Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-12


with SPAN is published in full in the Congress
sionaI Record to-day. Secretary Frelinghuy-
sen has submitted to the President a compen-
diOus statement of the purpose and effect of
the various articles of the treaty, and an
analysis of the schedules attached to it show
ing succinctly the eXact,changes proposed to
be made in the existing Spanish tariff. The
Secretarys paper say that the need has long
been recognized for some arrangement by
which the natural market of large communi-
ties lying at our doors should be Sc
cured under beneficial terms for the prin-
cipal productions of the United States. In
return for this we grant certain
reserved favors whereby articles, mainly raw
materials or food products which this country
does not produce, or produces in inadequate
quantity. shall reach their natural market of
consumption in TINS country. TarlH barriers
for the most part greater in foreign possess
slons respect our manufactures than in
the United States with respect TO the crude
materials we cOnsume-haVe hitherto oper-
ated as obstacles to a desirable natural move
ment of trade between our pOrls and theirs.
This has been notably the case with the Span
lsh Antilles.
OUR IMPORTS FROM THE ANTILLES.
Our imports a.herefrom amount In round
numbers to about $72,000,000 in value, the
large proportion Of those imports being free
listed in our tariff. Our exports thereto
amount to nearly $17,00O,OO0, comprising for
the most part articles in whose production we
excel and which with difficulty and in limited
|
and Porto Rico, because of heavy customs
| taXatOns and the discriminating application
Of the duties. These taXations and discrimi
! natlon5 nave not only practically cut of
| profitable market from its full chance of de-
| velOpment. but have so prevented our vessels
| from enjoying due share Of the carrying
| trade. These untaYOrable conditions have
| kept the bulk of the import trade of Cuba and
| Porto Rico in other channels. The absence of |
official data for many years makes 1t impos- |
| siDie TO ascertain the precise amount OF the |
| present import trade of those islands, but an |
| approximate estimate of $65 100000 or 70,000,
| COO in value coming from all ports, including |
| the mother country, probably understates the |
| TACT. IL would be safe to say that while |
| under existing cir iumstances the bulk Of the |
production Of Cuba and Porto Rico comes to |
| the United states, this country only supplies |
| one-hfth of the goods and manufactures |
| which those islands must receive from with |
out to meet the absolute necessities of exist |
| ence.
THE BALANCE OF TRADE.
The balance of trade is therefore, as to those |
| provinces, against the United States in the |
| proportion of to l. and this is due to the Ope-
| ration of causes which limit our facility to |
| supply and the ability of the population of |
| Cuba and Porto Rico to demand. 1t follows, |
| therefore, that any change which cheapens |
| the price of the necessaries Of life in Cuba /
| and Porto Rico will increase the demand and |
| so benefit the United States. The commercial |
! agreament of jan and Feb. l3, 1884, between |
! the united States and Spain was an |
| initial step towards a better condition Of |
| affairs. The correspondence laid by the Pres
| ident before the Senate on Jan. Is |
| last shows the negotiations leading to that |
| agreement, which had for its object to favor |
| productions of the United States by lessened |
| tariff duties while removing the discrimlna-
| tOns against our flag. This agreement, while |
| necessarily an imperfect and tentative
/ pedlent, recognized the need, and ImpO .ed |
| the mutual obligation OF devsing complete |
| commercial treaty to take It's place. In |
! practice, 1t was found to leave untouched |
! certain determinations against our flag, as i'll
| the case of goods of foreign origin trans |
| SnlDDpO
| il in vessels of the United States, paid higher
| customs duties in Cuba and Porto Rico than
| when under the Spanish flag.
COMPLETING THE WORK.
| To complete the work thus begun, and re-
| move all remaining impediments to full trade |
| with the Antilles, negotiation for more |
| comprehensive commercial convention was |
pressed, and the result is now before YOU
| The object had in view in the negotiation of
| the treaty was three-fold: First, to establish
! such reciprocity of the exchange of the pro-
| ducts of the United States and of the neigh
| boring Spanish provinces and islands of Cuba |
and Porto Rico, and such mutual shipping
privileges as viii tend to greater development
| OF commerce; second, 10 remove restrictions
| and distractions to which American trade |
| and shipping has for many years been eX-
| posed under tariff and customs regula- |
| tions of those islands, an J., third, |
to supplement the treaty of 1895 with Spain
| by more modern provisions as t. commercial |
! freedom, the protection of the rights of per-
| sons and property, and the most favored ma
| tion clause" which do not exist in that |
| treaty.
| RECIPROCAL EXCHANGE.
