The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-11
CUBA IS QUITE SHY
 OF BRITISH TREATY
PROPOSED MEASURE REGARDED AS INIMICAL TO THE
 UNITED STATES.

Cuba's Commercial Interests Are Too
 Closely Hound to Us-Treaty Would
 Allow Privileges Not at Present War
 ranted-British Ships Would be
 Grcaty Benefited by Its Passage,
 Even More So Than the Vessels of the
 United states-Island Loyal to Us.
 Havana, Sept 1O.-Two of the princi- pal commercial and economic associa- tions, responding to a confidential re- quest made by the foreign relations committee of the senate for advice as to whether the pending treaty between Great Britain and Cuba ought to be ratified, declared emphatically against ratification. The principal reason given Is that Cuba's commercial interests are too inevitably bound to, her great cus- toner, the United States, to permit of granting for ten years such privileges to British ships, and citizens as those named in the treaty, Another reason Is that the addition of the treaty would allow privileges to British warships as well as merchantmen not warranted by the relations between Cuba and Great Britain, and not permissible in view of the relations between Cuba and the United States. ..,, .--..-.,.s ... ..... e
 The latter reason is considered the most potent on account of the suspicion that the treaty, while ostensibly one of commerce, navigation and amity, would in reality give the. British war ships greater privileges in Cuban ports than those given the United States by the accession of two naval stations
 The treaty was signed in May last af- ter the definite favored nation clause had been eliminated in consequence of representations by Mir. Squires, Amer ican minister. The United States gov ernment on receipt of a report regard ing the alleged objectionable feature nadep epefenptory representation against the treaty. A copy of the treaty was then sent to washington, since which time, according to statement made | Go The Associated Press by Secretary of State O'Farrill, the United States gov ernment has ceased it's representations rgarding 1t. It Is known, however, that in washington the treaty Is regarded as inimical to the interests of the United States, not perhaps in a com- merciai sense, because 1t does not con- tain any tariff concessions, but in the broader political significance of giving British Warships equal rights in Cuban ports to those of Cuban warships, un- der the plea, of stress of weather or ac- cident thus giving to Great Britain greater privileges than those granted to the United States. % 2=:-,~ y..4 ... ss.... The senate committee to which the | treaty was referred confided it first to the Havana chamber of commerce and afterward to the Central Economic as- sociation. The former, after much pri- vate consideration, reported to the ef- feet that, while the privileges and im- munities granted appeared to be mu- 1 tual, they did not confer any real ben efits on Cuba, which had few cornmer- cial and no ,warships. while the exten- sion of her shipping might be hampered l by granting the same privileges to British ships. The chamber ernphati- eally advised that Cuba do not concede that, in cases of stress of weather or of | accident or both, both merchant and British warships shall have the right of "abaster cerse and pertrechaurse," Spanish words slgnifying, respectively, to supply with provisions and with war supplies and munitions. The chamber considered this to be inimical to Cuban interests, especially as no reservation was made respecting the laws of inter- national neutrality.
 The chamber also considered that it was unwise to conclude such a treaty with an over-sea power, while no such treaty exists with the United States, especially when changes in the reci- procity treaty are advocated, which may include provisions for special re- ciprocal tariff privileges regarding goods carried in American and Cuban ships.