16 



THE CUBA REVI E W. 



COMMERCIAL AND GENERAL NOTES. 



Importations 



Chart showing the trade of Cuba for the year 1907. The 

 countries interested and the volume of business are given below. 



Cuba's Commerce Shown in Chart. 



Trade statistics issued by the Cuban 

 Secretary of the Treasury showing im- 

 portations and exportations of Cuba dur- 

 ing the year 1907: 



Importa- Exporta- 



Countries. tions. tions. 



1. United States $51,309,808 $90,874,095 



2. Other countries of 



America 9,277,085 2,502,384 



3. Germany 7,592,326 3,211.959 



4. Spain 9,478,615 481,492 



5. France :.. 6,044,705 i,365.S73 



6. Great Britain 15,322,981 4,506,458 



7. Other countries of 



Europe 3,604,052 744,189 



8. All others 1,831,363 486,817 



■ Total $104,460,935 $104,172,967 



Condensed Milk Exportations to Cuba. 



Cuba is a substantial purchaser of 

 condensed milk, which is a comparative- 

 ly new and rapidly growing export from 

 the United States. To Cuba the growth 

 has been rapid, the value of the product 

 exported to that island in 1907 being $70,- 

 485; in 1900, $442,610; in 1906, $665,277, 

 and in 1908, $905,068. In the last-men- 

 tioned year Cuba was the largest pur- 

 chaser. — Report of the U. S. Department 

 of Commerce and Labor. 



Cuban Iron Ore. 



Charles M. Schwab made the state- 

 ment recently that he can ship ore from 

 Cuba to Bethlehem at a lower cost than 

 the Steel Corporation can ship its ore to 

 Pittsburg. Therefore the removal of the 

 duty on Cuban ores would give the Beth- 

 lehem and Pennsylvania Steel companies 

 an advantage over ore companies in the 

 United States and will influence lower 

 prices. — Wall Street Journal. 



The Philadelphia Ledger anticipates 

 great changes for Cuban ores. It says: 

 "The ore could be landed at Philadelphia 

 at a cost of $1.50 per ton below the 

 cost of Mesaba ores delivered at Pitts- 

 burg." It says further: "The ore fields 

 of Cuba are believed to be wide and 

 deep." 



Cuba's Gain From Tourists. 



Consul General James L. Rodgers re- 

 ports that the detail of United States cus- 

 toms inspectors at H'avana to examine 

 the baggage of passengers proceeding to 

 Florida ports has given the first satis- 

 factory basis for estimate of the volume 

 of the winter tourist invasion of Cuba. 



The reports show that there have been 

 over 7,000 examinations of baggage since 

 January 1, and of that number it is safe 

 to assume that at least 6,000 dealt with 

 the effects of transient Americans. Add- 

 ing to the tourists coming and departing 

 by the way of Florida, the mmiber of 500 

 weekly from New York and New Or- 

 leans, and it can be estimated that Cuba 

 derived benefit from 10,000 visitors dur- 

 ing the past winter season to March 1. 



Current opinion is to the effect that 

 the average tourist spends about $15 per 

 diem, and that the average sojourn is 

 about four days. If such is anywhere 

 near the fact, then it can be seen that 

 the 10,000 tourists have left $600,000 in 

 Cuba. 



