18 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



ROAD CONDITIONS AND MOTOR TRAFFIC 

 IN CUBA 



Relative to the steps taken by the Cuban 

 Government to build and maintain pubhc 

 highways in the Cienfuegos district, $250,000 

 has been appropriated to repair the highway 

 from Cienfuegos to Manicaragua (70 kilo- 

 meters [43 miles]) and appropriations have 

 been made for repairing the road from Cien- 

 fuegos to Rodas (32 kilometers). Work is 

 alreading under way and noticeable improve- 

 ments are being made. Though the roads 

 are, to a large extent, in bad condition, in dry 

 weather motor vehicles can eventually reach 

 the terminals. Fairly level stretches may be 

 found, but it is believed that some, if not all, 

 of the bridges would need strengthening in 

 order to support a heavily loaded motor 

 truck. Recently an article was published 

 in the local papers to the effect that shortly 

 a motor-truck service was to be established 

 to reach the country districts. At present 

 mule wagon service is the medium of reaching 

 many places not touched by rail. During 

 the past five years the Cuban Central 

 Railways (Ltd.) have constructed quite a 

 number of branches to its system, thus reach- 

 ing many small towns previously de]}endent 

 on wagon service. An electric railway is 

 being developed here which will probably 

 still further reduce the use of wagons. 



The present price of gasoUne here is $0.65 

 per gallon. During the first part of 1914 it 

 was $0.36 to $0.38 per gallon. There are 19 

 commercial motor cars, 104 private passenger 

 cars, and 202 pubhc passenger cars in use in 

 the city of Cienfuegos, and the total will in- 

 crease as the improvement of the streets and 

 highways proceeds. The larger motor trucks 

 are being used for hauling railroad construc- 

 tion material, and the smaller types give 

 service as delivery wagons.— ■ConmierceReports. 



MOLASSES 



The question of limiting the exportation 

 of molasses from Cuba on account of the 

 alleged need of it in the country as a raw 

 material for the production of alcohol, rum 

 and similar products was revived by the 

 action of the Cuban distillers last week in 

 issuing a statement requesting the Cuban 

 Food Board to increase the basic price fixed 

 by it on alcohol. 



The basic price has been set at 10 cents 

 per litre, and distilleries are not permitted to 

 charge more than this. In their statement 

 the distillers say that with a litre of alcohol 

 obtainable from each gallon of molasses 

 dlstUled, and molasses at 10 cents a gallon, 

 the cost of producing alcohol is 14.2 cents per 

 litre. They only request the Food Board, 

 however, to make the selling price 14 cents. 

 What the distillers really desire is to obtain 

 more molasses, and they accordingly are in 

 favor of a decree pi'oliibiting or limiting its 

 export. Such a decree would have to be 

 issued by President Menocal. 



Those interested in maintaining the supply 

 of alcohol to the United States and the Allies 

 have taken advantage of the statement as 

 shown in the press that the price of 10 cents a 

 gallon assumed by the distillers is fictitious, 

 and to point out that agents of the United 

 States Government, after examination of 

 existing contracts for the sale of molasses 

 from the mills to ex]3orting firms, have decided 

 that 7 cents a gallon Ls a proper price upon 

 which to assess duties upon molasses entering 

 the United States. Thej^ also show that in 

 distilleries in the United States where efficient 

 practices prevail about one and one-half 

 litres of a higher grade alcohol ttaan the Cuban 

 distilleries are capable of producing can be 

 and are made from a gallon of molasses. 

 They accordingly contend that by retaining 

 the molasses for the use of the Cuban dis- 

 tilleries, one gallon out of every three would 

 be lost. 



These arguments have been followed up 

 by a statement of H. H. Morgan, special 

 representative of the United States in Cuba, 

 to the effect that the United States Govern- 

 ment would look with great disfavor upon the 

 use of molasses by Cuban distillers for the 

 purpose of manufacturing rum to be exported 

 and consumed by neutral countries while 

 such a great need exists of this raw material 

 for the war purposes of the United States and 

 the Allies. 



Mr. ]Morgan made it clear that the United 

 States has no desire to bring pressure upon 

 the Cuban distillers, and that it is entirely 

 willing that all the alcohol actually necessary 

 for Cuban requirements should be manu- 

 factured here, but that these requirements 

 should be limited to such quantities as are 



