Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-28
SENT BACk BY PALMA
Reciprocity Treaty on Its
Way From Cuba.
OPEN TO ADJUSTMENT
THIS COUNTRY CHARGED WITH
ASKING TOO MUCH. rt
The Difference One of Figures, Not of
Principle-Three Coaling Sta
lions Are Desired.

/. The fact recorded in the news dispatches
from Havana that President Palma has re-,
turned to Washington the draft of the reci-
procity treaty without his approval has not
shaken the belief of the officials here that
they will have treaty ready to submit to
Congress by the date Of its next meeting.
AS soon as Mr.. Quesada, the Cuban minis
ter here receives the document he will sub
NIT 1t to Secretary Hay, who, having knowi-
edge of the general nature of the objections
to it found by the Cuban government, Is still
DESTROYS of knowing the details Then ne
gotiations will be continued the basis
of the original draft. For it Is explicitly
stated that the proposition submitted by the
State Department was in no sense an ulti-
matum and the matter is still open to ad-
justment.
The Cuban Objections.
Generally stated, the Cuban objections
are based on a belief that the United
States has demanded undue concessions in
the remissions of duties United States
products entering Cuba, ranging all the
way from 10 per cent to 80 per cent, in re-,
turn for level 20 per cent cut on Cuban
sugar and tobacco coming into the Unit ID
States. AS the difference is one strictly OF
figures and not of principle, it is the epin-
be settled amicably. If not, and the Cucan
government insists upon terms that the
State Department cannot grant, the Two
countries will simply drift along without a
trade treaty of any kind, and as Cuba will
probably be the principal sufferer 1t Is eX-
pected here that she will be the first to
make another advance toward a-tFeaty.
There has been an important change in
the program respecting the whole fabric of
Cuban treaties. 1t had been originally in
tended to perfect reciprocity treaty be-
fore undertaking to deal with other rela-
tons that must be defined by treaty. AS 1t
Is now that the subject Of reciprocity
is one that will require considerable time
for it's disposition, the government here is
about to undertake negotiations looking to
the arrangement of an extradition treaty,
which Is very much needed, inaSmuch as
Cuba threatens to become sinkhole for
American criminals.
Coaling Stations Desired.
Also the navy is pressing for the coalng
station promised under the terms of the
Plat amendment and the near approach of
the Culebran maneuvers has stimulated
that desire, as it has been shown that such
stations would be of great strategic value
during the movements. Therefore, the Gu
ban government will be at once invited to
open negotiations on that point 1t is not
expected that this can be done without
some friction because there has been
growing Discrimination on the part of the
CuDanS TO the ldea OF suTTenoerlnB CoaunS
stations to the United States, but it can be
stated that, while willing to defer to Cuban
wishes in the matter of the location of the
stations and at other points. the United
States government feels that it must carry
out the terms Of the Platt amendment with
out more ado.
Proper sites for coaling stations were Sc
lected tentatively many months ago by
Rear Admiral Bradford, chief of the equip
ment bureau, who Is directly In charge of
naval coaling stations but Of the four
points selected one, Havana harbor has
been abandoned from regard for Cuban
senstbilty. 1t Is not likely that further
sacrifices Of that kind will be made, how
ever, and the other three points, namely,
Nipe, on the north coast, and Cienfuegos
and Guantanamo, on the south coast of the
island. will be chosen as permanent loca-
lions.