Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-04-22
BIG BENEFIT is SEEN
IN CUBAN RECIPROCITY.
BY william z. Curtis. Corresponden

BY William Il. Curtis, Correspondent
of Chicago RecordHerald.
Camaguey, Cuba, April 12.-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 representatives at Washing,
ton by the opponents of the reciproc.
ity policy and by representatives OF
the sugar beet interest who oppose all
concessions to any other producers of
that staple. The opinion of the Gu
ban planters and business men is that
the treaty, so far as 1t goes, has been
of great value to all of the interests
and industries concerned, and they are
very anxious that 1t shall be enlarged
and extended so as to produce greater
benefits and offer larger advantages
to trade. One of the planks in the
platform of the new conservative ma
tional party OF Cuba, which is COM
posed of planters and business men,
advocates closer commercial relations
with the United States, and every one
who has anything at stake here, ma
tive or foreigner, favors complete an.
nexation and free trade. The reci-
procity treaty has promoted trade with
the Unite States very largely, but the
planter has not been benefited so
much as the business man. 1t has not
increased the price of sugar so much
as 1t has decreased the prices of
articles imported from the United
States. The general tariff on sugar
under the Dingley act is $2.25 per
hundred.weight. Cuban sugar enjoys
discount of 20 per cent from that
rate, or As cents per hundred-w weight.
making the net tax on her products
$1.SO. as against $2,25 on European
beet sugar and the products of the
other West Indian islands.
The trust does not control the price
OF sugar. That is fixed in London but
1t does dictate the share OF the Cuban
planters In the discount allowed under
the treaty, which, generally speaking.
Is about one-half or 221h cents per
hundredweight, more or less depend
ent upon profits. The planter enjoys
more important advantage from the
reduction of duties on merchandise i'm
ported from the United States into
Cuba, and the manufacturers 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
reciprocity treaty with Cuba was in
operation, our imports from Cuba
amounted to $7S.706,5O and our ex-
ports to Cuba reached the then high.
water mark of $24,157.69S. If that
treaty had been allowed to stand 1t
would have resulted In n much greater
volume of trade and a much greater
advantage to both countries. But 1t
was revoked by the Cleveland admin
istration, and our commerce with Cuba
instantly dropped to $4O,017,73O i'm
ports and $7,530.SS0 exports. The in
surrection which resulted in the in.
dependence of Cuba was directly due
20 the repeal of that treaty, because
1t threw out OF employment major
ity of the laboring classes on the is
iahu huu iSlt tutIll dJ liberty TO take
the field" as insurgents. 1t also para
lyzed trade and created universal dis
content, which was the strongest in.
auence in favor OF independence that
could be offered.
The present treaty, which went into
effect In 1903. has proved to be of
Importance equal TO that of the orig
inal Blaine reciprocity arrangement.
Our imports from Cuba have increased
nearly threefold. and our exports of
merchandise to the is
land have more than doubled, without
the slightest injury to any interest.
however small. on either side of the |
straits. We sell the Cubans merchan-
disc they do no. produce, but could |
buy as easily In other markets. We |
send them flour, rice. coal, pork prod
icts. machinery and many other arti-
lies which they have heretofore pur-
chased In Europe. but are now buy
ng from the United States because
he reciprocity treaty admits them at