River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-04-23
FOSTERS MISSION.
The Ex-Minister Meets with Success In
His Negotiations with Spain-Uncie sam
Captures the Lions Share of Cuba's


The Ex-Minister Meets with success In
His negotiations with spain-UncIe sam
Captures the Lions Share of Cuba's
Trade.
LONDON, April 21.-The reciprocity
convention between Spain and the
United States as drafted by Premier
Canovas del Castillo, representing
Spain, and Gen. j. w. Foster, repre-
senting the United States, is based,
as far as the United States is
concerned, upon the reciprocity Sec
ton of the new American tariff
law. In return for the privilege of free
entry into the United States of Antilles
sugar, molasses, coffee and hides, and
reduction of the duty on tea, Amer
lea viii obtain exemption from duties,
on most of its raw and manufactured
products, and a reduction of the tariff
on cereals and -four.
The negotiations were protracted
upon the question of the entire aboli-
ton of the tariff on cereals, fiours
and oils, including petroleum and
lard The same question in re-
gard to tobacco was also raised,
but not coming within the scope of
the third section of the American
tariff law was put aside. Premier
Canovas offered protracted resistance
TO the abolition of the tariff on -four
Barcelona and Santander traders. who
are largely interested in flour ship
ments, presented energetic protests
which fortified the minister in his
indisposition to accede TO the American
proposals. Eventually representations
that American reciprocity would be inn
possible without the free admission of
American cereals induced Premier Cam
oyas to assent to such reduction of
the tariff as will place American flour
upon a nearly equal footing with Span
ish flour.
Santander merchants declare that,
taking into consideration the cost of
the transportation of CASTLE grain. of
which the bulk goes to the Antilles,
American flour will crush out
the Spanish product in the
Spanish West Indies. Cuba
now consumes 100000 barrels of
flour yearly, chiefly Spanish. which
enters free of duty, and pays for it Sl2
per barrel Trade in American flour,
burdened with an extra duty of 20 per
cent. since 1889. has been completely
wiped out to the advantage of the
Spanish product.
Under the new convention the entry
of American flour practically free of
duty viii lower the price to about six
dollars per barrel and will extinguish
the importation of Spanish flour while
increasing the Cuban consumption TO a
million barrels yearly, all of which will
be American product. If the pressure
of Spanish interests had not been eoun-
teracted by the demands of the Cuban
commission of notables, who We're de-
termined to obtain reciprocity with the
United States, Premier Canovas would
have declined tomake such concessions.
The prospect of dangerous tension
of the relations of Spain with Cuba
and Puerto Rico, resulting probably in
civil war, obliged Tie government to
sacrifice home industries to colonial
interests. Under the new con-
vention America will obtain a
kind of zollverein with the Span
ish Antilles. Her wheat, beans,
flour, lard, petroleum, manufactured
products and machinery will enter prac-
tically free of duty Among other
Spanish exports olive oil will be re.
placed by American lard, and beans,
now exported to Cuba in large quanti-
ties, will cease to be sent. The advan-
tages resulting to Cuba will be great,
but it is impossible to estimate the in
jury to Spanish trade.
According to the returns of the Brit
ish consul general at Havana the sugar
crop in Cuba for 1890 amounted to 645,-
1914 tons, against 526, 439 tons in 1889.
of molasses the total prod net was ILL.,
422 tons, as compared with 101, 059 tons
in 1889. The exports of sugar to
Europe from the LIST of January to the
31st of July, 1890, We're 1866 tons, and
to the United States during the same
period 35Q OTo tons