The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-01-13
TREATY
! MAY NOW Be .
! REVOKED
Resolution Presented in House by
EstopinarrOf Louisiana That
May Open UP Whole Question
Of Reciprocity and Preferential
Tariff Rates with and to Cuba
Supreme Court Quoted. ~


WASHINGTON, December 24.-Rep-
resentative Estopinal Of Louisiana in.
troduced resolution in the house yes.
terday that promises 10 i0psR % the
entire question Of reciprocity with
Cuba when congress reconvenes after
the holiday recess The resolution is
entitled: s'To ascertain the rate of
duty imposed upon Cuban sugar after
March !, lg14.n
Under the terms Of the tariff law the
first reduction in. the sugar schedule is
to-. take place. March 1, 1914, when the
customs duties will be reduced twenty
FIVE per cent, " from i.6s5 cents
pound for raw sugars testing o6 degrees
by the polariseope TO l;2el cents
pound
Friends Of the Cuban sugar interests
have beon resting confronted in the
belief that sugar from that island
would secure further reduction. of
twenty per cent Of this rate because
OF the Cuban Reciprocity Treaty.
The Louisiana. sugar planters have
been endeayoriRg 10 have the time
when the first reduction is to take place
deferred from March 1 until July /,
1914, Ginning that the additional three
months are necessary to market the
crop that was being grown when the
Underwood bill was passed.
Claim Defect in Bill
Tho resolution introduced by the
Louisiana representative yesterday ap-
proaches the question from another
angle. II is understood that the Louis
lana sugar people claim to have dis.
covered a fatal defect in the enactment
of the Underwood Bill.
They maintain that, while the Under
wood Bin repeats the proviso of the
Cuban Reciprocity Treaty stipulating
that the twenty per cent preferential
rate enjoyed by the island shall be
based on the rates named in the Ding
lev Bill Of 1897, the trainers Of the
Underwood Fill committed the grave
uistalSe-of not repeating the act of con.
gress passed to give force and effect TO
the reciprocity treaty.
n In support of this contention they
point 10 the fact that the Underwood
law states expressly that nothing there.
ia contained should be construed to i'm.
pair anything in the treaty or act
passed for the execution Of that treaty
excepting only the proyiso Of section
eight OF the treaty. gsfsF,
Tho sugar and tobacco interests claim
that in their haste the conferees en-.
tirely forgot 20 repeal the act of con.
gress giving effect TO the reciprocity
treaty aud that, in the light Of the de-
eision OF the Supreme Court in the case
OF the United States VS.. the American
Sugar Refining Company, decided May
IS, lao0, congress failed in its purpose
10 secure for Cuba reduction Of tween.
~ per cent Of the Underwood rates.
Only Gives Years Notice.
II this be true, II is claimed, the
Underwood Bill only serves TO give the
Cubans the years notice provided for
IN the reciprocity treaty. II will now
be up to Cuba, they say, to signify
whether she is willing to continue TO
extend importations from the United
states at preferential rate of from
Twenty-Five to forty per cent on about
s6s, O00, 900 of imports, while the United
States places sugar on the free list. .
On March !, 1914, when the new
rates on sugar 60 iDto effect, Cuban
sugar will actually have TO, pay a rats
OF duty five per cent higher than the
dnty' levied upon sugars imported from
al other countries, II isylleclared. This
condition of affairs viii result in the
abrogation of the Cuban Reciprocity
Treaty by Cuba, unless congress1in the
meanwhile passes remedial legislation,
- Is stated. As the abrogahon of the
Cuban treaty means the loss of the
twenty per cent preferential duty now
paid on Cuban tobacco, ID may be seen
how vitality interested the tobacco
trade, as well as the domestic producers
of sugar, are in this question.
1t is therefore TO be seen that be.
fore this change in the Cuban treaty
can take eject il will be necessary to
have the proposed change in the treaty
accepted by the Cuban government.
But the supreme Court in this case
goes even farther and lays down the
necessary steps 10 be taken Lefore such
change can be given the force Of law.
Briefly outlined, these steps are as
follows The acceptance of the change
by the Cuban government; then appro-
pirate legislation by the United States
congress and the congress Of Gabasto
carry ont this change, and then tbiato
be followed by proclamations issued
simultaneously by the Presidents Of The
United States and Cuba. Ten days
after this is done the proposed change
goes into effect. "
In or'ler to prevent the alleged dan,
ger of the abrogation of the Cuban
treaty with its, attendant loss TO the
tobacco trade, the time when the new
sugar schedule goes into effect should
be extended, il Is declared, until after
the necessary steps required by the de.
cision Of tho supreme Court have been