26 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



ASKS CONCESSION FOR CUBA 



A proposal that the United States give 

 preferential tariff rates on Cuban tobacco, 

 eisars, and cigarettes was advanced by 

 (ial^riel Carol, Inspector of Agriculture 

 in the Cuban Agricultural Department, 

 who is now in Washington. Sugar goes 

 on the free list May 1, 191(i, and no ar- 

 rangement has been made to compensate 

 Cuba for this abrogation of the special 

 treaty provision with the United States, 

 which gave a reduction of 20 per cent, in 

 the duties on sugar imported from the 

 Island. Mr. Carol argued that if a pref- 

 erential duty were given on Cuban tobacco 

 it would not only be beneficial to Cuba, 

 but to the United States, as Havana tobaccn 

 is healthier than other tobaccos in that 

 it contains a smaller percentage of nicjtine'. 

 "On December, 27, 1903, the commercial 

 treaty between Cuba and the United States 

 went into force," said Mr. Carol. "Un- 

 doubtedly the advantages obtained jjy 

 the Union are immense, masmuch as its 

 commerce has increased out of all proportion, 

 due to the benefits derived by its products 

 through said treaty. From 1902 to 1903- 

 the Island of Cuba imported .125,714,000 

 worth of merchandise from the United 

 States, and from 1913 to 1914, $71,420,000. 

 "Sugar, which constitutes the real wealth 

 of Cuba, had a discount of 20 per cent, 

 on the $1,685 en each quintal which was 

 the duty fixed by the United States. From 

 March 1, 1914, the reduction of 25 per 

 cent, duty became law, and Cuba there- 

 after paid only $1,004. Therefore, we 

 have lost 8 cents and .58 mills on each 

 quintal, as against what we paid before. 

 We sell annually more than 2,000,000 tons 

 of sugar, each ton weighing 2,240 pounds, 

 to the United States, which, at the rate 

 of 8 cents and .58 mills amounts to $3,843,- 

 840. 



"If we have lost said advanttiges where- 

 in have the United States compensated 

 us? Unfortunately, m nothing. The Amer- 

 ican Nation, which boasts of being just in 

 all its acts, we hope will recognize cur right 

 to be compensated in part for our great 

 loss; the treaty, therefore, should not con- 

 tinue in the same form. It is only just that 



the American tariff concede us a reduc- 

 tion cf .50 i)er cent, on the duty paid; also 

 that the duty on leaf tobacco and its by- 

 l)roducts be reduced 25 per cent. All 

 these reductions, according to our calcu- 

 lations, turn cut to be less than the ad- 

 vantages we have lost in the case of sugar." 

 — N. Y. Times. 



FURTHER INCREASE IN DUTY ON ALPAR- 

 GATAS 



By law of July 3, 1915, in effect .July 7. a 

 surtax of 15 per cent ad valorem is imposed 

 on alpargatas imported into Cuba after the 

 expiration of a period of 60 days from the 

 promulgation of the law. ["Alpargatas" 

 is the Spanish name for a species of footwear 

 that does not contain leather, consisting of 

 an upper and heel piece of canvas and a sole 

 of hemp.] The duty on alpargatas from the 

 United States, prescribed by the tariff and 

 inclusive of the increase provided for by the 

 decree of June 4, 1912, is .$0,416 per dozen. 

 In view of the fact that the article is subject 

 to a preferential reduction of 20 i)er cent 

 upon importation from the United States, 

 it may be assumed that the new surtax 

 applicable to American alpargatas will be 

 only 12 per cent ad valorem. The same 

 law provides also for the admission of cotton 

 tapes for the manufacture of alpargatas 

 at the reduced rate of .$0.12075 per kilo (on 

 importation from the United States), pre- 

 scribed by tariff No. 128A for cotton tapes 

 to be used in the manufacture of reins, 

 headstalls, and girths. 



NEW AGENT FOR P. & O. LINE 



The Peninsular and Occidental Steamship 

 Co. announce, effective September 1, 1915, 

 the appointment of R. L. Bramen as agent 

 of the company, with headquarters at Muelle 

 de Arsenal, Havana, Cuba, succeeding G. 

 Lawton Chikls & Co. 



HAVANA CENTRAL RR. 



This company, according to press reports, 

 has placed an order for 1,100 freight cars, 

 to be manufactured by the Standard Steel 

 Car Company. 



