20 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL MATTERS. 



Santiago's Business. The Camaguey Company, Limited. 



"Santiago, Cuba, has made much im- The comparative statement of earnings 



provement since the time the American for July, 1909, is as follows: 



army occupied the city," said R. E. Hoi- Traffic Receipts, 



aday, American consul at Santiago, in an jyly^ 1908. July, 1909. 



interview printed in the Washington Gross $10,426.82 $11,445.48 



Post. "In 1898 Santiago had a popula- Xet 4,276.56 5,343.18 



tion of 47,000; to-day there are upward i, ' ,.. ,„ j^,,,'^,, i tr. T,,Kr'^i 



of 56,000 (here. There have been great l-eceipt. trom Januar^y 1 to July 3^1. 



improvements in the sanitation of the $63,944.40 $76,084.67 



city. We have no yellow fever and 30 256.02 35 233.55 



haven t had for a long time. The streets 



have been improved, and we have elec- 



trie tramways running through all the Santiago Traction Bonds. 



principal thoroughfares and into the sub- -jhe Spanish Bank of the Island of 



urbs. There are several first-class hotels, (^^j^^j^ g^^g ^he Post, has closed the deal 



and one can live as comfortably there whereby that institution has favorably 



as he can in the States. placed a large block of bonds of the 



"Cuba, of course is essentially an agri- Santiago Traction and Electric Street 



cultural country, and Santiago is largely Railway of Santiago with New York 



the distributing point of imports and bankers. 



the shipping point for exports. It hasn't These bonds had been held by the 



any big industries of its own. There are Spanish bank for some time, as the result 



some cigar factories and a few chocolate of a proposition to finance the Electric 



manufacturers, who make sweets for Street Railway Company, and the sale 



local consumption. The American im- of the bonds is considered an important 



ports have increased as much as, if not transaction. The sale price is said to 



more, than the imports from other coun- have been 92^. As a result the Spanish 



tries, but the manufacturers of this coun- bank will receive the sum of $1,500,000. 



try have been handicapped somewhat by 



the fact that the large importing houses Quoting in round millions from the 



are controlled by Spaniards, and they figures compiled by the U. S. Bureau of 



are slow to break away from their old statistics, our commerce with Cuba in 



customs. jj-,g fiscal year ending June 30 was as 



"Then, too, the firms with which they follows: 



aeal are not overanxious to change. An- Total 



other handicap on goods from the United Exports. Imports. Commerce. 



States is that European firms are ready $44,000,000 $96,000,000 $140,000,000 



to extend all sorts of credit to their cus- _ 



tomers, so long as they know the latter The exports of locomotives by the 



are good, while the American manufac- United States to Cuba for the same 



turer will not sell on more than 30 to period are as follows: 



60 days' credit. However, American trade Number. ^^'" q^. 



is making progress, and in time will sur- 1909 23 $149,090 



pass that of all other nations, no doubt." 1908 59 594,198 



CUBAN CUSTOM HOUSE COLLECTIONS 



The collections at the Custom Houses of Cuba during the six months of 1909 

 ended June 30, are as follows: ^,0.0-1-, r.^ 



Havana $8,067,029.81 Manzanillo $184,823.94 



Matanzas 414,266.27 



Cardenas 204,752.56 



Sagua La Grande 1 18,885.07 



Caibarien 231,476.30 



Nuevitas 60,145.36 



Gibara 57,909.51 



Banes 25,651.09 



Baracoa 5,250.82 



Guantanamo 111,538.33 



Santiago 792.894.70 



Santa Cruz 3,079.80 



Tunas 12,874.16 



Trinidad 345.01 



Cienfuegos 794,482.90 



Batabano 855.00 



Nueva Gerona 2,054.38 



Puerto Padre 37,116.82 



Nipe 255,498.35 



Jaruco 693.10 



Total $1,178,257,386.00 



