COMMEKCE AND TRANSPORTATION 93 



in fact, nearly everything the island produces except some 

 of the cigars, which are world-wide in their distribution. 

 In return for this outlay, however, Cuba purchases only 

 one fourth of her goods from this country, including prin- 

 cipally necessaries which cannot be procured from Spain. 

 Furthermore, our trade with Cuba is restricted by the fact 

 that we are the only nation of commercial importance 

 against which the rates of the maximum tariff are enforced. 

 As these rates are in some cases much higher than the 

 conventional duties granted the second- and third-class 

 tariffs, our products have to that extent been placed at a 

 disadvantage. 



The trade of the United States with Cuba, which has 

 recently been summarized by Mr. John Hyde, statistician, 

 reached its high- water mark in 1892-93, when it amounted 

 to $102,310,600, the ratio of imports, $78,706,506, to exports, 

 $23,604,094, being approximately as 10 to 3. This total 

 was almost equal to that of our entire Asiatic trade, was 

 nearly four times that of our trade with China or Japan, 

 and thirteen times that of our trade with Russia, while it 

 even exceeded the grand total of that with Austria-Hungary, 

 Russia, Sweden and Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Greece, 

 Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal combined. Nor does this 

 contrast derive its strength mainly from the largeness of 

 the imports. The exports themselves, products of our own 

 country, were nearly twice as great in point of value as 

 our exports to Italy, over three times as great as those to 

 China and Japan combined, nearly six times as great as 

 those to Sweden and Norway, and over ten times as great 

 as those to Russia ; they amounted to almost half as much 

 again as our total exports to Asia, and even exceeded our 

 total exports to South America, exclusive of Brazil. 



So much for the aggregate. What of the different items 

 of which it is composed ? These may best be considered in 

 detail if presented in tabular form, and the accompanying 

 tables will accordingly show the principal exports to the 

 United States from Cuba and the principal imports of 



