New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-12
EFEECTS IRON IND US1RY.

| If the advantages offered TO THIS country Dy
| the Spanish treaty are uncertain and comparl-
| lively small, il is for that reason the more in
porlont 70 ascertain whether the IF, atty will
| work injury to any of our industries. AT This
time, when all industries are greatly cmbar-
raised, and the struggle for existence is FOR
| many a hard one, the Senate will surely give
| serious consideration 60 every feature winch
| threatens to diminish the rewards of labor here,
or TO throw out of employment American
citizens in order to give better wages to workers
| in Cuba ~ elsewhere.
The immediate effect Of the treaty would
| be to advance the price ol sugar III Cuba ana
that materially. But some decline would also
| occur in this country, and that would be fatal,
| not only 10 the sugar growers Of Louisiana, hut
| 10 thpsc who are engaged IN producing s0r-
| uhun vr beet sugar, ~ IN the experiments ~
| manufacture sugar from the stalks of corn. "
bns been shown that ~ almost inevitable coh-
| sndonee ~ the treaty, moreover, would leo a
vprnDi ot All duties on stiani, hnh this would ht
ancu out down The price IN this country, ahd ~
Cuba also, about ~ The level NJ present riices
in Cuba, The benefit ~ tho Cuban growers
would be temporary, permanent INJURY v"
tho sugar groWers and the producers at sor
|
| This country would result, but it would bo IN
part compensated by cheaper sugar for con
sumers
But it may be doubted whether that benefit
would he as great as many now suppose. The
cost to consumers is the cost OF refined, not oil
raw sugar. The treaty would operate power
fully to PROSTATE refining i'll tins country, as
that work could be performed i'll many respects
more economically in Cuba near the place OF
production. Under the treaty, all sugar below
No. 1G Dutch standard in color would come IN
| Free and the process OF refining up to that
| point could be carried on in Cuba at least until
| all duties on sugar should be repealed, with u
| tremendous advantage over reiiners III tins
| county. In any event, the treaty would be
| likely to PROSTATE the refining industry for a
considerable time and thus to add materially
| to the embarrassmcnts of our industries.
A similar effect as to the manufacture Of
| tobacco has already been anticipated by some
manufacturers, who have closed their establish
| ments, and thrown thousands OF persons ont OF
| employment. IT cannot be said that their an
ticipatiOns are unreasonable. II the treaty is TO
| be ratified, the price of all manufactured
| tobacco will materially decline, involving loss 20
| those who have stocks on hand The only way
| to escape that loss is to stop manufacturing
| and accommodating stock, until the treaty has
| been approved or rejected. In permanent
| sense, the removal of half the duty both on raw
| and on manufactured tobacco cuts oil just half
the protection now enjoyed by tobacco workers
| here against manufacturers i'll Cuba. The
| lower cost of labor in Cuba would give the for
| cIgn maker tremendous advantage, which,
with the narrow duty for protection contcm-
| plated by the treaty, would be fatal to many
establishments in this country.
There are other branches Of industry which
would be Frustrated in like manner. if this
| treaty should be adopted. Cuba is to get raw
materials free but our manufacturers cannot.
Then Cuba is 10 be allowed to sell the products
of such manufacture in our markets free of
duty. Thus Cuba could get tallOw and other
products free OF duty from Us, and caustic soda
FREQ of duty, while our manufacturers have 10
pay duty averaging Go per cent last year and
| 90 per cent in 1888. But the Cuban manu-
facturer, having this advantage, can then send
his soap into our markets free of duty. This
il only sample of many instances in which the
treaty would give direct advantage to manu-
facturers in Cuba over manufacturers in the
United States. II can hardly be said that the
present condition of our industries Is such rs TO
render change Of that kind desirable.