The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-29
TRADE WITH CUBA INCREASES.
An Error in Statement of the Di
sion of InSuIar Affairs

as compared with the same period of 1899
In this statement the value Of gold and
silver coin and bullion was included in tn;
total value Of commerce between Cuba
and the United States. The Division OF
Insular Affairs explains as follows:
Eliminating the coin shipments. It Is as
certained that instead of there heirg 8
decrease in the value OF imports into Cuba
from the United States there is an in
crease of 81. 222.2 o5 for the first eight
months OF 1900 over the same period OF
1893.
i comparison with the importation OF
merchandise into Cuba from the United
Kingdom fer the same period shows in
crease in favor of 1850 Of SIS per cent and
from Germany Of 75.3 per cent These per
centages look formidable, but the amounts
of increase are not appaIIingiy large wheT
they are considered in relation with the
totals of importation, or in relation with
the United States figures.
The English and German figures vii
probably continue to rise. as they should
do, if the United Kingdom and Germany
are to secure their proDoTti91ate shares OF
trade in Cuba, that is, in proportion &c
their shares in other tropical countries
The tariff regulations operate upon al
countries alike. and, other things being
equal. there is 10 good reason why Ger
many. France, Spain, the United King
dom, or any other country should not Sc
cure its fair share Of trade in Cuba. 1t
is a question Of business method and not
Of tariff regulation
There may have been an impulse of sen
timent at the close of the Spanish-Ameri-
can war on the part Of the Cuban i'm
porters to buy from the country that had
just secured to them their liberty, but
there Is no evidence of it to be found in
the subsequent statistics There are iso-
lated cases of Cuban merchants who tried
To substitute American products for Span
isl on sentimental grounds but that their
efforts proved very successful cannot be
shown one extensive dealer in footwear
tried to Introduce American shoes: but his
customers preferred the Spanish last. even
though it was coupled with inferior Ieath-
CT and poorer workmanship; and during
the last six months of 1890 Spain furnished
S520,096 worth Of shoes and the United
States sl69. 76S worth. Unless the form of
the American shoes can be made to suit
the Cuban taste and custom the American
shoe manufacturer cannot expect to domi-
nate the Cuban shoe trade.
The same is true Of cotton goods. The
feet the situation. 1t costs no more to
bring q cargo from Barcelona than from
New York If Rearness controlled. then
the United States would dominate the
markets of Mexico. That which controls
trade in cotton goods IS largely in the
goods themselves; but much is also due
10 the business methods Of the manufac-
turers- The Cubans and Mexicans.
through long use, have come to prefer the
goods Of European make; and the Euro
pean manufacturers. through long appIi-
cation, have come to know what these
people prefer. They have also learned the
form, the quality. and the quantity of the
goods that are most welcome in Cuba
They make the goods expressly for that
market.
The cotton statistics of the United
states present one peculiar fact namely
the large importation into Cuba during
the first eight months of 1893 and the
subsequent falling of during the same
period OF 1890 There was imported from
the United States in 1892 cotton goods to
the value Of Sg99,310- and IN 1900 to the
Eaiue OF SZtS,Sb5- II the import trade of
Cuba was il the control of those who
struggled Tor Cuban independence, a Tea-
soma Die deduction from the above figures
would be that the impOTtatiOnS o. 1899
had been the result of friendly impulse
or sentiment toward the United States.
opposed to Cuban Independence and con-
SCquenJ!E did not acquire . sentimental
regard for the United States Therefore
more reasonable explanation of the ex-
tensive purchase OF cottOns in the latter
country Immediately after he clos of the
war may be found in the former conditions
and the practices that prevailed in Cuba
during the Spanish regime, when Spanish
goods were admitted for a fee OF d bride
while other goods had to be entered I'm
der the requirements Of the tariff regu-
latiGnS-
\ natural conclusion on the part Of the
merchants who had thrived under the old
practices was that under the new regime
American goods and not Spanish would
be given the benefit of Il dishonest admin
iStratiOn of the custom houses. When
they discovered by the experience of sew
eTai months that all goods We're entered
at the same gate and were required 10
pay the same duty, the experiment erS
abandoned the United States goods. for
which the local buyers were not prepared
and resumed their Old ard preferred reIe-
tons in Europe In the meantime. too.
the importers have acquired the fgTrr her
lesson. since Spanish goods no longer en-
Joyed the benefits of Il discriminating tar
if and an even more discriminating ad-
mInlstration- that II was more profitable
TO buy from the United Kingdom than
from Spain. And thus the cotton trade
OF Cuba like that of most SpaniSh-Aru
can countries. pa Used over 10 the ma mn
70 ctureTs Of the former country
An analysis Of the statistics of the
cotton trade of the United States and
the United Kingdom with Spanish-Arleri-
can countries and Cuba discIoses the fol-
lowing facts
First, that the United States is selling
COttons TO Cuba.
Second. that the United States is
very modest competitor of the United
Kingdom in CpttOus. and last. that the
United Kingdom made extraordinary in
poTtatiOus Of cotton into Cuba during
the lirst eight months Of 1890 Cuba i'm