T H E C U B A It E V I E W 11 



expectations about 20% or nearly one million tons. The rainfall so far this year has 

 been disappointing also and fears are that the production may fall lower still than 

 that estimated above. 



A movement is on foot among some of the cane growers of the Island to curtail 

 the output of cane this year as a means of guaranteeing higher prices for sugar. 

 Those living away from the source of production of sugar are little acquainted with 

 the many trying questions which are ever before the grower of this very important 

 commodity. Labor is the most serious question by far, and efforts are being made 

 to induce immigration of that class of labor which is satisfied to live under the con- 

 ditions prevailing on a sugar plantation. It is granted that living conditions for 

 these laborers are far from ideal. Some of the larger and older sugar centrals have 

 a splendid system of housing and provisioning laborers, but the newer and smaller 

 centrals have, in their extreme rush to erect the mill and commence grinding (after 

 suffering the usual aggravating delays in the receipt of their machinery and building 

 materials), in most cases not made proper allowance for quarters for the laborers, 

 and in many instances it is with great difficulty that labor is induced to remain on 

 plantations of this kind. 



And, too, there is another side of the question that has to be considered. Much 

 of the labor on sugar plantations throughout the Island, and especially on the East- 

 ern end of the Island, is either Jamaican or Haitian, and these two particular races 

 are manifestly clannish in that they gather in large groups and live separated from 

 the rest of the laborers which are encountered on Centrals. These people speak Eng- 

 lish and French and have the habit of doing their own cooking individually and living 

 as cheaply as possible, although they are paid splendid wages for their work. To this 

 end, they usually select some secluded spot and live in thatched roof "barracones," 

 eating for the most part poorly prepared foods and sleeping in hammocks swung 

 between posts. This class of labor does not absorb itself into the population at all, 

 and the laborers seem to have the idea of accumulating a small sum of money and 

 returning to their native land. The Spanish laborer is quite different in that he 

 usually requires living conditions of a higher order. He will be noticed eating at the 

 plantation "Fonda" or restaurant and living in houses properly furnished, and gen- 

 erally takes much better care of his hygienic surroundings than either the .Jamaican 

 or Haitian. 



NEW INDUSTRIES: The "Cuban and Dominican Development Corporation," with 

 a capital of $32,000,000.00, has been formed in New York to acquire large tracts of 

 sugar cane lands in Cuba and Santo Domingo. This Company is a combination of the 

 the West India Sugar Finance Corporation and Messrs. Potter Brothers, of New York, 

 bankers. Centrals "Hatillo" and "Santa Ana," in the Province of Oriente, and Cen- 

 tral "Barahona," in Camaguey Province, are among those already acquired by these 

 interests, and it is understood that several other large, centrals on the Island are to 

 be purchased. The full details of this large corporation are not yet available. 



The formation of a Company for the purpose of furnishing opportunities for 

 Americans to exhibit their, products in Havana was completed in this City on July 

 9th, with a capital of .$2,000,000.00. Mr. Joseph Springer, American Vice-Consul in 

 Havana, was elected President ; Mr. Elgin F. Curry, Tice-President and General 

 Manager ; Mr. Schultz, Secretary, and Mr. Elbeit C. Hendrir, Treasurer. The Com- 

 pany proposes to construct a building in Havana for the purpose of holding perma- 

 nent exhibits, and in this building will be constructed a lai"ge auditorium for the 

 purpose of holding conventions. This latter feature will appeal to many organizations 

 in the United States which would like to hold their conventions in Cuba, provided an 

 auditorium were available that could properly accommodate them. 



AMERICAN COMMISSION TO CUBA APPOINTED: Mr. I. L. Buchanan, repre- 

 sentative of the Washington Government, arrived in Havana July 12th, and it is 

 generally believed that Mr. Buchanan is one of the Commission of seventeen which 



