Arizona republican., 1906-04-15
THE TRADE
 WITH CUBA
Our Second Largest Amer
 iCdn Customer
The Island Sent Nearly Half of all the Sugar Brought Into This Country.

Washington, April 11.-Cuba ranks second in importance in the trade re- Iations of the United States with oth- CT American countries. The total trade of the United States with the princi- pal countries of America in the fiscal year 1905 was: With Canada, 203 mill lion dollars: with Cuba, l25 millions: with Brazil III millions; with Mex leo, % millions. and with Argentina. g millions. This places Cuba second at the present time in rank in our trade relations with the countries of Amer ica.
 While it has been customary in these discussions of the trade of the United States with the principal coun- tries of the world one by one to con- slider the fscal-year figures, there is a special reason for considering cal endar-year figures in our trade with Cuba, this reason being that the reel procity treaty between the United States and Cuba went into effect De- cember 27, 1903, and therefore began it's operation practically with the be- ginning of the calendar year 1904. For this reason this discussion of trade of the United States with Cuba is based upon calendar-year figures The value of merchandise imported into the Unit
 
 year 1905. according to figures pre- pared by the department of commerce and labor through its bureau of statis- tics. was S95, ,S57, S56 against S57.22S.- l 291 in 1903. S31,747.229 in 1900. and | $16.233.456 in 1897. in which year our i imports from Cuba touched the lowest | point in the last half century. The ex- ports from the United States to Cuba | in the calendar year 1905 were valued at s44.569.S12. against s23.5O4.417 in l 1903. $26.934.524 in 1900 and S7.296.- | 613 in 1896. in which year they were smaller than in any preceding year in the last half century. In both imports and exports the figures of the year 1905 l are larger than those of any earlier year in our trade with Cuba.
 l Sugar and molasses. tobacco. cigars. and fruits are the principal articles forming the imports into the United States from Cuba. By far the lar l gest and most important of these ar l ticles is sugar. of which the total inn l portatiOn in 1905 was valued at S72- 649.81S, and formed 70 per cent of the | sugar brought into the United States | from foreign countries and IS per cent of that brought from all parts of the world, including our own nonc0ntigu- ous territory. The value of sugar i'm l rapidly, and while much of this in crease has occurred since the reciproc- ity treaty. by which the duty on sugar imported into the United States from Cuba is reduced 20 per cent. the growth is doubtless due also in part to the great increase in production of sugar in that island in 1904 and 1905. as cOm- pared with the years in which pro- ductiOn was reduced by reason of dam age to sugar estates during the period of hOstilities existing in that island.
 The value of sugar imports in 1905 was as already indicated. over - mil lion dollars, while that of the caIen- dar year 1903 was 37 millions. and that of 1902. 90 millions. Imports of molas- ses from Cuba in 1905 were valued at $1.O97,153. against $l.1OS.2S9 in 1903 and 77G.S93 in 1902. Leaf tobacco imports in 1905 amounted to S11S79,93 against S10,157,9T5 in 1903 and S9.T36.526 in 1902. Cigar imports in 1905 amounted to S3.S55,S20, against S2,9T7,924 in 1903 and S2,522,0S9 in 1902. Fruit importa- tiOns in 1905 amounted to $1236.O2S of which all but S5SO3 represented the value of bananas. Another item of | considerable importance in the imports from Cuba is iron orc. of which the value imported in 1905 was $153T S9O ] dSdlltSL .l.5Dl.fcD -tl 1SVO ana Sl.9 O. 617 in 1902. The other items of suffi- cient importance to justify a separate statement by the bureau of statistics were. for the year 1905. copper. $55, ,6S9: mahogany, SS9. .204: while under the general group of "all other articles" is included merchandise to the value of S3.456.31G.
 The exports to Cuba include a much larger number of articles than do the imports from that island. The largest single item in 1905 was flour. valued at $3.443,O4S. against $2O6SOS3 in 1903 and $2.O59.S76 in 1902; cattle. $1.9S3152 against e1,393.295 in 1903 and $1.243.- 166 in 1902: bituminous coal. s1.4S7.776 against S1,277.471 in 1903. cotton cloth
 $1.212.319. against $271.5S2 in 1909 and s2OS.O39 in 1902 the quantity being in 1905 24247.573 yeards against 3.S61295 yeards in 1908 and 353O,775 in 1902. Exports of boots ard shoes to the island in
 1905 amaounted to $1.5S6,79O. against