New-York tribune., 1902-01-26
PALMA ON SUGAR TARIFF.
SAYS CONCESSIONS SHOULD REACH so
PER CENT OF PRESENT DUTIES.

Central Valley. y. Y. Jan. % (speciaD.-T.
Estrada Palma. President-elect of Cuba. gave
to The Tribune correspondent to-day his views
on the question of tariff concessions by the
United States for Cuban products. The general
has been watching closely every move that is
made in Washington that bears the sub
ject- On the action that Congress will take,
General Palma believes, depends the entire
future happiness and prosperity OF the island.
No other Cuban is more directly interested in
the disposition of the question, for the first
chief executive will devolve much Of the re-
sponsibility for successful free government,
and without the desired tariff concessions on
tobacco and sugar he fears the latter will never
be a success General Palma said yesterday:
The prosperity of Cuba depends to a great
extent upon the attitude Of the United States
toward the now forming republic. The full
moral obligation OF this great nation to Cuba
will be discharged when the United States has
opened the only market that is possible to
Cuban products We must have this market.
Unless receive a reasonable reduction on
sugar and tobacco. prosperity VIII be an i'm
possibility. II this is denied it will be the runa-
ton of the country. 1t is impossible to i'm
prove the bad condition of our principal staple,
sugar, by reducing the American duty one
third. In that way the problem will not be
solved at all. The clamor for further reduction
will continue. The producer, unreleased from
the embarrassing conditions which confront him
now would be unable to operate his mills for
lack of money or credit to meet the expenses.
Some figures will clearly explain that the re-
duction OF one-third of the actual duties is not
sufficient to place our sugar on the footing
needed to give the growers some benefit. Under
the present scarcity OF labor, increased taxes
and scantier yield from neglected and i'm
poverished fields, the average cost of production
may be reckoned not less than 81 20 a hum
dred pounds
Then General Palma went to his desk and
compiled the following table to substantiate
his argument:
Cost & per 100 P9nn@ds @ 70 ::sbs 20
ing railway freight wharfage. etc. 20
fFfs dT cent Ga'a on T. b. and landing CHARGES in
r1ty. SrN thirds Of ss5 cents I2
GGoas market value in New-YOrk rs
Net loss per pounds probably more) IL
Continuing, he said:
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that the
concessions should reach 30 per cent or the
actual duties. as to give the producer red-
sonable gain. The question OF reduction ioi
Cuban products is certainly one of the most I'M
portant problems that the United States mas 10
deal with, and much depends on its solution.
BUT ONE SALVATION FOR CUBA
Mr. Aguirre secretary of the Cuba-American
League has received the following letter from ex-
Senator j. B. Henderson of Missouri:
Dear Sir: Yours OF December 80 received d. do
wish my to enter upon new business
enterprises. There is but one salvation for Cuba,
ana thaI Is aqssion @ ifU fin tme Thai alone gives
her absolute free trade with her greatest customer
and gives to her people American products without
tariffs and taxes. Such course places Cuba at
once among the first in wealth and prosperity or
the American States. Let Cuba avoid. as she
would deadly contagion. any proposition TO
occupy the position OF a territory of the United
States. Under the decisions of our Supreme Court
this might make her mere vassal to the pro-
tected interests of America On the contrary, let
Cuba enter into the Union fullhedged State or
else not enter at all. Let her at frame con-
| stitution, republican in form, and ask admission
into the Union. II admitted. Cuba Immediately be-
/ the great market the trODical COM
\ modties of the Western world. She would i'm
mediately absorb ali the wealth and power of the
| West Indies. If not promptly admitted appica-
ton, she could still stand upon her strength and
| dignity as independent State, with the perfect
confidence that her proposition would soon be fol-
| lowed by trade concessions in the United States
| which no political party here could safely resist