881.512/98
The Diplomatic Agent and Consul General at Tangier (Blake) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 16.]
Sir: In further reference to my Despatch No. 579 of December 20th, 1930,12 on the above subject, I have the honor to inform the Department that a Dahir, embodying the provisions indicated on pages 3 and 4 of my above mentioned Despatch, has been issued and published under date of December 28th, 1930, in the Official Bulletin of the French Protectorate.
[Page 746]No notification of the issuance of this Dahir has, up to the present time, been made to this Diplomatic Agency by the French Residency-General at Rabat.
I perceive no reasons to modify the objections, signalized in my Despatch No. 579 to the modified provisions relative to the taxation on frozen meats and on edible oils.
In connection with the observations which were presented in my Despatch No. 569 of December 10th, 1930, and in previous despatches pointing to discrimination, in the matter of taxation on petroleum products, in favor of the Agricultural Co-operative Association, there is transcribed below, for the information of the Department, a confidential note just received from the American Consul at Casablanca:—
“A Dahir dated December 6th, 1930, provides for the granting of a subsidy to the ‘Co-operative Agricole des Carburants’ equivalent to the total amount paid for Customs duties and for consumption taxes.
Theoretically, there appears to be no discrimination, (as between persons engaged in the agricultural industry in French Morocco) inasmuch as any national may become a member of the Agricultural Co-operative Association, and, as such, participate in the loans through the ‘Caisse de Crédit’ and in purchases through a co-operative association such as the ‘Co-operative Agricole des Carburants’.
However, as the Consulate has previously pointed out, while in theory any national might become a member of the Agricultural Association, in practice it has been the general policy to exclude all nationals except French from participating in the distribution of land.
More recently a local American farmer applied for membership of the Agricultural Co-operative Association, and was informed that he might become a member. However, on presenting his final petition, various objections were made to his membership, one being that he was a national of the country which still maintains its treaty rights in Morocco, and that his presence in the Co-operative might complicate their work.
He has not since pressed for membership. Consequently it is impracticable to state at the present time, whether he would have been definitely excluded from membership.”
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