THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY 



The cigar industry in Havana was none too 

 prosperous in the earUer part of the year, but 

 it received a staggering Ijlow through the out- 

 break of the war, which summarily cut off its 

 markets in Germany, and seriously curtailed 

 them in every other European country except 

 Spain. 



The war also had its effect upon the leaf 

 tobacco situation in Cuba, and while this has 

 meant lower ])rices to cigar manufacturers in 

 the United States, they have not thus far been 

 able to largely reap the expected benefit from 

 the decreased cost of raw material. 



mand on the part of the American manufac- 

 turers, there is bound to be a decided reaction, 

 and a rise in prices, as soon as business starts 

 up in thenewy^ear." — -Havana correspondence 

 of Tobacco, New York. 



HAVANA'S CIGAR EXPORTS 



Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 1914 115,745,199 



Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 1913 164,969,777 



Decrease in 1914 49,224,578 



INTERESTING VIEWS OF THE BOSTON 

 RECORD ON THE SITUATION IN CUBA 



We all are so surfeited with the war tragedy 

 of Europe that we let what seem by comparison 

 very minor misfortunes pass almost unnoted: 

 distress which in other days would excite the 

 public to compassion is overlooked. Just 

 now is is bad news that comes from Cuba — 

 not tragic news, but news of loss which means 

 some degree of suffering there in the months 

 to come. Torrential rains are reported to 

 have destroy^ed much of the tobacco crop in 

 some sections of the island, and to have re- 

 duced the sugar cane 50 p. c. in quality^ 

 When a country or a district depends for its 

 prosperity on one or two great crops, such 

 risk of loss is an ever-present menace. Great 

 tobacco production and healthy cane spell 

 great times for Cuba; and similarly, disaster 

 to either or both of these crops spells depres- 

 sion. Planters of tobacco in our Massachu- 

 setts valleys know in some measure what this 

 means. There is a large profit in tobacco 

 growing, and the bait tempts many' a farmer, 

 w'ho keeps at his lush green crop even after 

 repeated experiences of loss through hail- 

 storms, rains, wind, etc. 



December 17th Havana advices were to the 

 effect that almost all the stock of leaf still in 

 the hands of vegueros or country merchants 

 are worm-eaten, some to such an extent that 

 they are only fit for fertilizer. If this is ture, 

 then the large crop may dwindle down to even 

 less than a normal crop, so that in combina- 

 tion with a greatly reduced crop in 1915, 

 even if there should be only an ordinary de- 



TOBACCO SITUATION IN CUBA 



Marcelino Perez, of ]\Iarcelino Perez & Co., 

 in an interview given to the representative of 

 "Tobacco'" made the following interesting 

 statement: 



"Cuba in general is in very poor circum- 

 stances, and the political situation is in bad 

 shape," "Nearly all the tobacco families are 

 migrating to the sugar district of Vuelta 

 Arriba in view of the expectations of a great 

 demand for sugar at higher prices than ever." 



When Senor Perez arrived in Havana he 

 foimd only one leaf tobacco buyer from the 

 United States .already there, but during his 

 18 days' stay, 50 buy^ers arrived, all of whom 

 bought a lot or a little tobacco. "Buyers 

 were encouraged," said Senor Perez. "They 

 found the crop an extremely good one; the 

 burning qualities were of the best, and prices 

 ran a little cheaper, especially in the flimsy 

 goods. 



"High class goods, the goods that will keep 

 a year or two, sustained their high price, 

 owing to the bad circumstances the country 

 is in with reference to the new croj). But 

 little tobacco has been planted and it is ex- 

 pected that the most that will be collected in 

 the new crop vrill he less than half a normal 

 crop." 



During his stay in the island, Mr. Perez 

 bought enough choice tobacco to carry him 

 over the entire next year, or, as he put it to 

 the Tobacco man, "Unless my business doubles 

 up, I will not have to buy a bale of the new 

 crop." 



Hon. William C. Redfield, Secretary of 

 Commerce, has made the interesting an- 

 nouncement that the publication of the Daily 

 Consular and Trade Reports will hereafter be 

 published under the name of Commerce Re- 

 ports. This publication will be of great 

 value to the American Exporters and all those 

 interested in foreign trade. Its material is 

 sent in from three hundred American Consuls, 

 ten Commercial Attaches, and eight branch 

 offices of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic 

 Commerce, and American export commission 

 agents from all parts of the world. It goes 

 without saying that the commercial facts dis- 

 tributed by this medium will be of the highest 

 value. 



