New-York tribune., 1902-02-15
CUBA TO GET RELIEF.
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
YIELDING.
ON SUGAR AND TOBACCO
MAY BE ONE-THIRD OF DUTIES
ANOTHER INVESTIGATION
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE.l

VIII on next Wednesday begin again the in
Vestlgation Of the proposition for tariff conces-
sIchs TO Cuba under a reciprocity rrangement.
just why the committee has agreed TO take up
the question as il it were entirely new is not
known, although the anxiety of the friends of
cuba is so great for early action by Congress
that there is disposition among them 10
qdlbble over this point. Nearly month ago
the Ways and Means Committee began a very
thorough inquiry into the subject and when
the hearings were closed it was given out that
all the testimony needed had been obtained.
Both sides made elaborate presentations of their
case and every important statement made at
that time has been printed and published for
the information Of Congress. Presumably there
fore. the members of the Ways and Means Com
mittee intend merely to go over this printed
testimony carefully tosether, and from this
frame bill providing for reciprocity with Cuba
on a basis of not less than - per cent re-
duction of the Dingley rates on Cuban sugar
and tobacco II is not impossible however. that
the reduction may exceed this amount and be
at least SO Is .oer cent.
CUBA AND WAR TAX REDUCTION.
Still, this is a mere detail, the main
point Of interest being, as so often foreshadowed
in these dispatches. that the Ways and Means
Committee virtually has decided to yield to
the almost universal demand of the American
people for reciprocity with Cuba Chairman
Payne said to-day that the Internal Revenue
Reduction bill will be taken up by the House
on Monday, and brought a final
o'clock Tuesday afternoon under a special
rule reported by the Committee on Rules. It is
not likely that the bill will be amended in any
important particular, nor is it thought that the
Democrats will offer TO its passage any captious
opposition. In fact. the Democrats obviously are
afraid oppose the passage of the bill just
as II came from the committee as the measure
wipes out completely the remaining war taxes.
What the Senate will do 70 the bill yet remains
to be seen. though the belief is growing that
the Senate viii make no material modification.
It is not believed that any light could be
thrown upon the question of reductions to Gu
ban sugar by further hearings before the Ways
and Means Committee. It has already been
abundantIy shown that the reduction asked for
can be made without doing the least harm to
the American cane sugar OF beet root industries
II is undenable. Of course. that the only way
the price OF sugar 10 the consumer can be low
cred is by bringing in great deal more free
sugar than finds a market here. That is
TO say, the lowering OF the price OF sugar de-
pends entirely on the quantity of sugar coming
into the United States from quarters which pay
a lower difTerentiaI duty. compared with sugars
from other countries. The amount OF sugar con-
sumed in the United States in 1901 was $3.50 900
tons. Deduct from this the amount received
from Louisiana, Hawaii. Porto Rico and the
domestic beet root industry-the total OF which
IS estimated at less than a million tons none
Of which pays duty-and 1t is shown that fully
100000 tons Of sugar must be imported
nually from other countries before the price Of
free" sugar viii suffer by any allowance made
on other sugars. Experts concede that it will
be many years before Cuba send 10 this
country the extra quantity needed 10 meet the
vast and constantly increasing consumption OF
the American people And as the extra needs
to-day are 1.35O.00O tons. it is certain that
larger quantity will be required each year 10
meet Increased consumption and increased pop
ulation Should II be possible for cuba TO pro-
duce in five or six years the quantity now
quired it IS more than probable that by that
time the consumption Will have increased 400
600 10 100000 tons additional
CUBA UNABLE TO FILL THE GAP
II Is not believed to be possible for Cuba
alone to fl this gap between the sugar now
produced in the United States and the islands
belonging TO the United States and the guam
tity actually demanded. Should the Philippines
show marked increase in production, II is be
Ueved TO be possible for the United States 20
produce within its own territory, together with
the production of Cuba nearly all the sugar
quired. How much this production will be
stimulated by the development OF the beet root
Industry Is a matter Of pure speculation. It's
DEVELOPMENT thus far has been notably slow, in
spite Of the fact that It has been favored by the
most extraordinary protection ever given TO any
industry in this country It is noteworthy
however. that the farmer who grows the beet
has not received the smallest share Of this
protection, for when sugar was free OF duty he
received 81 a ton for the roots, but he receives
no more now. when there is the highest protec-
ton given to any article compared with
the cost of raising and selling beet root sugar
in Europe Still the beet root magnates are
not satisfied with this extraordinary prOJeC-
ton, If their lobby in Washington is 10 be be-
lieved. On the contrary, they demand that the
government shall do mOre-shaH leg1slate 10
control the price Of sugar if too much is pro-
duced in the world. or, if the price declines
naturally, they want protection for the beet
root industry maintained under circumstances
which imply injustice 70 every consumer Of
sugar in the United States
GAIN TO AMERICAN COMMERCE.
A phase Of the question which has not been
generally commented upon yet is that for sew
eral years prior to the annexation of the Hawai-
ian Islands sugar from that country ad-
mitted free to the ports of the United States
without in any material way affecting the price
Of the commodity to the consumer 1t was not
then intended TO make Hawaii part Of the
United States. Treasury reports show that
this country did not receive the slightest re
turn for the concessions then made TO Hawaiian
sugar, the amount of business done with Hawaii
then being less than the sugar duty itself
would have been, and IL the American exports
10 Hawaii in those years had been shipped
gratis the United States from the financial
point Of view would have been the gamer, as
against the abolition OF the duty on Hawaiian
sugars A reciprocity treaty with Cuba, it is
admitted, will open the way to increase the
commerce of this country with that island