BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-02-28

The Merchants Association has sent out
100, 900 circulars to merchants throughout
the United States urging them to use their
Influence to procure legislation for the relief
of Cuba. The circular says, in part:
Prior to our intervention Cuba had estab
lished commercial relations with several ma
tions of Europe, as well as with the United.
States, its trade being SO adjNdicted to: the
prevailing politicsl and economic conditions
as to afford profit upon the sale of its pro-
ducts.
Because of the disruption of former CON.
nections, due to cur Intervention. Cuba is
to-day almost without markst for its prin-
cipal natural product. The United States
is practically the only m arket in which
these products can be disposed oAo a large
extent.
The existing imsort duties, both Of Cuba
and of the United States, interpose barrier,
which almost prevents this natural and nor
NAL exchange between the two c'uatries, by
making it nearly profitless. Our tariff upon
Cuban products largely excludes their sugar
and tobacco; their tariff upon our manufac-
tured products not imposed by ths people of
Cuba of their own free will, hut inn posed up
on them by the power OF the United States |
largely excludes American manufactures
from a field which should normally buy CON
siderable quantities of American made
goods.
A reduction of not less than 40 per cent.
upon the existing tariffs is necessary. A
lesser reduction will perhaps, open our mar
kets to Ouban tobacco and sugar, bnt it can.
not effectively open Ouba's markets to cur
manufactured products. g..
You are, therefore, respectfully asked to
write your Representative and Senator in
Congress and urge them to support measure
of reciprocity with Cuba which shall provide
for mutual reduction of the respective ia
riffs, of not less than 40 per cent, as necss-
sary for the relief Of Ouba and the effective
promotion of American export trade.
Figures comp led by an agent of the Gov
ernment, and lately made public in Texas,
permit rather more exact survey of the
actual development of the Beaumont oil.
field than has been possible hitherto. The
statistic refers to the state of things
on January 1, 1902, and covers the work
of the year or little less period than
that which has passed since the dis
covery of ell on Spindle Top. 1t ap-
pears from these that the average cost of
producing well is $7.423. of which work of
drilling the necessary $50 feet amounts, at
$3.50 foot, to $4,275. The other chief
item OF expense is the tubing for. the Well
and the pipe to carry off the oil. A ''gusher"
or producing well was sold in Bsaum ont the
other day for $4,000 The whole number of
gushers on January was l8S, and 46 more
were drilling, Further Items of cost in the,
development of the Beaumont field weie the
dry holes, bored at an expense of $547 900;
the oiltanks with storage capacity of near.
ly 100000 gallons, 81 900; some 800
tankcars, belonging to the field, 3SO,000;
wooden tanks, earthen reservoirs, 25 miles
of pipeline, costing $55O,OOO; loading
racks, and the like, the whole investment
being reckoned at about 81, 4,371, 900, apart
from the land on which it stands. Since
New YEARS work has been pushed along all
fines. New wells have been "brought in",
pipe lines extended, and storage capacity
increased; but shipments we're not greatly
increased, being still less than 600, 900 bar
rels a month.