Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-07
Rice and the spanish Treaty.

EQttOf morning " 6lCS. Will not the
proposition stated in the NEWS OF Dec. p
that the Spanish treaty would open a near
market for the export of rice from this
country be found to be, upon examination,
purely an illusion? beg to submit the
following endeavor to demonstrate this
Like most of the advantages promised
to the United States by that treaty-wIth
which to offset the unquestionable bounty
of twenty-five or more millions of dollars
annually from US to the sugar growers of
Cuba and Porto Rico-this export trade in
rice is on its face prOblematical. In
reality, it is less than ''the baseless fabric
of a vi iOn," and one of those receptions
which seem to be essential parts of all
such schemes wherein our own proper
questions of revenue are made the sub
jects of ''dicker" with foreign powers.
Why is there now absolutely no export
trade from this country to any other
country in rice, whether subject to for
eign duty or admitted free? The answer
comes Immediately upon making a COM
parisOn of our market prices of home
grown and foreign rice. The last New
York quotations are:
Home Groom
Carolina and Louisiana, common to
Carolina and louisiana, choice 6GgG5sc.
FOrei0n-
Rangoon. duty paid, per pound ... .47se5c.
Patna, duty PAID ......-,:.f...i..,t.,5zsg 5Ac.
Java, duty paid .................,..55A l155sc.
The truth is, we are far from producing
an overplus Of this staple for export. All
we grow finds its best market at home,
where it is protected by duty OF 1H9
21lc. per pound, which at the same time
admits enough of coolie-grown rice to
make up what 10 lacking in our home
supply. Last year we imported 70, 737, 400
pounds of foreign rice, of which 14,774,34S
pounds, or nearly one-ffth, came free o.
duty from the Hawaiian Islands.
But to form an idea of the position our
Southern rice would occupy in the Cuban
market under the Spanish treaty, take
the last Havana quotations Of the coolie-
grown rice. viz
Rangoon 71s9714 rials per arrObe, equal to
3 9-lG(935sc per pound, duty paid.
Patna IU0l012 rlals per arrobe, equal to SO
SIC. per pound. duty paid.
Java not quoted,
Nov, with a home value Of 4AQ6sAo.
for the range of common to choice Caro-
lima and Louisiana, how often would a
shipment to the Spanish West Indies be
repeated if one should be made. l think
it very plain that not one pound of our
rice would be exported by reason Of the
treaty.
The Cuban duty on rice, which Spain
makes a merit OF surrendering in our IA
vor, Is comparatively light one, being
about one-half cent per pound on I'M
clean and seven-eights of a cent per
pound on cleaned. What the customs
administration in Cuba is, may be infer
red from the published account of the
laugh provoked on the occasion OF a re-
cent explanation of the treaty to an as
sembly of business men in New York,
when the question was asked if it was
supposed that every barrel of flour i'm
ported into Cuba paid full dutyf Think
of negotiating treaty on the basis of a
tariff which is openly laughed at!
No, our rice growers certainly have no
cause to listen to the voice Of the recip-
rocity treaty maker, charm he others
never so wisely. The Hawaiian treaty
ought to satisfy them, having under it's
stimulus OF free rice from the Sandwich
islands alone increased the rice crop
there 800 per cent. in1ive and half years.
The question of renewing that treaty
would seem to interest them rather than
the ratification of the Spanish treaty,
though all such experiments with our
revenue laws are to be deprecated.
Philadelphia, Dec. 26, 1884. l.. G. NJ.