OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 12883, 4 August 1906, Page 12

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

RECIPROCITY WITH NEW ZEALAND. It is more than likely, savs a Washington correspondent, that alter the ■ State elections next November steps will be tak-m m the direction of the passage of a general reciprocity law. The experience, however, of Sir Joseph Ward, who visited President Roosevelt tho other dav at Ovster Bav and who is reported to have said that the thing nearest bis heart in America was the development of a reciprocity treaty between New Zealand and the United States, would not seem to lend much hope to that prediction. "Reciprocity is not an easy thing to bring about in "this countrv," remarked the New Zealand Premier-elect, after having fulfilled his luncheon engagement with the President.

If there should happen to be any reciprocity, it will have to be by a new law altogether, for tho reeiprocitv feature of the Dingley Act expired two rears after its passage, and none of tho treaties negotiated under its provisions succeeded in securing ratification by the Senate. The reeiprocitv of the future must be statutory—that is to say, the President must be authorised, in some way, cither by the separation of a maximum and minimum tariff or bv a horizontal reduction, to promote trade relations with other countries. Of course, it is a one-sided proposition that the markets of tho world should be open to America whilo hers are closed to outside competition ; but it is owing to that in a great measure that the ever-increasing wealth and prosperity of this countrv are clue. The United States will sell to'the British anything and everything, but buying from Britain or her colonies is quite another question. To show how fur the sentiment of patronising home industries is carried here, I may mention that the best coul on tho San Francisco market comes from New South Wales, but rather than buy British goods the San Franciscans would pay more for an inferior home product. Therefore, in order to get this coal on the market it was given another name, so that the pur chaser thinks it is American coal. Tinfollowing is whit your Postmaster-General said here anent reciprocity:

New Zealand is ready to make a universal 10 per cent, reduction in her tariff to the United States in return for a like concession, and is prepared to make such a treaty binding without action en the part of the New Zealand Parliament. She now grants this reduction to Grtal Britain, and would be glad ro do s;i to the United States. New /je:iland is a country capable of maintaining a papulation of 20,000,000 to 40,0C0/.00 You are building the Panama Hanoi an.i are our nearest English-speaking neighbor, excepting Australia. Our trade is growing, our interests are idsntie.il. It would seem wise statesmanship to cultivate our relations along the commercial line, and we are willing. SAN FRANCISCO REDIYTVUS.

Tho passing of the old and the coming of the greater San Francisco is still, and will be for many a day to come, the allabsorbing topic throughout the Pacific Slope. It is only now that the story of San Francisco's destruction is being told and its fulness realised. Thousands who were-made homeless can now recall that on the night before the earthquake this prosperous, beautiful city had never seemed so joyous. The theatres and cafes were crowded, and music and revelry were in the usemda-nt till long after midnight. Had the earthquake come an hour earlier the loss of life would have been much greater. Had it come an hour later than it did, thousands of workers going to their places of employment would have been killed or injured. As it is, the official list of dead ranges below the 500 mark, and the number of injured is comparatively small. Yet, apart from this feature, history, in her annals of great disasters, has no chapter in which so mn.ny evils united to harass a stricken city. What tho earthquake left tho fire took charge of, and what escaped tho tire fell victim to dynamite. When the holocaust might have been checked by water, the mains wero broken, aJ\d when there was no longer any need of water tho very heavens deluged tho shivering, homeless ones huddled in the parks. Officially the fire lasted fifty-eight hours, covering a district of more than 1.300 square blocks. The conflagration was the costliest in hisThe loss in property exceeded that of Chicago, Boston, and 'Baltimore combined, and makes the destruction of Pompeii and Lisbon seem trivial, io look upon the ruins of San Francisco to-day om can only wonder how the city can be rebuilt within a decade at least-, or how even the great mass of debris can be cleared away in less than a couplo of vears. San Francisco presents a sad spectacle, a sorry sight. As if her plight were not, pitiable enough already, a reign of greed and corruption set in soon after tho fire, and those in authority all the way down the scale, from the highest to the lowest official, began to take advantage of San Fraucisco;6 misfortune to rob the people. A young man was shot in cold blood because he would not give up quickly a bottle of whisky to a soldier, women were robbed and killed, and men fought to the death in dreadful drunken orgies in the "redlight" districts of the citv, amid crashing walls and spreading flames. But when all this had ended those who were appointed as guardians of the stricken populace set about a wholesale system of robbery. Out of nine millions of dollars sent for the relief of San Francisco bv generous sympathisers throughout, the" Uaucd St;ites, nearly two millions have gone already in salaries to the Commissioners and' their friends and political adherents. No less a sum than s'oodol a month, or 6,060d«l (£1,200) per annum, is paid to three directors of the fund, who, in addition, axe each provided with a high-salaried private secretary, a stenographer, clerks, etc., etc.. while thousands of refugees remain on the verge of starvation. To put it in plain English, the refugees, who through no fault of their own have lost everything they possessed, are treated no better than paupers and criminals, 'ine three leading members of the Relief Committee, each draws m salary alone as much as tho Mayor of San Francisco,., the Governor of the State, or a Judgo of the Supreme Court. While soup kitchens have been established, at which decayed beans and potatoes form the staple article of diet, seventv thousand barrels of flour belonging to the people were sold—so as not to disturb tho market"—<it Idol per barrel less than the market price to a flour merchant who was on the Committee. ... people are beginning to rebel. But what is the use' To do so will only make it worse for themselves.

