The Cuban Trade

LoSDOJi, April 21.- The reciprocity con vent ion between Spain and the United SI drafted by Premier Cánovas del Castillo. representing Spain, and Uen. J. W. Fotfer, repreeenting the United States, is based, as far as the United States is concerned, upon the reciprocity section .of the new American tariff law. In return for the privilege of f ree entry into the United States of Antilles sugar, moUsses, coffee and hides, and a reduetion of the duty on tea, America will obtain exemption fronf duties, on most of its raw and manufactered products, and a reduetion of the tariff on cercáis and flour. Santander merchants declare that, taking into consideration the cost of the transportaron of Castile grain, of which the bulk poes " to the Antilles, American flour will crush out the Spanish product in the Spamish West Indios. Cuba now consumes 500,000 barrels of flour 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 1889, has been coinplctely wiped out to the advantage of the Spanish product. Under the new convention the entry of American flour practically free of duty will lower the price to about six dollars per barrel and will extinguish thp importation of Spanish flour while increasing the Cuban consumption to a raillion barrels yearly, all of which wil! be American product. If the pressure of Spanish interests had not been counteracted by the demands of the Cuban commission of notables, who were determined to obtain reciprocity with the Unijed States, Premier Cánovas would have declined to make such concessions. Aecording to the returns of the British consul general at Havana the sugar erop in Cuba for 1890 amounted to 645,894 tons, against 526,430 tons in 1889. Of molasses the total product was 111423 tons, as compared with 101,059 tons in 18S9. The exports of sugar to Europe from the lst of January to the 31st of July, 1890, were 49,365 tons, and to the United States during the same period 359,012 tons.