File No. 355.115 C76/12.
The American Minister to
the Secretary of State.
No. 36.]
American Legation,
Brussels,
April 1, 1912.
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my despatch
of March 8 last No. 29, and to inclose further correspondence on the
subject of the discrimination against American oils which appears in the
specifications for lubricating oils on the Belgian State Railways.
In a note from the Foreign Minister, of March 19, it is stated that
notwithstanding the previous lack of success of American oils in
experiments a new series of tests were undertaken on the basis of
offering all guarantees of impartiality. It was deduced from these
trials that Russian oils gave better results than American oils, as well
as proving cheaper, but that nevertheless the Minister of Railways felt
that these experiments for certain reasons might not have been made
under entirely normal conditions, and so his excellency has ordered new
competitive trials to be undertaken as soon as possible in order to come
to a decisive opinion on this subject. In a correspondence with the
Continental Petroleum Company which followed, and copies of which are
inclosed,1 it was
pointed out that an error in calculation might have suggested this
conclusion of the cheaper character of the Russian oils, while really
the figures as given in the Foreign Office note showed that the American
oils were cheaper, certainly in this instance. Also subsequent study and
discussion of the matter brought to light the fact that the mixture of
tallow with the oils, as described in the Foreign Office note, would
suggest that the test, mentioned as disadvantageous to the American
oils, was in the lubrication of engine-cylinders only, as such a mixture
is made use of as a rule for engine cylinders only while the more
general lubrication of rolling stock requires a mixture of crude oil and
rapeseed oil.
Accordingly in a note to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of today’s
date, of which a copy is inclosed, this possible error in calculation as
to the comparative cost of American and Russian oils was pointed out and
inquiry was made as to the character of the experiments
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mentioned as disadvantageous to American
oils, for if these experiments were only applied in the lubrication of
the engine-cylinders and not to the general use of railway needs, they
would be certainly insufficient and unsatisfactory in extent. It was
also pointed out that in the great production of oil in America all
sorts were to be found, and that the lack of quality in one, or in
several, should not be a bar to the trial of others, and that the
Department desired only an opportunity for fair tests of American oils,
to be used only if found satisfactory, which would result in mutual
advantage to the Belgian Government and to American competing concerns.
I expressed gratification at the decision of the Baron de Broqueville,
Minister of Railways, to give another test and stated I should notify
the Department of this decision, in which a hope might be found for a
final and favorable conclusion of this long standing question and a
settlement to mutual advantage.
I have [etc.],
[Inclosure 1.—Translation.—Extract.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to the American
Minister.
Direction B. No. 824.]
Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
Brussels,
March 19, 1912.
Mr. Minister: I did not fail to advise the
Minister of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs of the contents of the
communication which the Legation addressed me on October 19
last1 and of those
succeeding, regarding the use of American oils for lubricating the
rolling stock of the Belgian State Railways.
Mr. de Broqueville advises me that the Administration of Railways,
notwithstanding the lack of success of the previous experiments,
undertook a new series of tests on a basis offering all possible
guaranties of impartiality.* * * To sum up, it appears that it can
be deduced from the trials made that the Russian oil gives better
results than American oil, as well as being cheaper, on account of
the smaller proportion of tallow used in the mixture. Nevertheless
Mr. de Broqueville considers that these experiments were not made
under sufficiently normal conditions as regards the quantities of
tallow added to the oils tested, which considerable exceeded for
both kinds of oil the proportions prescribed by instructions and
sanctioned by practice.
Therefore my colleague has ordered that new comparative trials be
undertaken as soon as possible, with the precautions mentioned
above, in order to permit the forming of a well founded and decisive
opinion on this question.* * *
I renew [etc.]
[Inclosure 2.—Extract.]
The American Minister
to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
No. 31.]
American Legation,
Brussels,
April 1, 1912.
Mr. Minister: I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s note of the 19th of
March, in reply to this Legation’s note of October 19 and subsequent
correspondence, on the subject [etc.].
Your excellency refers to comparative trials that have proved in the
past disadvantageous to American oils and is so good as to give
certain figures with regard to a late test from which a deduction is
made that the Russian oils give not only better results but proved
cheaper than the American oils which were used in the experiments in
question. While these figures may
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possibly suggest this conclusion, yet I beg
your excellency to be so good as to consider the following
calculations which show, on the contrary, that notwithstanding the
excess in the percentage of tallow the eventual cost of the American
oils would be about ten per cent less than the cost of the Russian
oils.* * *
My Government seeks only a fair and just opportunity for the trial of
American oils, now so categorically denied in the specifications,
and for their use only if found satisfactory. This would be of
advantage certainly to the Belgian Railway Administration as well as
to any competing American oil concerns.
I am gratified that the Minister of Railways, because of his
conviction that the experiments just terminated departed somewhat
from normal conditions of service, will institute a fresh set of
tests, and I shall at once inform the Department of State of this
intention. I beg further to ask your excellency, and your colleague
of the Railways, to be so good as to consider that the removal of
the restriction contained in the specifications for so many years
past really need not depend at all on the success or failure of
American oils, either in any one or in any series of tests, but the
right for American oils to be fairly tested, and used only if found
of advantage, is desired.
The Department of State considers that the correspondence already
referred to in previous notes on the subject, which took place
between the Department of State and the Belgian Legation at
Washington at the time when the President determined to apply the
minimum tariff to Belgium, gave assurances that this matter would be
earnestly considered, and will no doubt see, in the delay due to the
further tests to be undertaken by direction of Baron de Broqueville,
a hope that a final and favorable decision may soon be reached
concerning the removal of this discrimination, which so completely
prohibits even the trial of American oils, and that this
long-standing question may be settled happily and to mutual
advantage.
I avail [etc]
