable, while the increase of the wine
production and of spirits distilled therefrom is already of sufficient
importance to warrant a beginning of exportation from the United States
of America to Russia.
The article of maple sugar is of smaller importance, but this restriction
tends to discourage the importation of that also into Russia.
We call your attention to these facts, in the hope that through your
intervention the tariff may be made conformable to treaty
stipulations.
September 18, 1877.
- EDWARD H. SPALDING.
- HARTOCK BROTHERS.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
224.—Translation.]
The minister of finance
to Mr. Boker.
Imperial Ministry of Finances,
St. Petersburg, September 28 (October 10),
1877.
Sir: In returning herewith the memorandum of
the American merchants residing in Russia, which your excellency sent to
me, I have the honor to inform you as follows:
Since 1872 all sugars pay the same duty, no matter by what route they are
imported into Russia, whether by land or by sea. This duty is at present
2 roubles 10 copecks the pood for unrefined and 3 roubles 10 copecks for
refined sugar. For the year 1878 it is fixed at 2 roubles the pood for
the first, and at 3 roubles for the second. Thus the first request of
the American merchants is already obtained by the modifications
introduced into the tariff now in force.
As regards the other requests set forth by the signers of the memorandum,
points 2 and 3, the question there raised of differential duties was
discussed in its time by a special commission appointed for the
examination of the tariff, and in conformity with its determinations the
council of the empire decided to retain them upon a very limited number
of articles of commerce. The difference in the duties depending upon the
route of importation extends to all products subject to these duties,
without any distinction as regards the place whence these articles came.
Therefore, being obligatory for all countries which are in commercial
relations with Russia, this difference constitutes no privilege in favor
Of the continental states.
Your excellency, therefore, will admit that under these conditions the
existence of differential duties cannot be considered as an infraction
of Article XI of the treaty of commerce, concluded in 1832–’33, between
Russia and the United States of America.
Receive, &c., &c.,
