THE CUBA REVIEW 17 



AMERICAN-MADE TOYS IN CUBA 



[Consul Charles S. H'inans, Cienfucgos] 



Before the war European exporters supplied most of the toys used in the Cuban 

 market. Since August, 1914, a gradual change has been wrought, and at the present 

 time the United States supplies much the largest share of the toys imported into 

 Cuba. This is, for the American toy manufacturer, a very satisfactory state of 

 affairs, the more so as these toys, according to general comment and criticism, are 

 regarded very favorably, especially those that may be characterized as educational. 



In each of the two "war" years of 1914-15 and 1915-16 Cuba's toy imports fell 

 $25,000 below their value in 1912-13 and 1913-14, but in 1916-17 (the latest fiscal year 

 for which official data are available) not only was this loss made up but a further 

 $45,000 worth of imports added, so that the value for that year totaled $244,342, con- 

 trasted with $175,729 in 1915-16, $175,750 in 1914-15, $203,729 in 1913-14, $201,904 in 

 1912-13, and $159,774 in 1911-12. 



Countries Supplying Cuba's Imports. 



As already noted, the United States supplied most of the 1916-17 imports; but 

 Spanish toys also made a substantial gain, and Japanese toys are growing in popular- 

 ity in this market, as the following table shows: 



Imported from — 1911-12 



United States $36,068 



Austria 2,599 



Belgium 1,219 



France 20,631 



Germany 79,187 



Italy 



Netherlands 



Spain 18,826 



Switzerland 8 



United Kingdom 365 



China 117 



Japan 751 



Other countries 3 



Total $159,774 $201,904 $203,729 $175,750 $175,729 $244,342 



Of these imports Cienfuegos took $4,702 worth in 1911-12, $10,626 worth in 1912- 

 13, $7,955 in 1913-14, $5,875 in 1914-15, $3,464 in 1915-16, and $3,128 worth in 1916-17. 



After-the-War Outlook 



The present American dominance of the Cuban toy market is not due to a pref- 

 erence of Cuban importers for American-made toys, well liked though they are, but 

 rather to inability to procure toys from former sources of supply. Will the European, 

 and especially German, manufacturers regain control of the Cuban market after the 

 cessation of hostilities ? This is the question which confronts American toy makers, 

 and it is believed that it may be safely answered in the negative. The fact that Cuba 

 is one of the Allied nations and has to a slight degree been affected by the war has 

 stirred up an anti-German feeling, which has grown slowly, but none the less surely. 

 Unless the profits on German-made toys are greater than those on toys imported 

 from the United States, it may be assumed that the latter will be given the preference, 

 especially as toys imported from the United States pay 20 per cent less duty than 

 toys imported from other countries — i. e., $0,104 per kilo (2.2046 pounds) instead of 

 $0.13 per kilo. This, however, is partly offset by the fact that European exporters 

 granted terms extending to 6 months, while at present 60, or at most 90, days are 

 considered current. 



