The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-09-04

HdTkeJluS Ol Tic IlCS ClOP, al"
there is a possible solution, There lies
to thes south of lis a vast populatlon
that has been allowed to deVelope
their own institutions, unmlnd1ul OF
foreign aggression, because they were
secured in the knowledge that the
United States stood ready to protect
them If necessary, against the world
They have prOspered not only by rea-
on of that protection but because Oh
our trade The population is largely
of Latin origin, and therefore under
stands the food value Of rice and are
among its chief consumers. 1t is grown
to a limited extent in all Of the Latin
! American countries but the native pro
duction satisfied only small part OF
their requirements, the imports. I'M
mediately following the outbreak OF
! the wOrld-war, and before the general
advance in prices were valued at more
than $4,000 600.
Most of this imported rice was
grown by the coolies Of India, CHINA
and Japan and was transported to the
countries Immediately south Of us by
the subsidized fleets of England and
Germany, and frequently in vessels
named by COOlie crews. This rice, or
inferior quality was not only produced
by pauper labors. but was carried at
freight rate SO low as to practically
prohibit American competition. Since
the WOrd-war, however, carrying con
ditions have changed The German
flag has disappeared from the sea.
while on the other hand we have &C
quired q merchant fleet that will en-
able us to compete for the Latin-Ame.
rican markets.
The approaching work of tariff re-
vision, as ! have indicated, bids fair
to all for d revision of our CONNER
Cial agreements with some Of our near
Ineighbors.
Take Cuba as a case in point. We
practically absorb all of the exports
of that marvellous young republic.
When we entered into commercial
reciprocity treaty with her eighteen
years ago, the people of the United
States were actuated by a feeling of
deep benevolence, sfor they were told
that the pople of Cuba were sucering
from hunger and were in dire indus
trial distress. By giving them a pre-
ferential rate of twenty per cent under
all competitors for their principal crop
we have made Cuba in the few inter
vening years, the richest country on
the globe, comparatively speaking, and
the development of their sugar crop
has exceeded in rapid development
anything in the records of agriculture.
In normal times we practically abb
sOrd it all, and from the statue of
mendicant begging for aims in 1920
Cuba has flourished until the COM
MERGE between the two countries has
expanded in 1920 to, imports from the
islands amounting to $645,579,S2S, as
against exports from this country a
mounting to 1896, 595,049, a balance
in Cubas favor of $24S,976,779, or
more than our total trade in normal
times with some of the first class
powers.
| 1t is true that among the conSidera-
tons which Cuba gave in exchange for
our preferential treatment of her sug-
ar was a tariff concession to American,
Rice of 40 per cent.
But 40 per cent upon an article
produced under American conditions
of living, and conveyed to Cuba at
freight rates such as prevail in the
carrying trade of the Western Hemis-
phere, can hardly be called an ade.
quate tariff margin if we are to meet
competition from the coolie grown
rice of Asia which is carried to Cuban
insubsidized European bottoms at the
lowest possible freight rates.
The proof of the pudding is in the
eating. Cuba has waxed wealthy to
point beyond the dreams of avarice
by selling us her principal crop free
from competition, yet, the one crop
grown by our farmers which should
be marketed in that island under the
same advantageous conditions, is in
fact subjected to the keenest rivalry
from the inferior rice of Asia.
The trouble lies in the fact that the
Cuban Reciprocity Treaty was drawn
with view of compensating the manu-
facturers of machinery, chemicals
and other articles produced in the
Eastern part of the United States, in
return for the enormous concessions
we gave, the Cuban products of the
soil. By this course we secured for our
manufacturers the trade of the Wealt-
by upper classes but we failed to Sc
cure for our farmers the trade in one
of the principal food staples of the
Cuban people.
Our treaty with Cuba should be re-
vised This should be undertaken with
view of securing greater opportuni
ties for American products of the soil,
and this same policy should be pursued
with all of Latin-America.
Such a policy will insure a stable
market for the American Rice crop
while the taste for this greatest of
all cereals is being widely developed
among our people, and at the same
time it will be the logical and appro-
pirate thing for the American Govern.
ment to do in appreciation of the res.
ponse made by the patriotic tiller of
l