The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-11-16

OF duty which Spain levied for her own
commodities, the UIited States acted wise
ly. Those rates WERE however. full oil IN
CAPABILITIES and Were not levied on any SOUND
principle, but on the "heads Spain wins ana
tails Cuba loses" idea. which prevails In
the whole fiscal fabric. 1t was found that
the only way 10 remedy the Inequalities,
equalize the rates Of duty improve the ad-
ministratdOa ana TO reduce the rates Of
duty on all articles OF general consumption.
was TO practically frame a rev tariff. 1t
has not been thought advisable to make
radical changes in the administrative
branches nor to change weights and meaS-
ures into United States equivalents, because
the people of Cuba are accustomed 10 the
metric system. United States currency.
however, has been substituted for the Span
!sh pesos. This will simplify the collection
OF duties. as customs duties al the present
time are collected in Cuban ports In the
possession Of Spain in three different
clssres OF curreDcy--gohs. silver and bank
notes--all (eyen the gold huctuating IN
value The tariff thus proposed and the
adoption OF which By the United States.
when the military forces take hold OF the
custom houses, reduces all duties about 60
per cent on the old Spanish rates aud will
average fully two-thrds less than the rates
now exacted by the authorities In Cuban
ports In possession Of Spain.
Mr.. Forler gays; THE cupiIly and ra-
pacity of the Spanish Officials In Cuba IN
beyond conception, and Sf we may Judge
by the results at Santiago the United e,a,es
officials will be able 10 collect AS much
revenue on a tariff. The duties of which
are more than half or nearly two thirds
less enan under the iniqui.ous law now In
force. The reduction to q reasonable ratn
of duty ia certain schedules. such as thosc
relating TO machinery. railway supplies.
etc, will increase tine Importation and the
revenue win certainly be greater than dur
ing the period when the duties have been
rron.bifory. A railway company naturally
hessa1ted to import a locomotive when The
dusy was equivalent to the value OF the
engine, Wiyi a revised tariff OF 20 per
cent, for Cuba HAS mn locomotive works. u
may import two or four or even six.
10 an Interesting Analysis OF tho Cuban
budget, showing how much revenue II re-
quired and how much may REASONABLY he
expected from the tariff 70 he enforced,
Mr.. Porter siys: THE money collected from
Cuba. whether 1t was $26,00O,0OO or less,
has all gone and nothing is llkOly 70 bS
found In the treasury but numerous evil
dencea of promises TO pay, records OF re-
ceipts given by the government for gc0js
not paid for debts OF all kinds, Including
the salaries Of large number Of minor
officials. The first and most important
item OF expenditure is for Goyereignliy ex-
penses and aggregates a sum exceeding
$22 600 600.
THE largest stem IN these expe51es y
that OF Interest on phe pubic debt. Which
aggregates $1O.4s5. 1873. The Osher lens Of
expenses under this head seem to BE- OF .
m Asce,lareUis character, including some
salaries pensions, clvil. military and usval
pensions. public works asid gr+tuttf0s. 1'he
next largest expenditure Is for purposes
III war--s5, 500. 740. fhrse items are Of Is
peesal sn.cvest to Anleriosl readers Toe
expenges Of the ravy sgcresste 81 055.1s6
snd OF the executive dsVrrfmrnt sC.6s5. Nv.
Urder fihc last section comes the s,la,y of
the Cuban governor general. $40 0Vo Ind
tine exyNuses Of bia ettice t46.450. aggre-
gazing sss. $50.
I'm this diylg'cu II appears the civil
guards were mid. slhis ho1y cf men rcceiy-
ing IN all s2.09s.22f. TIE second largest
Item In ttis total is the subsidy 10 the Com 4
psplp Trans Atlaniica, waich amounts 10
S471 $780,
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