THE CUBA REVIEW 



19 



GENERAL BUSINESS NEWS 



WHAT CUBA BUYS 



A line in which the Yankees have a 

 monopoly is typewriters, and almost all the 

 bicycles used in Cuba are of American 

 manufacture. Then again railroad cars 

 are almost all of American manufacture, 

 and almost all lumber comes from the 

 United States. More than half of the con- 

 densed milk comes from the United States, 

 although foreign firms put up a stiff fight 

 for this trade all the while, and virtually 

 all the oleomargarine is of American 

 manufacture. Oil-cloth is still another line 

 where the preference for American goods 

 is so strong that competition has been 

 distanced, and the same is true of cotton- 

 seed oil. The preference that exists in so 

 many lines is simply a testimonial as to 

 the quality of American goods. There is 

 no line in which foreign manufacturers do 

 not seek business in Cuba. Indeed, in 

 many instances foreign firms had a strong 

 foothold long before trade with the 

 United States began to grow apace. But 

 on the basis of quality and price, the 

 American goods met foreign competition 

 fairly and squarely, and in a majority of 

 cases the outcome has been that the 

 Yankees either monopolize the trade or at 

 least enjoy the lion's share of the business. 

 The Americans have the bulk of the 

 cement trade, and it is increasing, inas- 

 much as cement construction is adapted to 

 the Cuban climate. American oil goes to 

 Cuba as it does to every country on the 

 globe, and the Yankees have in the Cuban 

 field beaten out the Germans, even on such 

 lines as mirrors. The United States sells 

 five or six times as much steel as her 

 nearest competitor, and she also has a 

 long lead in such articles as paints and 

 varnishes. 



A line in which the United States has 

 thus far had to yield the palm to Great 

 Britain is cotton goods of all kinds, but 

 many shrewd observers of international 

 trade conditions are confident that the time 

 will come ere many years when the Ameri- 

 cans will obtain a much larger slice of 

 this trade. In silks France leads, but the 

 United States is a good second and is 

 gaining, whereas France is losing — at 

 least that has been the situation in some 

 recent years. American manufacturers sell 

 twice as much paper in Cuba as do those 

 of any other nationality, and the American 

 firms sell more books than any of their 

 competitors, not even excepting those in 

 Spain. The United States also has with 

 Cuba a good trade in musical instruments 

 and one that is increasing by leaps and 

 bounds. Millions of dollars' worth of 

 American machinery are also sold in Cuba 



every year — sugar machinery, agricultural 

 machinery, _ pumps, motors, etc. In some 

 lines — for instance, agricultural machinery 

 — the American lines have a virtual mo- 

 nopoly of the trade. — -Exporters and Im- 

 porters Journal, New York. 



CUBAN TELEPHONE CO.'s EARNINGS 



The earnings of the Cuban Telephone 

 Company for the month of September are 



as follows : 



Receipts $.58,767.18 



Maintenance costs 15,116.50 



Net earnings $43,650.68 



On September 1st the company had 

 10,082 subscribers, a gain for the month 

 of 235. 



CUBA SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH 



The report of the Cuba Submarine Tele- 

 graph Company, Ltd., of London for the 

 half-year ended June 30, 1912, states that 

 the total receipts of the six months were 

 £23,721, and the expenses £7,834, leaving a 

 balance of £15,887, to which has to be added 

 £7,655 brought forward, giving a total of 

 £23,543. The reserve fund is now £92,000. 

 The directors recommended a dividend at 

 the rate of 6 per cent per annum on the 

 ordinary shares, free of income-tax, carry- 

 ing £7,743 forward. 



NEW CONSUL FOR GALVESTON 



An announcement is made of the ap- 

 pointment of Prospero Pichardo as Cuban 

 consul at the port of Galveston. Mr. Pi- 

 chardo had, prior to this appointment, been 

 vice-consul for Cuba at Port Saint La Caer, 

 France, for fourteen months. 



Upon his arrival, former Consul Nicholas 

 Perez Stable at Galveston will leave for 

 Halifax, England, where he has been ap- 

 pointed consul for his country. 



HAVANA S CUSTOMS COLLECTIONS 



The October collections of Havana's 

 custom house compare as follows : 



1912 $1,739,174 



1911 1,647,752 



1910 1,308,242 



1909 1,452,828 



1908 1,469,084 



1907 1,669,234 



The custom house collections at Matan- 

 zas for the month of October, 1912, was 

 $74,146.28. 



