Mr. Uhl to Mr.
Olney.
Embassy
of the United States,
Berlin, November 4,
1896.
No. 166.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose clipping, with
translation, from the Tägliche Rundschau, a newspaper published in
Berlin, apropos to the recent importation into Germany of large
consignments of apples from
[Page 316]
the United States, simply as illustrative of the great ingenuity
constantly manifested among certain classes in Germany in discovering
apprehended dangers from the introduction of any foreign product which
is likely by competition to seriously affect the price in the home
market of like products of German origin.
In this case the fear is expressed that an enemy as dangerous as the
potato bug may be brought with American apples.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure in dispatch No.
166—Translation.]
Clipping from the Tägliche Rundschau of October
31, 1896.
The first American apples of this harvest have arrived here. The
first ocean steamer which reached Germany with fruit on board had a
cargo of 240 carloads, which cost from 4 to 8 marks per
hundredweight, while German apples cost on an average 16 marks per
hundredweight.
We have already pointed out that such dangerous competition would
threaten our fruit growers. It will now have to be ascertained
whether this American fruit is not inferior to ours and whether it
does not introduce danger, as, for instance, the potato bug or the
phylloxera.
If both of these questions must be answered in the negative an
enormous importation will have to be feared.
