Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-12-11
THE SPANISH TREATY.
How it is Viewed by Interested New
Workers..

Workers.
New YORK, December l0.-The new pro-
posed treaty with Spain continues to be the
chiefsnbject of fconversation among business
men, or rather that class of business men
whose trade bears intimate relations with
Cuba and the islands of the Great Antilles.
and the tobacco importers and producers,
and the exporters of American produce, and
the ship owners. The opponents of the
treaty include the sugar men and the tobac-
CO men. but among all the others who are
affected there is disposition to favor the
treaty which found voice among the ship
owners and the exporters of American pro-
duce and manufactures.
The opposition of the sugar men arises
from the provisions of the treaty which
admit sugar from Cuba and Porto Rico
free Of duty. Tobacco dealers say it will
work the the ruin of the American tobacco
planter. "The new treaty pinches the trade
in two ways" said one of the editors of the
Tobacco Leaf First, it lets in the manu-
factured cigars at a greater reduction than
allowed on the leaf tobacco. The Key
West cigar-makers are affected most be-
cause they use all Havana tobacco"
Another place where the treaty pinches
particularly hard is with the men who have
large stocks of Havana filled cigars and
Havana tobacco on hand. They will lose
the reduction Of Il! cents pound on the
tobacco and SIPS per pound on the cigars.
Sugar men say: 1--WE are opposed to the
treaty because we do not see in it any ad-
vantage to the United States. There is a
million or two of population down there to-
consume our products. Their, gross i'm
ports are about $40, 100000 from us. We
propose to give them in return 100000
net. Prices of sugar are low enough now.
If they go any lower the entire Louisiana
planting industry is gone. We believe in
protecting home industry. and this is step
toward free trade. Under the new treaty
we would supply Cuba with rice perhaps ii
the government here would permit us to
i'm port it from India under bond, and after
milling it itre-export il"
The duty on sugar has got to come off
anyhow. 1t is not fair that the people
should be taxed $52,000,000, the amount Of
duty on imported sugar, in order that Lou
isiana may produce barely 100000 tons,
much less than she produced before the war,
when the duty was three-quarters of cent
instead Of two cents as now. 1t is nonsense
to suppose that the repeal Of the duty on
Cuban sugar will not bring down the price
to the consumer" A shipmaster says in
regard to the effects of the bill on American
shipping: Every American vessel has
hitherto paid tonnage tax, which ran
from 81 to Sl.35 per ton every time it went
into Cuban port. If q ship measured two
thousand tons she had to pay at the least
$1,000. You can imagine the size of that
tax in year on a regular line Of Havana
steamers like ours That will all be saved
to American vessels which will now nearly
monopolize the trade.
The opposition to the treaty comes prin-
cipally from tobacco and cigars and sugar
importers. Many of the tobacco men have
made the proposed treaty an excuse for shut
ting down. of the $4,000 persons engaged
in the cigar manufacturing business in this
these idle men there is great suffering Some
of the manufacturers however, claim the
treaty or similar one viii be of great ben,
eft to the country at large, particularly in
the saving of sugar. The Spanish govern
ment has no bureau of statistics,
but the best authorities esti-
mate the total production at 2OO0OO,O0O
cigars annually while the product in
this country last year was 3, ,450, 100000. OF
the entire product of Cuba one-half is con
sumed on the island, 100, 900, 900 are exported
to different parts of the world, the United
States receiving 5O,OOO,OOO. 1t is apparent
that it is the makers Of clear Havana cigars
who will be most affected. Granting that
the text of the treaty as printed is correct
there seems to be some inexplicable contra
dictions in it. For instance in fixing the
duty on tobacco it imposes on the raw
material, called filters, a duty of 81 cents
pound, while on fine Havana wrappers,
which very seldom run less than 100 to the
pound, duty Of III cents per pound only
is required. Havana filters come always
more than 100 to the pound, and Mr.. Eos,
ter's treaty really provides tor III cents per
pound on Havan wrappers and 81 cents per
no,rd an Havana hllerz