THE CUBA REVIEW 



23 



FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL 



CUBAN CAR LINE FINANCED 



The Havana Electric Railway and Power 

 Company, with an authorized capital of 

 $30,000,000, was incorporated in Trenton, 

 New Jersey, on March 26th. The company 

 is authorized to construct, acquire and 

 operate an electric railway, light and power 

 plant both in the West India Islands and 

 in the United States. 



The company is also authorized to ac- 

 quire $5,000,000' of the preferred stock and 

 $7,500,000 of the common stock of the 

 Havana Electric Railway Company ; also 

 to acquire $6,000,000 of the capital stock 

 of the Compania de Gas y Electricidad de 

 la Habana. The capital of the company 

 is divided into $15,000,000 preferred stock 

 and $15,000,000 common. 



The incorporators are Henry A. Bing- 

 ham, Jersey City ; Cornelius A. Cole, 

 Jersey City, and Henry T. Letts. 



The Havana Electric Railway, Light 

 and Power Company, says the Neiv York 

 Times, is a holding concern which is ex- 

 pected to acquire a large part of the stock 

 of the present Havana Electric Railway. 

 The latter is incorporated in New Jersey 

 under a perpetual charter. It has $12,- 

 500,000 of stock, of which $5,000,000 is 

 preferred and the rest common. Warren 

 Bicknell of Cleveland is president of this 

 company. 



Before March 29th sufficient stock of 

 the Havana Electric Lighting Corporation 

 of Havana had been deposited in Havana 

 and New York to insure the amalgamation 

 of the two companies. Plans of the merger 

 were printed in the ]\Iarch issue of The 

 Cuba Review. 



It was announced on April 4th that the 

 plan for the consolidation had been de- 

 clared operative, a very large majority of 

 the stock of each issue having been de- 

 posited, but as some of the stock is held 

 in Europe, the time for depositing stock 

 was extended until April 22d. 



Havana advices are to the efifect that 

 the new company proposes to expend at 

 once nearly $4,000,000 in improving its 

 street car lines and its generating plant 

 and will place modern gas-making ma- 

 chinery in its gas plant, thereby reducing 

 the cost of gas materially, encouraging the 

 use of gas ranges, in place of the small 

 charcoal stoves now universally used 

 throughout Cuba, and which are imported 

 from Germany. 



FREE SUGAR AND ANNEXATION 



Representative Julius Kahn, of Califor- 

 nia, regular republican, who has made a 

 study of the sugar tariff, is of the opinion 

 that if the free sugar bill should become 

 a law, an agitation would start in Cuba 

 with the object of forcing the United 

 States to annex the island. 



"The Cubans want to have the opportu- 

 nity to send their sugar into the United 

 States free of duty," said Mr. Kahn. 



"They know that they can compete with 

 the rest of the world successfully in fur- 

 nishing sugar to this market," he said 

 further, "for they have the cheap tropical 

 labor. Once they get free sugar, they will 

 be afraid of some future action of Con- 

 gress putting a tariff on it, and therefore 

 they will try to clinch the matter, in my 

 opinion, by becoming a part of the United 

 States." 



Representative Ollie James, of Kentucky, 

 one of the democrats who led the fight for 

 free sugar, scouted the theory of Cuban 

 annexation. "Annexation of Cuba? That's 

 all rot." he said. 



"I believe we will some day have to 

 annex Cuba, much as I regret it," said 

 Representative Clark, of Florida, democrat, 

 "but I do not think free sugar will have 

 anything to do with it." 



Representative Burleson, of Texas, said 

 that it looked to him as if free sugar might 

 help to bring about annexation of Cuba. 

 "But," he said, "that does not make any 

 difference, because we, sooner or later, 

 will have to annex the island anyhow."-^ 

 Interviews in the Ahtv Orleans States. 



The Cuban Central's plans for a new 

 station, to be called Chinchila, have been 

 approved by the railroad commission. It 

 is on the line from Sagua to Caguaguas. 



REQUESTS FROM OUR READERS 



To the Editor The Cuba Review, Nev/ York, N. Y. 



Dear Sir: Do you know of anyone in Cuba who 

 could furnish us with mangrove tree roots, in 

 quantities of 10 to 50 tons? 



If so, we would be pleased to have you put us 

 into communication with them. 



The price, of course, would have to be ex- 

 tremely low, or we could not use it. 



To the Editor The Cuba Review, New York, N. Y. 



Dear Sir: We are interested in learning the 

 names of New York exporters doing business in 

 chemicals in Cuba. Any information you give us 

 will be very much appreciated. 



We, of course, want to get in touch only with 

 houses in the best credit standing. 



For the names of these firms address Depart- 

 ment L, The Cuba Review. 



The Cuban Central Railway plans for 

 the construction of a road of standard 

 guage from kilometer 4 on the line from 

 Caibarien to Placetas, to the Pinta del 

 Pastelillo in the Bay of Xuevitas. 



