Proclamation—Commercial Reciprocity with Italy

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Whereas, His Majesty, the King of Italy, has entered into a supplementary reciprocal Commercial Agreement with the United States of America, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Section three, of the Tariff Act of the United States approved July 24, 1897, which supplementary Commercial Agreement is, in the English and Italian texts, in the words and figures following to wit:—

The President of the United States of America and His Majesty, the King of Italy, considering it appropriate to supplement by an Additional Agreement the Commercial Agreement signed between the two Governments at Washington, on February 8, 1900, have appointed as their plenipotentiaries, to wit:

The President of the United States of America, the Honorable Robert Bacon, Secretary of State of the United States; and His Majesty the King of Italy, His Excellency the Baron Mayor des Planches, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington,

Who, after an exchange of their respective full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon the following Articles:

ARTICLE I. It is agreed on the part of the United States, in accordance with the provisions of section three of the Tariff Act of the United States approved July 24, 1897, that the rates of duty heretofore imposed and collected, under the said Act, on Italian sparkling wines upon entering the United States, including the island of Porto Rico, shall be suspended during the continuance in force of this agreement, and, instead, the following duties shall be imposed and collected, to wit:

On all sparkling wines, in bottles containing not more than one quart and more than one pint, six dollars per dozen; containing not more than one pint each and more than one half-pint, three dollars per dozen; containing one-half pint each or less, one dollar and fifty cents per dozen; in bottles or other vessels containing more than one quart each, in addition to six dollars per dozen bottles on the quantities in excess of one quart, at the rate of one dollar and ninety cents per gallon.

ARTICLE II. It is reciprocally agreed on the part of Italy, in consideration of the provisions of the foregoing Article, that during the term of this Additional Agreement the duty to be assessed and collected on mowers and tedders, included in item No. 240, paragraph "f," of the Customs Tariff of Italy, products of the industry of the United States, imported into Italy, shall not exceed the rate of four lire per one hundred kilograms.

ARTICLE III. When official notification of His Majesty's ratification shall have been given to the Government of the United States, the President of the United States shall publish his proclamation, giving full effect to the provisions contained in Article I of this Agreement. From and after the date of such proclamation this Agreement shall be in full force and effect, and shall continue in force until the expiration of one year from the time when either of the High Contracting Parties shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the same.

In witness whereof we, the respective Plenipotentiaries, have signed this Agreement, in duplicate, in the English and Italian texts, and have affixed hereunto our respective seals.

Done at Washington, this second day of March, A.D. one thousand nine hundred and nine.

                    ROBERT BACON, [SEAL.]
                    E. MAYOR DES PLANCHES, [SEAL.]

And whereas the said Supplementary Commercial Agreement was duly ratified on the part of His Majesty the King of Italy on April 15, 1909, official notice whereof has been received by the President.

Now, Therefore, be it known that I, William Howard Taft, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority conferred by said Act of Congress, do hereby suspend during the continuance in force of said Supplementary Commercial Agreement the imposition and collection of the duties mentioned in the first section of said Act and heretofore collected upon the specified articles of Italian origin as described in said Supplementary Commercial Agreement, and do declare in place thereof the rates of duty provided in the third section of said Act as recited in said Supplementary Commercial Agreement to be in full force and effect from and after the date of this Proclamation, of which the officers and citizens of the United States will take due notice.

In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this twenty-fourth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and thirty-third.

WM H TAFT

By the President:
HUNTINGTON WILSON
Acting Secretary of State.