Evening star., 1898-12-17
NEW TARIFF FOR CUBA
Measure for Raising Revenue and Encour-
aging Industry.
Great Reductions Made in the Spanish h
Reduction 81 Per Cent.

President Mckinley before leaving for
the south Tuesday signed an executive or
der establishing d customs tariff for the ISL
and of Cuba, to go into effect January /
next This tariff is based upon the report
and recommendations made by Mr Robert
P. Porter, special commissioner of the
United States, who was sent to Cuba some
months ago for the special purpose Of max
ing an investigation of the subjects of rev.
enue and customs Of the island.
In commenting upon the changes Mr..
Porter says: In recommending changes of
rates in the several schedules of the Cuban
tariff now in force in Cuban ports in pos
session of the United States l have been
guided by the following considerations:
Il. The necessities of obtaining sufficient
revenue to administer the affairs of the
island.
-. A reduction of duties in those cases
where Spain retained in the minimum rate
column exorbitant rates because she could
not herself supply the commodity.
'3. An increase of duty in the schedule re-
lating to spirits, wine and malt liquors in
which the reduction by the adoption of the
minimum rate column is altogether too
great.
"A. Changes of rates that have been sug-
gested by the testimony taken for the pur-
% Changes from specific duties to ad
valorem in cases where the former method
of levying duties resulted in inequalities
and, in some cases, injustice alike to i'm
porter and consignee-'instrument machin-
cry and apparatus employed in agriculture
and locomotion.'
''6 Changes in the line of additional re-
ductIons, as in the case of 'alimentary sub
stances, in which many of the rates of duty
now in force in Cuban ports in the posses
sion of the United States We're found to he
unnecessarily burdensome. In this case the
aim has been to make the specific rate of
duty average not over % per cent of the
present market value of the imported com
modify.
-. In these changes of duty consideration
has been given TO the fact that the Cuban
customs. under American administration.
will be collected in United States currency,
whereas the Spanish duties were collected
in SO per cent Spanish gold. and 20 per
cent Spanish silver; roundly speaking,
therefore, if the old Spanish duties were
left unchanged, il would practically mean
an increase of 10 per cent in the tariff
1t should, therefore be borne in mind that
the reductions made are in fact 10 per cent
less than the figures indicate. On the other
hand, however, the additional duties ex-
acted by the Spanish authorities, levied as
war tax since the signing of the protocol,
more than counteract the difference in cur
rency
with these general ideas in mind and
the testimony of a large number of wit
nesses, together with numerous statements
relating to the various classes of the Cuban
tariff, the several schedules have been care
fully examined, and the general reasons
for the changes in rates, etc, suggested,
| may be found in the subjoined summary,
which has been arranged according to the
number of the schedule or class. which is
the more literal translation of the Cuban
tariff
THE following table shows the average
| per cent of reduction in the several classes
| between old Spanish rate and rate origi-
| nally adopted by United States for all i'm
| ports:
"Class /, stones earths, ores, etc, CAL
class 2, metals, etc, G2-1 : class 3. pharmacy
and chemicals, substances of. 5S1 class A.
| cotton, etc. 63.7; class 3, hemp, fax, etc
| 625; class g. wool, etc, 7O.4; class Z, silk
| etc, 500; class s, paper, etc, 76.9: class 8
| wood, etc. 63.1; class 10, animals, etc, 61.S
| class IL, instruments machin"rv etc. El g