T HE CUBA RE V I E W 



19 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



Prosperity is not confined to the jewelry 

 trade. Cuba's foreign commerce in the past 

 years has left her substantial credit balances. 

 For instance, for the calendar year 1916 her 

 exports exceeded imports by over SlOO,- 

 000,000. This is a growing market. In the 

 past two years the total foreign trade of Cuba 

 amounted to some $1,200,000,000. This just 

 about equals the total foreign trade of the 

 preceding four years, and the total foreign 

 trafle for tlie eight years jjrevious to that 

 period. 



TOBACCO SHIPMENTS SUSPENDED 

 Tobacco shipments for England have again 

 been suspended. The time granted by that na- 

 tion for admitting its importation expired with 

 the old year and shippers have been notified 

 by the various steamship lines. 



Efforts are being made to obtain another 

 extension from the British government. 



FOOD SUPPLIES 



The War Trade Board announces that the 

 consent of the Food Adminst ration has 

 been obtained for some relaxation of the re- 

 .^trictions on the export of certain foodstuffs 

 to Cuba. 



The dependency of Cuba upon the United 

 States for her food supply is quite evident, and 

 it was only until certain arrangements could 

 be comi)leted to insure full co-operation be- 

 tween Cuba and this country that certain ex- 

 ports were suspended for a short period. 



Senor Manuel Despaigne has been desig- 

 nated by the Cuban Government as their 

 representative associated with the AVar 

 Trade Board in Washington. He is co-oper- 

 ating by advising as to the foodstuffs and 

 other commodities that should be licensed 

 for export to Cuba. 



The need of conserving wheat flour has made 

 necessary the limitation of the export of this 

 commodity to a greater extent than the other 

 cereals. It is hoped that gradually the people 

 of Cuba will .substitute other cereals, such as 

 oats and corn and their products, so as to 

 minimize their requirements for wheat flour. 



Exports may also be licensed, in limited 

 quantities, of condensed milk, butter and 

 cheese, pork and pork products, beef and beef 

 products and dried fruit. If it is ascertained 

 that applications have been filed for specula- 

 tive purposes, these will be refused, or if 



licen.ses have, alreadj- been issued, th(>y will be 

 revoked. 



CASTOR BEAN INDUSTRY 



Corresi)ondence from Havana to the 

 Matt iif act urera Record, says: "During the 

 past two months several companies have 

 organized for planting castor beans and to 

 extract oil for domestic use, and possibly 

 for exportation into the United States, and 

 quite a good many growers have started, in 

 the Province of Pinar del Rio particularly, to 

 plant castor beans. The sugar owners and 

 planters have heretofore paid no attention 

 to this new industry because of the prices 

 obtained for sugar and tobacco on account of 

 the Em'opean conflict. But it seems that on 

 account of the high demand and lack of 

 castor beans in the United States the owners 

 have possibly realized that a good business 

 may be obtained in the planting of castor 

 beans for extracting oil for the special use of 

 machinery for sugar plantations. Notices are 

 coming in from the Province or Pinar del Rio 

 that the planters are very much encouraged 

 with this new industry, and, if handled 

 properly, a good result may be obtained, as 

 the soil of Cuba and the climate is proper 

 for j)lanting the 'semillas de higuereta.' " 



NEW YORK-NUEVITAS EXPRESS SERVICE 



Arrangements have been completed be- 

 tween the New York and Nuevitas Express 

 Co. and the Tran.s-Atlantic Shipping Co., of 

 109 Board Street, New York City, for the es- 

 tablishment of an expresss service between 

 New York and Nuevitas, Cuba, which is the 

 principal port of entr^' of the Province of 

 Camaguey. 



As there is no parcel post service between 

 the United States and Cuba, 4 pounds 6 

 ounces being the limit in weight for mail 

 packages, according to the regulations, the 

 exjjress service will be advantageous in the 

 shipment of merchandise in packages weigh- 

 ing more than 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and not ex- 

 ceeding 350 pounds in weight or 14 cubic 

 feet in measurement. 



Shipments should be accompanied by con- 

 sular invoices in duplicate, preferably written 

 intheSpainsh language, detailing the classes, 

 weights, measurements and value of the mer- 

 chandise.— Co7i!.s(J H. M. Wokott, Nuentas. 



