THE CUBA R E V I E W 



HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE 



The f'ighth Cuban Congress opened on November .Itli and the first session was consumed 

 in^listening to the reading of the President's message, which was a long and comprehensive 

 one. Among the various i^oints touched upon therein, President Menocal referred to the 

 sending of American soldiers to Cuba and stated that some have already been located in the 

 two eastern provinces of Oriente and Camaguey, going on to say that the sending of these 

 troops by the American Government was in line with an offer publicly made it to this end by 

 him some time ago and was done for the purpose of cooperation between the American and 

 Cuban Governments, just as the Allies in Europe have united various national forces. 



The President stated that the commerce of Cuba during the fiscal year ended June 30th, 

 1917. amounted to $()! 8.000,000, with a trade balance in favor of Cuba of more than S100,000,- 

 000, which, in view of the fact that Cuba has only two and a half million pf)pulation, is a 

 remarkable showing. 



President Menocal also called attention to the necessity of putting into effect obligatory 

 military service, which he had previously recommended in a presidential message last June. 

 He stated that the authorized strength of the army is 16,489 enlisted men, but there are in 

 actual service at the present time only 13,000, and the high wages paid in the cane fields 

 make it impossible to enlist more soldiers by voluntary enlistment. 



Realizing the importance of getting the coming crop of Cuban sugar upon the market as 

 promptly as possible, every effort to this end is being made by both the Cuban Government 

 and the sugar interests. Under an immigration law just made effective, a freer importation of 

 labor to work in the cane fields is permitted than heretofore, but under certain restrictions, to 

 which reference has been made in our previous advices. There is difficulty in obtaining Spanish 

 labor on account of the prohibition placed by that Government upon emigration, but it is under- 

 stood that a considerable quantity of labor will be secured from Spain and the Canary Islands 

 and in addition there will be large numbers of workmen from Haiti, Jamaica and Porto Rico, 

 as well as Chinese labor, which it has been planned to import for this purpose. It is believed 

 that the cjuestion of securing sugar sacks has been solved through cooperation of the British 

 and American Governments, the former to place steamers to bring sacks direct from India 

 and the latter to arrange shipment via American ports. 



Efforts more or less successful have been made in certain districts to interfere with the coming 

 sugar crop by means of strikes, therefore President Menocal issued a proclamation declaring 

 that all foreigners inciting strikes at sugar mills will be immediately deported, and action to 

 this effect has already been taken in several instances. For the purpose of securing closer and 

 more effective cooperation between the sugar mills and the cane growers, a circular notice has 

 been sent out to all the sugar mills by the Asociacion de Fomento de Inmigracion (Association 

 to encourage immigration), calling for a meeting in Havana Nov. r2th and asking each mill 

 to also have a committee of two of their cane growers also attend, the railroads having promised 

 to supply a special train from Santiago to Havana to bring these delegates without charge. 



Weather during this past month has been favorable, and while yet too early for accurate 

 estimates to be made as to the tonnage of the coming sugar crop of 1918, it is hoped that it will 

 amount to 3,503,000 tons, which will be the largest crop ever produced, the total amount for 

 the season now ending being calculated as a little over 3,000,000 tons, which is a record up to 

 the present time, notwithstanding the revolution of last winter and spring in the eastern pro- 

 vinces and unfavorable weather for the cane. While it will undoubtedly cost more to produce 

 the coming crop than ever before, yet it is believed, in view of the large amount and an equitable 

 price to be fixed for the sale of same, that a fair profit will be made by the growers and re- 

 finers. It is expected that the new crop will commence moving next month. 



Because of the constantly increasing prices of foodstuffs President Menocal appointed a 

 commission to investigate and regulate same, called the "Junta Nacional de Defensa Economica," 

 of which a literal translation is the ' 'National Committee of Economic Defense . ' ' The first prices 

 regulated by this new commission were those assessed on sugar and charcoal, being made 

 effective on Nov. 1. The wholesale price on raw sugar was fixed at 4^^c. per lb. and refined 

 sugar at 7}4c. per lb., the retail prices being o^^c. and 8^c. per lb., respectively. The retail 



