26 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



UNITED STATES CUSTOMS RULES 



The United States customs rules govern- 

 ing the importation of articles into the 

 United States by persons returning from 

 Cuba are as follows, as revised by a notice 

 issued by the Treasury Department in 

 December, 1910. This applies to citizens 

 of the United States: 



The interpretation of the law limits the 

 articles which may be brought in duty free 

 by residents returning from abroad to all 

 wearing apparel and other personal efifects 

 originally taken out by them and to other 

 articles of wearing apparel and similar 

 personal effects which may have been pur- 

 chased abroad by them not exceeding in 

 value the sum of $100. 



Foreign residents are only entitled to 

 bring in their clothing and articles needed 

 for their personal comfort. 



CUBAN TOBACCO EXPORTATIONS 



From January 1st to July 3, 1912, the 

 exportations were as follows. Comparisons 

 are made with the previous year same 

 period. 



1912 1911 



Leaf tobacco. 171,875 tercios 182,305 



Cigars 89,233,620 103,376,584 



Cigarettes . . . 8,730,909 packs 7,951,500 



Cut Tobacco. 234,411 kilos 154,367 



LAWS REGARDING CONCESSIONS 



Under existing laws in Cuba when a 

 person or corporation acquires a public 

 service concession, the concession is offered 

 at public bids to anyone making a better 

 offer concerning the duration of the con- 

 cession and the rates to be charged pas- 

 sengers for fares and in case such bidder 

 applies and makes a better offer an amount 

 of indemnity is fixed in favor of the owners 

 of the concession. 



SHOE MACHINES TO CUBA 



The Knaut Machine Company of Read- 

 ing, Pa., received recently an order from a 

 Cuban firm for 13 shoe stiching machines. 

 Eleven men are employed and the plant is 

 working 10 hours a day. 



ROTTERDAM EXPORTS TO CUBA 



1906 $215,120 



1907 228,909 



1908 191,144 



1909 22,640 



1910 268,536 



REVENUE OF THE REPUBLIC 



P'or the first six months of 1912 the in- 

 come of Cuba was $19,321,315, divided as 

 follows : 



General revenue, which includes 

 custom house collections, con- 

 sular fees, posts and tele- 

 graphs and other sources $15,347,606 



National loan tax 1,829,814 



National lottery 2,143,894 



The receipts for the first six months of 

 1912 from the national lottery show a 

 significant diminution. The lottery has 

 helped more than anything else to impov- 

 erish the working people of Cuba and to 

 make them less industrious and stable. 

 The drawings following so closely upon 

 each other (every ten days) have kept the 

 people in a ferment and made them in- 

 capable of attending to their work. The 

 figures by months, showing receipts to the 

 government from this source : 



January $444,387.49 



February 367,111.29 



March 363,500.72 



April 350,186.16 



May 344,032.00 



June 273,667.12 



CUBA S COMMERCE 



During 1910 the tonnage in the harbor 

 of New York was more than 25,000,000. 



Buenos Aires 8,726,000 



Rio Janeiro 8,330,000 



Havana 8,249,000 



Considering that the United States has 

 85,000,000 inhabitants, Argentine, 7,000,000, 

 and Brazil, 20,000,000, the commercial im- 

 portance of the port of Havana shows up 

 to advantage when it is considered that the 

 entire population of Cuba numbers but 

 2,250,000. — Figures from the Statistical 

 Abstract, New York. 



CUSTOM HOUSE COLLECTIONS 



The custom house collections at Havana 

 for the month of August compare as fol- 

 lows : 



1912 $1,628,150.14 



1911 1,597,533.39 



1910 1,414,351.17 



1909 1,516,254.53 



1908 1,292,894.44 



The United Wireless Telegraph Com- 

 pany's station at Havana has been taken 

 over by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph 

 Company of America. 



