The sun., 1919-02-24

ing the earnest attention of the Post
Office Department, was presented to the
conference by Maynard ID. Howell, ex-
port manager OF Montgomery Ward q
Co. OF Chicago, in part as follows:
For many years the great need for
parcel post between Cuba and the
United States has been recognized by the
exporters OF this country and by the for
eign trade agencies OF our Government.
The formalities of the Cuban customs
are especially heavy as regards importa-
tions of small shipments by freight or
express while importations from Europe
by parcel post are promptly cleared with
minimum expense. BY reason OF the
lower duty levied by Cuba on many
lines OF merchandise from the United
States the greater part of the immense
amount of goods brought into Cuba
from Europe by parcel post would be
purchased here IL we also could forward
in the same manner. We have the ad-
vantage of short distance. lower duty
and frequent intercourse between our
peoples. Cuba wants our goods and we
wantv to sell to them.
Cuban Cigars q Factor.
There is just one hitch. The Cubans
say, with perfect justice, that since a
parcel post would be of tremendous bene-
f1t to American manufacturers and ex-
porters of nearly all lines by giving
them a quick. cheap method to reach
the Cuban market, It should also give
the Cubans an opportunity to market
here one of their principal products
cigars Fair enough, surely. But the
proposed and usual weight limit for a
single parcel in the International parcel
post Is eleven pounds. and the United
States Treasury Department has an in
nocent appearing little regulation to the
effect that no smaller quantity than
1000 may be imported into this country
and cleared through the customs in one
package.
The Cubans very properly point Out
! that this regulation would deprive them
| of using the parcel post to ship theiI
leading manufactured product to US, be-
| cause 1000 cigars. packed, weigh oveI
| thirty pounds. They, therefore, refuse
| to sanction the Parcel Post Convention
| until the Treasury regulation referred
| to shall be abolished. The repeating OF
to the Ways and Means Committee dur.
ing the Taft Administration. where,
believe, II still rests, although repeated
efforts have been made to have 1t fav
orably acted upon.
| IT have seen and heard many unfav
orable comments from Cubans ant
Americans concerning this action. The.
| cannot see how or why we allow OBJ
structive legislation. that was undoubt
eddy enacted originally to benefit tn
tobacco interests of this country, to stant
in the way Of our developing the CubaI
market for our wares
Urges End of Regulation.
obviously the thing to do is to abol
ish this Treasury regulation. make tn
parcel post limit twenty pounds, tn
same as with Ecuador, Panama an,
Mexico. Then the Cubans, being priv
legged to ship by parcel post any mum
Der Of cigars, would be more incline,
to buy United States products whicl
we could ship to them quickly and eco
nomioally."
Considering that the Cuban barrier
only one OF a number that should be re
moved as quickly as possible, in tn
opinion of the manufacturers. the follow
ing tabulation from Post Office Depart
ment compilations showing the disparit,
between the weight OF parcels despatche,
and received and the annual growtl
should prove of interest: