Germany and the United States will come into being, built up on 

 the basis of mutual good-will. 



We welcome with satisfaction the enactment of the Food and 

 Drugs Act which came into force in the United States on January I, 

 1907. This Act applies in the first place to the inter-state and 

 foreign trade in food-stuffs and drugs containing injurious or deterior- 

 ated substances, or which have been inadmissibly weighted, or contain 

 an excess of taste-, flavour- or preserving admixtures; but it is chiefly 

 directed against incorrect or incomplete labelling of the goods. Very 

 strict directions have been issued; for example, for mixtures, a word 

 indicating this circumstance must be added on the label, and certain con- 

 stituents such as preserving agents, substances affecting the odour or 

 taste, alkaloids, alcohol and its preparations, as well as the quantities, in 

 which they are employed, must be specified. Drugs without any further 

 description must agree with the United States Pharmacopoeia or the 

 "National Formulary". Products imported from abroad must not be 

 subject to commercial restrictions in the country of production, and 

 according to Consular certificate must satisfy all requirements- of the 

 Act. The manufacturer or importer can protect himself against seizure 

 or possible legal proceedings, if he submits samples, and gives a 

 written guarantee to the Board of Agriculture which is the Authority 

 entrusted with the carrying out of the Act. 



Although the exact observance of the new regulations may cause a 

 good deal of apparently paltry extra work to the German exporter, 

 we welcome in this Act a measure which is directed against the dishonest 

 elements of our branch. The latter have always devoted special attention 

 to the United States, and their retirement from the competition can 

 only be an advantage both to the consumers and to our branch of 

 industry. 



Of the remaining countries of the New World, the Argentine 

 Republic stands unquestionably in the front rank; that country, owing 

 to its natural economic relations with the German Empire, justifies the 

 highest hopes as to an important future for the sale of manufactures of 

 Germany, which country occupies the first place among all the customers 

 of the Argentine. But it should not be overlooked that the state of 

 the trade in that country depends in every respect upon the result 

 of the harvest, and that the increase in the exports to the Argentine 

 Republic can only be regarded as a consequence of the favourable 

 results of the harvests of the last four years. A failure of the harvest 

 may therefore only too readily bring about a crisis. 



The export to Brazil also moves slowly but surely in an upward 

 direction. Unfortunately it is still very often necessary to complain 

 that certain officials, in carrying out the inspection of foods, are apt 

 to proceed in a totally unbusiness-like manner, and thereby cause many 



