Arizona republican., 1901-10-02
CUBAN SUGAR DUTY.
Effect Reduction Would Have
 on Home Interests
Where Protests Would Come From in Case the Islands Demands De- mand for Trade Concessions Were Granted.

'Washingtcn. Oct. 1.-The magnitude or the interests at stake is not gener- ally considered by those who clamor | for reduction of the sugar duty in be- half of Cuba. The United States im- ports on an average $100, ,OOG, 900 worth of sugar annually. The duty received
 on this import Is, in round numbers. s51,5o0.000. Of this vast total Cuba sends about one-half. and the duty collected, based upon the average rate of one cent q pound the rate ranging from ninety-five one-hundredths to two cents a pound. amounts to so. 900. 900. This sum is twice as much as the
 total present tarif revenue of Cuba. as honestly administered by the UniteI | States military forces. Under th.. usual manner of attending to such af- fairs in Spanish and Spanish-Ams rican
 counties, it Is thought that the total
 will not be nearly so great, as, say not more than s10. .O00. .O00 instead of Sl5.OO0,-
 OO0. It will be seen from this that Cuba would have to open her ports to | all of our products if she would repay
 us for the free admission of her sugar
 Of course. Cuba does not yet ask for
 free admission of sugar, but for a re- duction as liberaD as the United States will agree to. This figure is generally set at 20 per cent. This would result in loss of tariff revenue, now collected
 from Cuban sugar, of S6,000. 900 every year. But this is by no means the end of the loss. There would be a corre- spending loss to the manufacturers of cane and beet sugar and to the produ- cers of both kinds of sugar throughout
 the country The United States is also sugar producing country. The cane crop of Louisiana alone this year will not fall so very far below that of Cuba
 It will be something like 350.000 tons. and it is estimated that the cane crop of Cuba will not reach 5O0.OO0 tons. The former average of the Cuban crop was little more than 300. 900 tons a ear, but it has not advanced beyond the half million mark since the war with Spain. The, Hawaiian islands produce some 3e000O tons yearly. the Philip pines some 50.000 tons and Porto Rico 60. 900 tons.
 The Philippines are just as well adapted to the raising of sugar cane as Java, now the largest sugar producer of the world. So It will be seen, when the development of the cane and beet sugar crops in the United States and its possessions is considered. that this country will from this time on produce more sugar than Cuba. The total crop is now, of beet and cane, TSP 900 tons |. year. While this is still below the for mer crop of Cuba, the development ot the production in the United States and its possessions is far greater than it is now in Cuba. and will keep its present lead. if not greatly increase it.
 Again. there is large amount of money invested in this country in sugar making plants. This amount is. curiously enough. estimated to be ex- actly what the tariff revenue on Cuban sugars amounts to-S30. .0000 The manufacturers are alarmed lest q re- duction in sugar rates affect them heavily. They are not at all friendly to the proposition to reduce the tariff on Cuban sugar.
 Again. the farmers, the best growers. are interested to the extent of some S9. .06e. GOO. which is the price they re- ceived last year for their sugar beets. So important has beet growing become that thirty new factories are planned to be built al once, and at least nine Of them will be ready for the crop of 1901 At the prevailing price of sugar beets. s4 per ton. the farmer can make far more off his land in this way than by almost any other crop in the region adapted to beets. This interest is also opposed to reduction of duties looking to reciprocity.
 Another point should be borne in mind-Cuba is not the United States, at least at present. and they do things differently in all Spanish countries. It is exceedingly proba ble that there VIII be tariffs between the different states and municipalities of Cuba. as there are in Spain and in Spanish American countries. It would do the United States little or no good to have her products admitted at low rate to the Cuban ports if they are to be checked and held up for additional levies at every state boundary line. or at the gates of every municipality. Assur- ances would have to be made that an entry into a Cuban port would insure freedom of commerce everywhere in the island-one duty for all. These are , some of the difficulties in MT. Roose- velts path in considering reciprocity with the future state of Cuba. It is not likely that any arrangements can be made or agreed to for months to come-possibly for some years. but nevertheless the question is likely to i be a bitter and important one during 1 the coming session of congress.