No. 890.
Mr. Bayard
to Mr. Roosevelt.
Department
of State,
Washington, September 28,
1888.
No. 24.]Sir: I inclose herewith for your information a copy
of a dispatch from our consul at Amsterdam, relative to the decree of the
Netherlands Government prohibiting the importation of hogs and hog products
into that country. A set of the Congressional documents relating to the
subject is also transmitted to you, separately, by to-day’s mail.
After making yourself familiar with the subject, you are instructed to confer
with the minister for foreign affairs with a view to securing for American
exporters of live hogs and hog products at least equal facilities with those
of any other country for evidencing entirely healthy
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origin and character of such exports when
destined to the Netherlands for consumption or transit.
You will particularly endeavor to obtain for transmission to this Department,
in duplicate, copies of the rules which.are to be framed under the royal
decree in question.
I am, etc.,
[Inclosure in No. 24.]
Mr. Eckstein to Mr.
Rives.
Consulate-General of the United States,
Amsterdam, September 13, 1888.
No. 709.]Sir: I have the honor herewith to report to yon
that by a royal resolution, dated the 14th ultimo, the import and
transit from foreign countries (buitenlands) into and through the
Netherlands of hogs, of fresh and salted pork (varkensvleesch), and of
unmelted fat, hoofs, manure, and other offal of hogs is prohibited.
This “resolution” also provides that “when special reasons make it
necessary to deviate from this prohibition, the minister of the
interior, co-operating with the minister of finance, can allow such
deviation under such regulations as shall be a safeguard against the
bringing in of contagious diseases to which hogs are subject.”
This “resolution” was issued on the 20th ultimo and went into effect five
days thereafter.
Whether any, or any serious, inconvenience or injury is likely to result
from this interdiction to American exporters of any hog-products to this
country it would be rather premature for me to say.
The regulations or conditions under which the articles in question will
hereafter be allowed to be imported or in transit have, as yet, not been
made public.
From what I have been able to learn on this point so far they will
provide the necessity to produce certain written proof which
satisfactorily shows that the articles about to be imported or intended
for transit come from a place or neighborhood which is not infested with
any contagious disease to which hogs are liable.
I might further add that I have reasons to be inclined to the belief that
the authorities charged with the execution of the “royal decree” will be
induced and disposed to make such regulations in pursuance thereof as
may be complied with without causing the trade any very great hindrance;
and that American exporters to this country of any of the articles under
consideration need not for the present, at least, apprehend that their
interests will suffer very much in consequence of the action of this
Government as herein reported. Any further particulars relating to the
matter Which may come to my notice will be promptly brought to your
knowledge.
I am, etc.,
