The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-06
OUR TRADE With CUBA.
An Inviting Field for American
Enterprise.
TOTAL VALUE OF EXPORTS.
BALANCE OF TRADE is LARGELl
AGAINST US.
Extensive Trade Transactions Be-
tween This Country and the Is
land-Good Markets for United
States Products.

CUBA is a country of practically two
products-sugar and tobacco-and one
market-the United States. SAYS the
Troy Press. The scarcity of trust
worthy statistics renders it impossible
to do more than approximate in touch
ing upon the commercial relations be-
| tween that country and the United
States, and the best data that can be
obtained in this direction come from the
British consul, general at Havana.
Whlle Cuba raises and exports to this
country vast amounts of tobacco, its ex-
ports of sugar greatly outweigh in
value the tobacco production Further
than this-nine-tenths of the entire
amount of sugar exported comes to this
country. The table referred to, which
is reproduced in the Engineering Maya
zine by e. Sherman Gould, G. E., shows
that between 1891 and 1894 Cuba fur
nished one-third of the entire cane
sugar production of the world No
doubt much of this expectation to this
country in turn is exported in other
forms, a certain quantity finding it's
way back to Cuba in the form of
sweet goods" 1t may be said, there
fore, that the entire commercial exis-
tence of the island is dependent upon
sugar. On the other hand the cultiva-
ton Of the cane, the juice and the
necessary transportation require a vast
amount of machinery, implements, rails,
locomotives and other rolling stock
The total yearly value of an exports
from Cuba to this country is estimated
at about $60000,000. This great value in
exports, then, is sent by a country
without manufactures to the greatest
manufacturing country in the world,
and one in which the danger Of over
production is supposed to be a stand
ing menace. It is, therefore, apparent.
that these imports should be paid for
by us with manufactured goods. Yet
the balance of trade is largely against
us. The total value Of the exports from
the United States to Cuba last year
was but about $23, 500, 900, less than one
half the value of the imports from that
country. There is evidently room for
over $50, 100000 worth of our manufac-
tured goods in Cuban markets. Worse
than this, about one-half of the value
Of our exports the past year-which is
proportionately the same for many
preceding years-consisted of bread
stuffs, provisions, etc, while wood and
woodworks amounted to about one
eighth, and COAL iron, hardware and
machinery entered the list for about
one-fourth of the entire amount.
Without going further into detail cit
is sufficient to state that Cuba offers
an inviting field for American enter
prise. Her prosperity and even her
very existence may be said to depend
upon her commercial relations with this
country. 1t ought to be comparatively
easy for us to complete the commercial
conquest of the island; but, as we have
said in referring previously to our COM
mercial transactions with other coun-
tries, we should deal with her only ION
the square" The market is one that
recognizes and fully appreciates fair
dealing. Further, the Americans are at
disadvantage, we are informed, by
their careless selection of their repre-
sentatives in Cuban markets. Many of
them are reported to be too sharp deal
ers, and few of them are able to speak
Spanish. We should be ready to give
the Cubans exactly what they want and
are willing to pay for. The rule should
apply to all countries, for that matter
There would be little complaint of over
production if we were to take ADVANTAGE
of every market that offered, no matter
how insignificant 1t might at first ap-
pear. We should be constantly on the
lookout for new markets in every part
of the world and for every product
manufactured within this country. with
the United States practically in control
of the commerce of Cuba. 1T is hardly
consistent to see the balance of trade
against us so heavily as is shown by
the figures given by the British consul
general at Havana.