| Show TRADE WITH CUBA The Reciprocity Convention With Spain FAVORS THE UNITED STATES STATESs The President In Texas An Enthusiastic Reception at San AntonIoMexican Troops Will Salute Harrison MADRID April 20The reciprocity convention con-vention between Spain and tho United States provides in return for the privilege of free entry into the United States of Antilles sugars molasses coffee and hides and a reduction of the duty on tea America Amer-ica will obtain exemption of duties on most of her raw and manufactured products and a reduction of the tariff on cereals and flour The negotiations were protracted on cereals fours and oils including petroleum pe-troleum and lard Some question in regard to tobacco was also raised but as it did not come within the scope of reciprocity the American tariff was put aside Premier Canovas offered resistance to the abolition of the tariff on flour owing to the protests of Spanish traders Eventually representation that American repriprocity would be impossible impossi-ble without the free admission of American can cereals induced Premier Canovas to consent to such a reduction of the tariff as I will place American flour on an equal foot ingwith Spanish flour Spanish merchants declare that taking into consideration the cost of transportation American flour will crush out the Spanish product in the Span ish West Indies Cuba consumes 500000 50000 barrels of Hour yearly chiefly Spanish which enters free of duty and pays for it 812 per barrel Trade in American flour burdened with an extra duty of 20 per cent since 18S9 has been completely wiped out to the advantage of the Spanish product Under the new convention tho entry of American flour practically free of duty will lower the price to about ti < per barrel oi and will extinguish the importation o f Spanish flour while increasing Cuban consumption to 1000000 barrels yearly all al of which will be American product I the pressure of Spanish interests had not been counteracted by the demands of the Cuban commission Canovas would have decline de-cline to make clne t such concession The prospect pros-pect that a dangerous tension of the relations rela-tions of Spain with Cuba and Porto Rico would result possibly in civil war obliged the government to sacrifice home industries to colonial interests Under the new convention America will obtain a kind of zollverein with the Spanish Antilles Wheat beans flour lard patroleum manufactured products and machinery will enter practically free of duty Among other Spanish exports olive oil will be replaced by American lard and beans now exported to Cuba in large quantities will cease to be sent The advantages ad-vantages resulting to Cuba will be great but itis impossible to estimate the injury to Spanish trade |
