rural districts who work in the factories during the winter; by which the sugar prices have decreased to an extent of more than 50 per cent.; by which the treasury receipts have increased to an extent of two hundred millions, giving an increase of sixty millions as compared with 1883. And, whereas any restrictive modification applied to the existing sugar legislation would immediately produce on the beetroot prices an inevitable setback, ruinous to agriculture, this meeting protests against any attempt to alter the law of 1884, which is the basis of our home regulations, and which only allows to the producer in the way of premiums an uncertain rebate, which is but a small part of a tax amounting to-day to 220 per cent. of the value of the goods on which it is levied ; against any negotiation which, through diplomatic channels, tends to stipulate or prejudice economic concessions without previously consulting those interested in the question or their representatives; against the participation of the French Government in any international sugar conference at which all the sugar-producing countries are not represented. This meeting also resolves : 1st-That if another international conference were to take place, it should be a preliminary condition, as it was in 1898, that our home regulations do not come under discussion, and that sugar importing countries do not consent to establish surtaxes on so-called bounty-fed foreign sugars. 2nd-That French export bounties established as a necessary measure against the "war premiums" of Germany and AustroHungary shall not be abolished unless all other nations effectively suppress theirs. We reproduce these resolutions; it is easy to see how little they are in harmony with the real facts. We will only consider the decisions themselves. They show that even intelligent men, when meeting to defend common interests, may fall a prey to absurd and ridiculous ideas. The members of the "Société d'Agriculture imagine that they have the power to impose their conditions on other nations, and that they can make France play again the ridiculous part which she played at the Brussels Conference. Such infatuation would be ridiculous were it not dangerous. How is it that no one amongst the members of the "Société des Agriculteurs de France" got up to ask M. Plichon that simple question: "Suppose we cannot export our sugar any more, and suppose the home consumption is precluded from development by the 64 fr. duty, what shall we do with it? Where shall we find new customers?" II. The United States of America--A Bad Customer. Ir would be a delusion to imagine that because the United States consume large quantities of sugar they are likely to offer in the future large outlets for European sugar production : 10,000 Tons. 1,853,370 6,000 1,985,862 1892 1,482,289 204,064 12,091 1893 1,489,985 235,886 20,453 1894 1,573,076 265,500 20,443 1895 1,460,445 324,506 26,723 1896 1,670,963 243,220 40,000 1897 1,760,607 289,009 41,347 1898 1,638,937 250,612 33,960 1899 1,839,642 160,000 62,826 5,000 2,078,068 1900 1,960,014 173,000 82,736 5,000 2,219,847 5,300 2,070,978 5,300 2,002,902 M. Licht estimates the consumption of the United States at 30 kilog. 13 per capita, that is, roughly, 25 per cent. less than England, to which it stands second. While Europe consumes 4,686,000 tons, America con sumes 2,216,000 tons of sugar. The world's consumption amounts to 7,945,000 tons; this means a proportion of 27 per cent. to the United States. The following figures show the proportion of European imports (Commercial Year Book, New York, p. 466): They show the increase which occurred in 1896 and 1897; but then the law of July 24th, 1897, came in force, which imposed the following tariff: Section 209.-Sugars not above number sixteen Dutch standard in colour, tank bottoms, syrups of cane juice, melada, concentrated melada, concrete and concentrated molasses testing by the polariscope not above 75° ninety-five one-hundreths of one cent. per pound, and for every additional degree shown by the polariscopic test, thirty-five one-thousandths of one cent. per pound additional, and fractions of a degree in proportion; and on sugar above number sixteen Dutch standard in colour, and on all sugar which has gone through a process of refining, one cent. and ninety-five one-hundredths of one cent. per pound. In addition, that law contained the following clause, establishing countervailing duties. Section 5.-That whenever any country, dependency, or colony, shall pay or bestow, directly or indirectly, any bounty or grant upon the exportation of any article or merchandise from such country, dependency, or colony, and such article or merchandise is dutiable under the provisions of this Act, then upon the importation of any such article or merchandise into the United States, whether the same shall be imported directly from the country of production or otherwise, and whether such article or merchandise is imported in the same condition as when exported from the country of production or has been changed in condition by manufacture or otherwise, there shall be levied and paid in all such I cases in addition to the duties otherwise imposed by this Act an additional duty equal to the net amount of such bounty or grant however the same be paid or bestowed. The net amount of all such bounties or grants shall be from time to time ascertained, determined and declared by the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall make all needful regulations for the identification of such articles and merchandise, and for the assessment and collection of such additional duties. Since September, 1897, the government of the United States exact a surtax equivalent to the bounty on all foreign bounty-fed sugars imported into America (see table, p. 118). In the proposed commercial convention between France and the United States, drawn up on the 7th of December, 1899, but not yet accepted by the American Senate, sugars are not mentioned; only molasses are spoken of, "provided they are not to be distilled." Syrups, sweets, candied fruits, sweet biscuits, jams and chocolate, are to profit by a reduced tariff. It was in virtue of that section 5, which we have just quoted, that on the 15th of February of this year, Mr. Gage, Secretary of the United States Treasury, put countervailing duties to the extent of 35 per cent. on Russian sugars. The Russian government retaliated by placing a duty on American steel and iron, 50 per cent. higher than the duty on the same article if imported from any other country. These two measures provoked a great sensation. The Russian Minister of Finances estimates the production of this year at 51,200,000 poods, which, with the balance of last year's season, will give a total of 56,537,000 poods, or 925,000 tons in round figures. During June of last year the home consumption was estimated at 36 million poods, leaving a surplus of 20,500,000 poods, out of which three million poods are set aside to form the compulsory reserve. There are then 17 million poods or 275,000 tons in round figures to be exported. For sugar, which is not exported, pays a double excise duty; and this consequently means compulsory exportation. Last year Russia sent only 3,782,000 poods over her European frontiers, and 2,127,000 over her Asiatic boundaries. She must therefore find customers for 200,000 tons of sugar in England and in the United States. The total amount of imports of Russian sugars in America has been comparatively small so far; it only represented a value of hardly 200,000 roubles. Mr. Gage has but made use of the law which aims at protecting the American beetroot-sugar manufacturers. The President of the United States and Mr. Gage hoped that Russia would wait until the decision of the Board of General Appraisers, who decide on tariff matters, was known, but the American government did not obtain that delay. At any rate, here is another tariff war due to the sugar industry, which, though it enriches but a few of those whom it employs, is of all other industries the most ruinous for the people who protect it. Mr. Wyndham, in his Consular report to the Foreign Office, February, 1901, mentions the increasing cultivation of beetroot in the United States, and how in Arkansas valley, Colorado, the minimum yield is 14 per cent., and sometimes as much as 23 per cent. Evidently the Americans do not intend to leave that industry altogether in Continental hands, and Europe can hardly anticipate that in the future the United States will prove a better outlet for her sugar than it is now. III. Countervailing Duties. IT was not only the American law of 1897 which should have opened the eyes of those optimists who did not believe that countervailing duties would ever be established, but the Indian Tariff Act of 1899, which authorized the |