Articles / and relate to reciprocal ex-
| change of the products, the details of which
are contained in three attached schedules, A, |
| B and G.. The new feature of the treaty in
| this respect is a stipulation that the benefits |
| of the carrying trade shall be lmited to
| American and Spanish vessels. This is re-
! garded as an important provision for the de-
velOpment of our shipping.
| Article cOrrects d practice which has
| operated to the disadvantage Of American
| vessels IN the West Indian trade. Under the
| existing laws and customs regulations foreign
| productions reshipped in the ports of the |
| United States, when transported by Spanish
! vessels. admitted into Cuba and Porto |
| Rico at 25 per cent. less duties than when |
| carried by American vessels the rule being
| applied to all Canadian and other foreign
! products in transit through the United States.
| The present article gives TO American vessels |
| hencefOrth the same privileges as Spanish
| vessels in respect of such transshipped cargo |
| as they may carry.
Articles i, II and IS are designed to remove
| the restrictions and technical penalties to
| which American exporters and shippers have
| been subjected for many years past IN the |
! spanish Antlllean custom hOnses, and which |
| have been the source of constant irritation |
and hardship, at times stralning the friendly
| relations of the two governments.
CUBA'S SUGAR EXPORT.
Article ) prohibits the levying of new ex-
| port duties on products of Cuba and Porto /
| Rico admitted to the United States under
| schedule A. The export duties on sugar have |
l
| to the lowest rate consistent with the Obliga- /
| tions to the Cuban bOndhOlders to whom the |
revenues have been pledged, to wit: about
| l-6 Of cent. per pound.
| Article 6, providing that no greater inter-
| nal taxes shall be levied on 4 American pro- /
| ducts IN Spanish islands than on native pro-
| ducts is regarded as important because of the /
the imposition by Spanish -Ameri-
| on articles of consumption. The reciprocal /
| abolition OF tonnage dues secures still further
| relief to our shipping. Under the existing
| laws vessels of all nationalitles charged |
| in American ports tonnage dues to the amount |
| of 80 cents per ton once only in each year. but |
| in Cuba and Porto Rico much higher tonnage |
| dues amounting to 65 cents or 81 30 per ton,
| according to the flag, are collected on every |
entrance into port, and this has been a heavy /
| and very unequal tax on American vessels |
! The abolition of consular fees provided
the spirit of the law passed at
| the last session of Congress. its reciprocal |
| acceptance by Spain is significant from the /
| fact that The Spanish consular tariff is much /
| higher than that of the United States, and it |
| also removes the Spanish consular tonnage |
| fees imposed all American goods shipped /
| to Cuba and Porto Rico against which this |
| government has protested for several years
/ past, as tantamount to the levying by the |
| foreign government in our ports of an export |
| duty on merchandse-a duty which the |
| United States cannot constitutiOnally impose,
| and therefore cannot sanction on the part of
| another government.
ON PAR WITH THE BEST OF THEM.
4
| Interpretation of the "mOst favored nation
| treatment cOntended for by this government |
| as the first essential condition of treaties of
| commercial reciprocity. 1t is maintained by
| the United States that the ''mOst favored ma
tom clause of treaties could not be applied IN
/ its unrestricted sense to reciprocity conyen- /
| tions. but that when two nations stipulate for |
| special favOrs or q reciprocal reduction of du-
/ ties upon specified conditions, third powers /
| cannot claim or enjoy like favOrs except upon |
| the same or equivalent conditions. The only |
| products of Cuba and Porto Rico embraced in |
| schedule A for admission to the United States |
/ which require special notice, are sugar and |
/ tobacco, coffee, and most of the items sched- |
uled as duty free, being already on the free |
| list of tariff.
SUGAR AND TOBACCO.
The duty on sugar and tobacco is the chief |
| basis upon which we can negotiate any treat
| les of commercial reciprocity with the trOnicaI
countries of America. 1t was considered tn |
| be less injurious to our native tobacco interest
| to grant to Cuban tobacco, both leaf and man
/ ufactured, reduction of so ner |
| cent, than tocOncede free admission. |
| to either leaf or manufactured separately In |
| view of the fact that even after that reduc-
| tion Cuban tobacco and cigars will be subject
| to a heavy import duty and to internal reve-
| nue. taxes in addition, 1t seems that our home |
| producers and manufacturers still enioy fair |
| and remunerative protection. especially when |
under the treaty Cuba and Porto Rico will |
for the first time be open to American to-
| bacco at a rate of duty much lower than the |
| reciprocal duty levied in the United States.
SPANS OBLIGATIONS.
In arranging schedules and c
for the admission of American pro-