12 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



of the present campaign being that 10,417 subscribers were secured with a total of $5,161,000, 

 and subscriptions to the present Liberty Loan were taken by Cubans and Spaniards to a much 

 greater proportion than before. 



Many new buildings are going up all over Havana, including several which are intended 

 for office buildings, being edifices of 5 and 6 stories and equipped up to date for that purpose. 

 Also many former office buildings of 2 and 3 stories are having additional fioois added thereto, 

 the massive old Spanish construction permitting of this without additional reinforcement. 

 Elevators are being installed in these remodelled buildings, as is the case with a number of 

 edifices used for office purposes, although up to a comparatively short time back the only 

 elevators were found in the hotels and a very few office buildings. The principa,l building 

 now in course of construction in the downtown district is that to be occupied by the Rojal 

 Bank of Canada at the corner of Obrapia and Aguiar Streets, as we have previously reported. 

 At the side of this building, which will have six floors, another edifice, also of six stories, is being 

 erected by Lezama & Fumagalli, stock brokers. Next to this comes the addition now being 

 constructed to the Trust Co. of Cuba building, whose bank now fronts on Obispo Street, but 

 wifi this new addition will also have an entrance on Aguiar Street. It is further reported that 

 Jose Gomez Mena, the owner of the Gomez block, which is bemg transformed from a one- 

 story building to five stories, will build an edifice of 10 stoiies at the corner of Prado and Animas 

 Streets. This ground was purchased several years ago for a hotel, which never materialized, 

 and has remainded practically undeveloped since then. This new building will consist of 

 family apartments. As regards the suburbs, development is proceeding very satisfactorily 

 and many private residences are going up. 



CANADIAN SUGAR-BEETS 



Canada^s production of sugar beets in the 

 season of 1917 is officially estimated as 117,- 

 600 tons from 14,000 acres, compared with 

 71,000 tons from 15,000 acres in 1916, or an 

 average yield of 8.40 tons per acre, contrasted 

 with 4.75 tons in the preceding season. The 

 value of the crop is placed at $793,800, or 

 $6.75 per ton, compared with a total of $440,- 

 000, and an average of $6.20 per ton in 1916. 

 All this production was from the Province of 

 Ontario. 



A large number of Belgian sugar-beet 

 workers are now residing in Canada, and beet 

 production is increasing. As a result of the 

 high prices received for other crops, farmers 

 heretofore have been loath to grow crops that 

 meant an element of risk for them, but last 

 year's results proved that sugar beets could 

 be grown under any conditions. Atmospheric 

 conditions last October and November were 

 such that the beets had to be kept in the 

 ground, with consequent danger of loss from 

 frosts; nevertheless an abundant crop was 

 harvested. As a partial result of this Cana- 

 dian sugar refineries are issuing new contract 

 forms to the farmers, in which the refineries 

 promise to pay them a minimum of $9 per 

 ton for beets on the flat plan, or $8.75 on 

 tfie percentage plan on a 12 per cent basis. 



The above prices are to rale when sugar is 

 seUirg for $8 per hundred pounds or below. 

 If sugar should be .|9 per hundred wholesale 



the refineries are to pay $10 per ton flat for 

 beets. The past season the refineries paid 

 $8.73 per ton for beets, which is an increase 

 over the previous year of $2.73 per ton. 

 Canadian sugar refineries are appealing to the 

 growers in Ontario to increase their sugar- 

 beet acreage this year. — Consul Felix S. S. 

 Johnson, Kingston, Ontario. 



MADRAS PALM SUGAR 



A crop report of the Madras Department 

 of Agricultm-e just issued estimates the num- 

 ber of palm trees which are usually tapped 

 for sugar in the Madras Presidency as 2,- 

 500,000, and the yield of jaggery (crude 

 sugar) therefrom as 35,000 long tons. The 

 total palm sugar production of India is 

 stated in an authoritative pubUcation to be 

 about 300,000 tons, of wliich Bengal produces 

 roughly 100,000 tons, worth $2,400,000. 

 India's total production of sugar both fiom 

 cane and palms is somewhere about 3,000,000 

 tons per year. The area under sugar-cane 

 in Madras is less than 4 per cent of the total 

 area in British India, the United Provinces 

 being the great producing center. The 

 yield of Madras this year is expected to be 

 295,300 tons of jaggery obtained from 

 123,410 acres as against 243,700 tons last 

 year from 113,775 acres. The average 

 yield for the five years ending 1915-16 was 

 154,316 tons. — Consul Lucien Memmmger, 

 Madras, India. 



