The morning call., 1891-12-26
CENTRAL AMERICAN COFFEE.

1t is announced from Washington that
the President is considering the expedency
Of reimposing import duties on Central
American coffee and sugar, in consequence
of the refusal of the Central American
States to conclude treaties of reciprocity
with this country. When William Eleroy
Curtis prepared his monograph on trade be-
tween the United States and Latin Amer
lea, in 1889, he stated that the Central
American States were quite willing to sign
such treaties, if they had an assurance of
their ratification by Congress 1t seems
that he was misnformed. Neither Guate-
mala nor Costa Rica nor Salvador evince
any disposition to avail themselves of the
offer OF reciprocity rendered to them by the
Mckinley act They say that they cannot
afford to dispense with the duties now col
lected on imports from the United States,
and by implication they add that they are
Indifferent to the imposition of duties in
this country upon their coffee.
Our trade With these three States is quite
small, considering their population, their
resources and their proximity to San Fran
cisco; it does not exceed 5000, 600 for both
imports and exports. We send them -four
coal, kerosene oil. provisions, hardware
woodenware, fruits and vegetables they
send us coffee and a little sugar and tobacco.
The coffee comes in free, and under the act
Of last year so would the sugar; but on our
exports the Central American duties range
from so to 800 per cent Our proposition
now Is that they reduce their duties to a
revenue standard, as Spain has done for
Cuba, 20 this they reply that II we place
their coffee on the dutiable list they viii!
send 1t to England or Germany; but that
they Cannot spare the money they now get
from customs. There is. of course, nothing
IN the threat; both England and Germany
levy duties on coffee. and Central America
would make nothing by Shipping TO Liver
peol or Hamburg instead Of San Francisco.
The administration at Washington will
Of course decide the question on a simple
examination where our interest lies. We
have no disposition to engage in a war of
tariffs with petty Spanish powers in the
tropics. Would San Francisco lose a val
liable trade if Central American coffee
were Disseminated against in favor of the
coffee OF BrazilP
Coffee is one of the few articles of which
San francisco remains a primary distribut-
ing market. The teas of China and Japau
go past us to Chicago and New York. So
do the silks of China. But we receive here
some 10000 bags of coffee from Central
America, and these we distribute, aud the
traffic thus created is the source OF some
profit.
1t must be remembered that one main OBJ
stacle in the way of enlarged trade with
Central America is the nigh rates of freight
charged by the Pacific Mail steamers. Mr..
Curtis says in his work: 1.-The greatest
obstacles in the way of an increased trade
with Central America are tie enormous
freipht charges which make the cost of every
thing imported very high" These charges
are collected by a company which enjoys
a monopoly of the coastwise traffic, and
which is in receipt of subsidy from the
United States. Attempts have been made
from time to time to establish independent
lines between Central American ports and
San Francisco, but they have failed; the
Pacific Mail was too strong Tor Them.