BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-02

still weighs heavily on the island. It
Fell 5000 tons short of what would
have been marketed under reciprocity,
and that is a pretty heavy drain on the
resources. 1t is also one reason why
the balance of trade is still heavily
against Cuba.
When reciprocity actually comes,
assuming that President Roosevelt is
right when he says it is as sure as fate,
there will be moral gain to the United
States and material gain to both
countries If the treaty is negotiated
and ratified in November this will
insure grinding and marketing of the
full seasons crop. Commonly, very
little of the cane is ground in December,
but if the planters are able to get credit
most of the sugar mills can be kept busy
from January till May.
Reciprocity will insure credit for the
planters. 1t will also result in fresh
American capital going in. A pretty
steady movement of this kind had set
in a year ago, and was one of the
means of keeping the island from
reaching the lowest depth of industrial
depression. Cuba the investors halted.
Now they will walt to make sure that
they are not to be treated as criminals
for investing their capital in the country
which is so closely allied to the United
States commercially and politically
1t does not seein to be understood
that the present Cuban tariff is to
undergo changes before it becomes the
basis of 5seg508ddttz g508d ttzar1 Af fo4 stagd9b fg 9bnead ad
States, a remarkably good one, but not
quite SO good for Cuba 1t was made
underline military authority and the
producers and manufacturers of this
country always were kept in mind. The
old Spanish rates. were swept away as
bearing too heavily on the people and
the hew schedules were formed with a
view to taking some of the burdens off
consumption.
They did this to some extent vet it
was found that in many instances where
the duties on articles of prime necessity
were reduced that the middlemen and
the foreign exports divided the reduction,
for the consumer still was compelled to
pay the same retail price. This was a
phenomenon which puzzled Col. Bliss,
the collector of customs. One explanation
given was that Spanish business methods
were SO conservative that the importers
and wholesalers by agreement among
themselves simply kept the prices up.
This was true.
Last year commission was appointed
by Gen. Wood as military governor to
prepare new Cuban tariff. It was
composed of representatives of the mil.
ltary authorities and of a committee
from the Havana business men and
importers. Rafael Montoro, who was
secretary of the treasury during the
brief period of autonomy, was the lead.
ing Cuban member. With Collector
Bliss was associated Gen. Ramon C.
Williams, for SO many years the consul
general of the United States in Cuba.
Gen. Williams during his twenty years
OF office had written $50 consular re-
ports on the economic condition of the
island and the blind policy of Spain in
throttling commerce and industry inste-
ad OF encouraging it. He was. therefore,
pretty well qualified to handle the sub.
ject.
This joint commission formulated
the outline of new tariff, but it met
with one grave obstacle. About every
thing that could be done for the United
States producers and manufacturers
already had been done, but nothing
lad been done for Cuba, and nothing
'ould be done, because the military /
could not lower the duties !
N Cuban sugar. tobacco and fruits
imported into the United States. Ii