32 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



CUBA BUYS AMERICAN PAPER 

 Cuba imported $3,300,000 worth of paper 

 in 1916 and American maufacturers fur- 

 nished over 70 per cent of that total, accord- 

 ing to a bulletin issued by the Bureau of 

 Foreign and Domestic Commerce. This 

 trade has been growing rapidly in recent 

 months and from all indication has not yet 

 reached its limit. 



A large share of the new business and of 

 the business formerly going to Germany has 

 come to the United States, but unless un- 

 usual care is taken there will be a tendency 

 to return to old sources of supply when the 

 war is over. Special Agent Robert S. Barrett, 

 author of the report, believes that prepara- 

 tion for the future is quite as important as 

 getting orders today. 



Spain and Norway are the next most im- 

 portant sources of supply after the United 

 States, but Spain is not really a competitor, 

 as its exports to Cuba consist principally of 

 handmade writing paper and cigarette paper 

 with which American manufacturers are ap- 

 parently unable to compete. Norway is an 

 active competitor in news, print and wrapping 

 paper and the exports from that country are 

 likely to increase as soon as normal shipping 

 conditions are restored. The trade that Ger- 

 many formerly had, consisting largely of 

 coated book paper, envelopes, wrapping paper, 

 cardboard, and lithographic goods, amounting 

 to $250,000 a year, has gone principally to the 

 United States, although in lithographic 

 goods England has increaed its sales $25,000, 

 since Germany disappeared from the market. 



CONTAINERS 

 The only provision in the Cuban tariff law 

 whereby free admission can be secured for 

 receptacles to be used as containers for the ex- 

 portation of national products is that con- 

 tained in item 323 of the customs tariff. Ac- 

 cording to this item, receptacles exported from 

 Cuba with fruits, sugar, molasses, honey, 

 spirituous liquors, alcohol, coconut oil, and 

 cordage oil are exempt from duty upon proof 

 of identity when reimported empty. It is 

 stated by Cuban officials that this applies 

 only to containers such as acid drums, which 

 can be so marked as to be readily identified 

 upon subsequent reimportation. No ex- 

 emption is allowed for labels of any kind. 

 The practice in this matter has become firmly 



established, and it is understood that no re- 

 ductions, exemptions or concessions will be 

 granted. It is expected that there will be es- 

 tablished industries able to satisfy the de- 

 mand for tin cans, and there are already suf- 

 ficient facilities for the printing of labels of 

 all kinds. 



WALTER A. ZELNICKER SUPPLY COMPANY 



At a meeting of the Board of Directors of 

 the Walter A. Zelnicker Supply Co., St. 

 Louis, held April 19th, Mr. A. R. Topping 

 was elected Secretary of the Company. Mr. 

 Topping has been associated with this Com- 

 pany for the past eleven years. 



The Walter A. Zelmicker Supply Company, 

 St. Louis, and allied companies have secured 

 the services of Mr. Charles H. Trapp, who is 

 to act as confidential secretary to Mr. Zel- 

 nicker, the president. Mr. Trapp was for- 

 merly associated with James Stewart and 

 Company in St. Louis, Denver and Idaho, 

 and lately with Mr. Terrell Croft, Consulting 

 Electrical Engineer, St. Louis. 



The Weaker A. Zelnicker Supply Co. has 

 issued a Bulletin for May, No. 215, which 

 gives a list of rails, cars and other iron and 

 steel products Avhich they have in stock. 

 Copies of this may be obtained on application 

 to the Walter A. Zelnicker Supply Co., St. 

 Louis, Mo. 



RIVERA, MARTINEZ Y TORRE, S. EN C. 



Messrs. Juan F. Rivera, Rafael Martinez 

 and Manuel de la Torre have formed a cor- 

 poration known as Rivera, Martinez y Torre 

 S. en C, Obrapia No. 23, Havana, to engage 

 in the business of the purchase and sale of 

 sugar. 



AMERICAN CHEWING GUM 



The following table shows the value of 

 American chewing gum exported to Cuba for 

 the fiscal years ending June 30, 1912, 1913^ 

 1914, 1915, 1916, and for the 9 months ending 

 March 31, 1917: 



Fiscal years ending June 30 



1912 $3,234 



1913 3,661 



1914 3,441 



1915 18,766 



1916 ».979 



9 months ending Mar. 31, 1917.. . 17,213 



