Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-16

specal Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
CAMAGUEY. Cuba. April II, 1907.
It is often asserted in the United States
that our reciprocity treaty with CUBA does
not benefit anybody but the sugar trust.
That statement has been made freely and
frequently in the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives at Washington by the oppo-
nents of the reciprocity policy and by rep
resenta tives of the sugar beet interest who
oppose all concessions to any other pro-
ducers of that pie. The opinion of the
Cuban planters and business men is that
the treaty so far it goes, has been OF
great value to all of the interests and IN
dustries concerned. and they are very anX-
ious that 1t shall be enlarged and extended
so as to produce greater benefits ana oftef
larger advantages to trade. One OF the
panks in the platform of the new NATIONAL
conservative party of Cuba, which is COM
posed of planters and business men, IS
closer commercial relations with the United
States, and every one who has anything at
stake here, native or foreigner, advocates
complete annexation and free trade. The
reciprocity treaty has promoted trade with
the United States very largely, but the
planter has not been benefited much as
the business man. 1t has not increased the
price of sugar so much as it has decreased
the prices of articles Imported from the
under the Dingley act is $2.2o per hundred
weight. Cuban sugar enjoys p discount of %
per cent from that rate. or 10 cents per
hundredweight. making the net tax on her
products $50, against SD on European
beet sugar and the products of the other
West India islands.
The trust does not control the price of
sugar-that IS fixed in l-oHdon-but it does
dictate the share of the Cuban planters in
the discount allowed under the treaty,
which, generally speaking, is about one
half, or 2221a per cent, more or less depend
ent upon profits The planter enjoys a more
important advantage from the reduction of
duties on merchandise imported from the
United States into Cuba, and the manu-
facturers of the United States have the
benefit of A very largely increased trade.
Under the treaty commerce has expanded
very rapidly in 1892. when the Blaine reci-
procity treaty with Cuba was in operation,
our imports from Cuba amounted to S1S
7O65O6 and our exports to Cuba reached the
then high-water mark of s24 ,157 .69S. If
that treaty had been allowed to stand it
would have resulted in much greater VOL
ume of trade and 4 much greater advantage
to both countries.
Repeal of the Blaine Treaty.
But it was revoked by the Cleveland ad-
ministration, and commerce with Cuba
instantly dropped to S4OO17.73o imports
and $3.50. $50 exports. The insurrecton
which resulted in the independence of Cuba
directly due to the repeal of that
treaty, ~because it threw out of employment
a majority of the ldboying classes on the
island and left them at liberty to take
the field as insurgents. 1t also paralyZed
trade and created universal discomfort
which was the strongest influence in favor
of Independence that could be offered.
The present treaty, which went into ef-
feet in 1898, has proved to be of Importance
equal to that of the original Blaine reci-
procity arrangement. Our imports from
Cuba have increased nearly threefold. and
our exports of manufactured merchandise
to the island have more than doubled,
without the slightest injury to any interest,
however small, on either side of the straits.
We sell the CubanS merchandise they Go
not produce, but could buy easily III
other markets. We send them four, rice,
coal, pork products. machinery and many
other articles which they have heretofore
purchased N Europe, but are now buying
from the United States because the reci-
procity treaty admits them at a discount
from the regular rate.
The cane sugar producers of Louisiana
and the beet sugar producers of Michigan,
Utah, California and other states have not
suffered in any way, Notwithstanding their
fearful apprehensions. because the increase
in consumption has been more rapid than
the increase in production. The share which
domestic sugar formed of the total consump-
ton in the United States in 1905. ACCORDING
to the bureau of statistics, was 2012 per cent;
in 1905, 21.9 per cent; in 1898, 1914 per cent.
and in 1880, IS per cent. Prior to the civil
war domestic sugar formed more than one
half of the total amount consumed in the
United States, having been 81 per cent in
1855 and Il per cent in 1915. though at that
time the quantity consumed per capita was
far less than at present. having been in
1916 twenty pounds; in 1898 and 1860, thirty
pounds; in 1880 forty-three pounds; in
1880, ffty-three pounds: in 1900 sixty-fve
pounds, and in 1906, seventy-siX pounds per
capita.
Sources of Sugar Supply.
The following table shows the sources of
sugar supply of the United States for the
calendar year 1906:
Pounds.