28 THE CUBA REVIEW 



themselves short of cane and under the necessity of providing it. It would not, 

 therefore, be surprising to see in the not distant future a considerable increase in 

 the area of cane produced by "administration", that is, at the expense of and under 

 the management of the mills themselves, a practice which heretofore in Cuba has 

 been very limited, and when this occurs we will then see the scientific improvements 

 which have taken place in our mills extended to agriculture. Where irrigation is 

 possible, it will be given a prominent part in this work, as with the decrease in the 

 forest area there has come a decrease in the total annual rainfall, and a much less 

 even distribution than formerly, resulting in comparatively dry weather dm-ing late 

 July and August, the two months of heaviest growth of our cane under proper con- 

 ditions. Doubtless we will be subjected in the future to about the same competition 

 from beet sugar as formerly occurred, and for at least a number of years, to that of 

 a very great increase of the area planted to sugar cane, but we believe that the 

 conditions prevailing throughout at least the three eastern Provinces of Cuba are 

 sufficiently favorable to offset this competition, and to enable our planters and factory 

 owners to show satisfactory profits under any circumstances. Doubtless, however, 

 many factories in the western portion of the Island, where high percentages must be 

 paid the growers, in order to induce them to grow cane, will find this an obstacle 

 that will be difficult to overcome. 



A few words in regard to the present crop are in order. The prediction has been 

 made that the crop will amount to 4,000,000 tons, and we believe that sufficient cane 

 is in the fields to enable not only this quantity of sugar to be made, but considerably 

 more. Complaints have been heard of labor shortage, and weather conditions since 

 the harvest commenced in December have not been favorable, while the complete 

 tie-up of railroad communication in the four western Provinces has proved another 

 hindrance, yet, notwithstanding these, we believe that production is well advanced, the 

 producing schedule has been well kept, and that counting upon a normal beginning 

 of the rainy season, we will produce very close to the 4,000,000 ton estimate. There 

 exist in Cuba three large sugar Companies : The Cuba Cane Corporation, the Cuban- 

 American Sugar Co., and the Punta Alegre Sugar Co., and we are informed that each 

 of these Companies is well ahead of last year's production at the present time. 



The sugar deliveries as of the week ending March 22nd at all ports in Cuba 

 amounted to 167,358 tons, making total deliveries at ports up to that date 1,541,156 

 tons. The railroad strike ending about March 18th, left at least 600,000 bags of 

 sugar, equivalent to about 90,000 tons, at the various mills tributary to the United 

 Railways; doubtless similarly large quantities are held at the mills tributary to the 

 Cuban Central Railways, so that all indications point to the fact that Cuba's produc- 

 tion to the present time has been about 2,000,000 tons. 



GENERAL GOETHALS OIL FOR SUGAR MILLS 



According to a report circulated in Oil may supplant coal as fuel for many 



financial circles, General George W. sugar mills in Cuba, according to the 



Goethals, the noted builder of the Panama "Wall Street Journal," which states that 



Canal, will become associated with the ten f t j ie seventeen estates of the Cuba 



Cuba Cane Sugar Corporation. It is Cane g ugar Corporation are now 



understood that his connection with this equipped to burn oi i an d that other 



corporation is to be of an advisory nature plantations are looking into its p0S sibil- 



and only for a temporary period, during Bagasse , the dried cane from 



which his wide engineering experience ...... . Qv . +vo , fo j wn -ii cf ;n h ~ n * P A 



and remarkable administrative capabil- which juice is extracted, .ill still be used 



ities will be utilized in constructive sur- to supplement oil or coal, as its use de- 



veys and betterments of the corporation's creases the necessary amount of other 



properties. fuel. 



