Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-09-28

This vas to place in office the men who
will be selected by the new Cuban govern
ment for the various responsible positions
and let them have few weeks training
before they enter upon their full RESPONSE
bilities. After the president and vice pres
ident are elected they will know fairly well
who are to be their choice In the executive
government, and can indicate them to the
military governor. Naturally many of the
men who have been in public position will
hold their places, yet there Will be some
new ones, and Gen. Woods hope is to have
these selected, even to the collector Of Gus
toms, SO that when the transfer Is made
the working machinery of the administra-
ton will not be Jared. Whether the Gu
Woods course shows the good faith I'm the
United States in going forward in the es-
tablishment Of the independent Cuban gov
eminent.
Trade Conditions.
Recently inquiries have been made about
the falling of IN American trade with
Cuba and the growth of German trade. The
falling off in the last fiscal year was not
SO great as to call for special explanation
beyond the statement that local and tenn
porary causes which obtained in 1899 were
not operative in 1900. The heavy balance
OF trade which was against Cuba for two
years was due to the smallness of the
sugar crop. This year the crop was in the
neighborhood of 615,O 600 TONS and the mar
keting of It cut down the heavy balance
against Cuba. although 100, 900 tons are
still held in the warehouses on the island.
Inc growth of German trade is some
thing in itself. The establishment of d.
rect line of steamers between Hamburg and
Havana. with the promise of weekly sail
ingS within a year, is not to be overlooked.
This means that the German merchants
and manufacturers realize the new political
and industrial conditions in Cuba. For a
hundred years there has been a prosperous
German business community in Havana
M a n re- frnr Hnn
burg and Bremen. They were engaged
partly in the tobacco trade but were also
In many other lines. The strongest bank
in Cuba and in the West Indies is Ger
man bank. 1t is so strong that the Berlin
house now is looked upon more as the
branch of the Havana institution than as
the principal.
Yet, under Spanish rule the Germans in
Cuba were sluggish. Competition was not
keen, and they were satisfied with a fair
proportion of the islands commerce. Now
that they foresee American competition
they have shaken off their torpor and are
showing the same enterprise in Cuba that
they show in other parts of the world
where they have made foreign trade
science. They are making a mighty effort
not only to keep what they have in Cuba,
but to increase their commerce
What American Firms Must Do.
1t is the habit of the American firms
which have failed to get the Cuban bust
the tariff. The War Department has
changed the Cuban schedules time and
again to meet the complaints of American
shippers, but they keep on complaining
The trouble with many of them is that
they want the military government to issue
decree forcing the Inhabitants of Cuba
to buy only American goods at the prices
which they may choose to fix.
When the American exporters and man
ufacturers learn that there is limit to
what their own government can do in pro-
V1ding Cuban market for them, and when
they learn also that tropical trade Is not
to be won by haphazard unloading of sur
plus products and damaged goods, they
will be on the right road to selling their
products But they will not be able to
overcome German competition until they
show the same patience that the Germans
show and adapt their goods to the West
Indies market as the Germans do. When
experience has enforced this lesson they
will know that it rests with themselves
and not with the Washington authorities to
say whether the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS trade
shall justify a special line of steamers.
CHARLES M. PEPPER.