THE PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS. The coming event of great importance to both South America ajid the United States is the Pan-American Congress, to meet at Rio Janeiro about July 25. The first Congress of this nature, a mixture of ssnfcimentaljsm and business, assembled in Washington in 1882; the second i n the Citv of Mexico in 1801; this, the third, comes together at Rio Janeiro. Mr Root, the Secretary of State, Trill be an interested visitor. The relations (political and commercial) between the two halves of fch» American hemisphere oro. by no means as close as mutual interest demands. Within the last decade American commerce has more than doubled. The United States have taken the lead in the world's markets. Our trade with South and Central America has. not shown any remarkable growth

This Congress will afford an opportunity to become acquainted, to explain the real meaning of the Monro© Doctrine, and restore mutual confidence, and will hear practical fruit.

CONSULAR PROMOTIONS

One of the most hopeful things in the field of American diplomacy is the evident intention of the Administration to work out a plan wherelby deserved promotion may be given to American'.Consuls. Our Consular Service, asa general thing, has not been of the highest degree of efficiency, because appointments have been given out for political reasons, for personal friendship, .to. men who have undertaken the work as, a sort of a junket, without having any. ade quate conception of the "duties of the office or of the character and customs of the, people among whom they live. The names: of sixty-one Consuls were sent in .to" toe Senate last week, recommended', for promotion. Of the sixty-one, only two have come into the- service as new.: men, and these after rigid competitive examination. This recent determination to promote fifty-nine efficient men will have a salutary influence upon remaining in office. . A TRUTHFUL LABEL.

_ Congress has passed a law of the greatest importance to the jewellery trade of this country, because it metes out punishment for spurious marking of, gold or silver article. Hereafter the makers and dealer? in gold or silver jewellery, goldwaro, and silverware, whether individually as officers or agents or corporately, will at their peril place in the channels of inter-State commerce or foreign trade aoocis stamped and I labelled as " indicating or designed, or intended to indicate, that the gold and silver or alloy of cither metal .in Puch article is of greater value or degree of fineness than the actual value or fineness or quality of such gold, silver, or allov." The penalty for violation of the Act "is a fine in each case of not more than £IOO, or three months' imprisonment, or both. This law, if rigidly enforced, will strengthen the confidence in the gold and silver ?oods manufacture! in this country, and-thus increase the profits of honest dealers and manufae-tT-rers-. It is important to the people that they know that their jewellery is genuine. CONGRESSIONAL DOINGS. ', Organised Labor has succeeded in securing the enactment of the Employers' Liability Bill, whereby the emplovers of common carriers may obtain damages for per- | sonal injuries, notwithsVinding" their own negligence may have been in part responsnble. Another provision, 'limits the conI tmuous service of railway train men to fix- [ teen hours' work to' be followed by ten | hours of rest. The construction of the biggest battleship j afloat, at a cost of £2,000,000, was autho- | rised, with' a provision that the plans and bids shall be presented to Congress before being, accepted. The .Secretary of the Navy was given authority to punishing hazing.at the Naval Academy at Annapolis by dismissal or othtr punishment, at hid discretion.

The President was given an appropriation of £5,000 to pay the travelling expenses of himself and invited guests. Alaska was given the right to send a delegate to Congress. The appropriations made tliis session will aggregate over £1HO.OHO,(V!0, of which £5,000,000 is for the Panama Canal. The winding-up of tbo affairs of five civilised tribes of Indians was authorised, and their male members admitted to all the rights and privileges of American citizenship. One of the novel features of law-making ■nay tlu- enactment of a measuio to preserve Nia'gara Falls. This action was in response to a popular demand that the falls be not denuded of their btauty to serve the purposes of industry and commerce. There was no oppoation to this Bill. Congress has acted upon the principle that the franchises granted by the State of New York are illegal, holding that the Niagara is a navigable and a boundary stream, and as such it i:; exclusively under Federal juris diction. The Bill does not contemplate driving out (he power companies to their ruin, but simply serves notice on them thai they are now rising water by favor, not by right. The President is directed to begin negotiations with Canada for a permanent Treaty.

A Pure Food Bill, afrcv a. long, stub-bornly-contested struggle, has become law. This measuro will do much to protect the public against adulterations 60".far as national legislation can give protection. Where adulterations cannot enter into industrial commerce the- nefarious busiiuss will be at least cut to the point where big concerns cannot exist, and the little ones will have to take their chances with State regulation. Ultsses. Herin.crfon, Kansas, July 6.