THE CUBA REVIEW 



25 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



MODERN HOTEL IN CIENFUEGOS 



Plans have been c()ini>Iete(l 'for the 

 construf'tion in ("ienfuegos of a modern hotel, 

 the building of which will cost $350,000. 

 The hotel will be a four-story affair and will 

 have 120 pfiiPst rooms. The site selected is 

 located at the corner of Boullon and San 

 Carlos Streets, facing the Parque Marti. It 

 is the intention of the owners to make the 

 hotel in question the most modern one on 

 the island of Cuba. Work is to })e coinmencefl 

 on or about November 1, 191 S, and the hotel 

 is to be opened to the jmblic, in the fall of 

 1919, in time for the one hundredth anni- 

 versary of the city of Cienfuegos. The 

 plans for the hotel have been made by an 

 American architect. — Consul Charles S. Win- 

 ans, Cienfuegos. 



MARKET FOR MOTOR BOATS 



The ex|)ansion that is now taking place 

 in the American motorboat industry as the 

 result of plant enlargement to meet war needs 

 shoukl place that industry at the close of the 

 war in a ^wsition to extend its foreign tr;ul(>. 

 With this thought in mind, an investigation 

 of the j)ossible market for boats and acces- 

 sories in the Cienfuegos district was made. 



The conditions for yatching here were 

 found to be ideal. The Bay of Cienfuegos, 

 covering about 40 square miles, is land- 

 locked and ideal for motor boating; the 

 Caonao, Damuji, and Arimao riveis, which 

 flow into it, are navigable, even for laige- 

 sized motor boats, for a niunber of miles. 

 Although there are 129 motor boats in use 

 in Cienfuegos, yatching has heretofore not 

 been as popular as the facilities therefor and 

 the prosperous condition of the people would 

 lead one to suppose. During the past two 

 months, however, due probably to the great 

 success of the regattas in Havana and 

 Cardenas, interest in yachting has been 

 greatly stimulated, with the result that the 

 Cienfuegos Yacht Club has been organized. 

 The purpose of this organization will be the 

 holding of regattas in the bay here and pro- 

 viding for the representation of Cienfuegos 

 in the future regattas held in other Cuban 

 cities. It is the intention of the club to 

 purchase a site in Revienta Cordeles, a 

 suburb of Cienfuegos. 



It aj)pears ])robable that with this en- 

 couragement the market for motor boat* 

 and accessories of all descriptions will greatly 

 improve, and after the termination of hostili- 

 ties Ameiican manufactincrs may find a 

 good sale for such i)r()ducts in this district, 

 especially if the i)res('nt i)rosperity of the> 

 l)eoi)l(' should continue. In this connection 

 there is transmitted a list of local hoitses 

 that might be interested to act as agents for 

 the sale of motor boats and accessories. It 

 is .suggested that interested firms communi- 

 cate (in the Spanish language) at oncie with 

 the.se concerns, in order that preliminary 

 arrangements may be niafle and the termi- 

 nation of the war find their foreign agencies 

 already established. — Vice Consul f^ Albert F, 

 Nufer, Cienfuegos. 



CONSUMPTION OF COAL AT CARDENAS 



The industries established at the port of 

 Cardenas, Cuba, consume approximately 

 2,5,000 tons of American coal per annum. 

 In past years a small percentage of the 

 consumption was covered by imports oi 

 Biitish coal, but these shipments have now 

 entirely ceased, and to-day American ex- 

 porters enjoy an absolute monopoly of the 

 market. 



The scarcity of bottoms has reduced to"a 

 negligible factor the amount of coal imported 

 into Cardenas direct from the United States, 

 the coal necessary for local industries being- 

 supplied by three llabana wholesalers. Ow- 

 ing to the lack of sufficient wat-^r, ves.sels'can 

 not moor alongside the wharves here,'ibut 

 are obliged to load and discharge cargo 

 through lighters in the open bay. The 

 lighterage fee for fuel carried from ship's 

 side to the wharves approximates .10.80 \K'r 

 ton; the railroad freight from Habjina is- 

 $1.87 per ton. 



The one wholesale coal firm locatedjin 

 this city endeavors to keep about 3,000 tons 

 on hand, with which it is able to supply ^the 

 wants of many minor consumers as weil as 

 take care of the usual orders for bunker 

 coal. Present prices for bunkers are in the 

 neighborhood of $2.5 per ton, which does not 

 include the charge of .$1.50 made for placing 

 the coal alongside shij). — Consular A.'i.nstant 

 George A. Makinsoti, Cardenas. 



