10 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



GENERAL COMMENT ON CUBAN AFFAIRS 



INTERESTING VIEWS ON THE TARIFF 



That Cuba is growing restless under the 

 operations of the Underwood tariff, which 

 cut the Cu])an preferential on sugar, and that 

 it is likely to denounce the reciprocal arrange- 

 ment with this country is asserted by Paul J. 

 Christian, the Washington representative of 

 the American Cane Growers' Association. 



Mr. Christian recently had an interview 

 with President Menocal, and quotes him as 

 referring him to the proposed commercial 

 cruise, with a view of increasing our trade 

 with the West Indies and South America, 

 which was to start from New York 

 on January 29th. This cruise, it is under- 

 stood, has been abandoned. Commenting on 

 the object of the cruise, President Menocal is 

 quoted as saying that the U. S. could hardly 

 expect to increase its exioort trade with Cuba, 

 or to retain the volume that it has at present 

 if at the same time the United States persists 

 in destroying the preferential Cuba now en- 

 joys by admitting all foreign sugar free of 

 duty. 



"The President said," continues Mr. Chris- 

 tian, "that the most favored nation clause 

 in the treaty with other coimtries would re- 

 quire Cuba to accord their exporters the same 

 treatment as American goods if the Reci- 

 procity Treaty between the United States 

 and Cuba is destroyed. The preferential 

 treatment accorded her sugar was the princi- 

 pal benefit Cuba derived from the Recipro- 

 city Treaty, and if the United States adopted 

 a policy of free sugar her own interests would 

 compel Cuba to abrogate that treaty." 



Mr. Christian says that, to avoid misunder- 

 standings, he wrote out his impressions of the 

 interview and submitted them to President 

 Menocal who, through his Secretary, expressed 

 his approval of the above, which may there- 

 fore be accepted as correct. 



The possibility that Cuba would take such 

 action was pointed out in the United States 

 Tobacco Journal when the sugar tariff was 

 under discussion and the reasons why it would 

 deprive Cuba of the benefits she had enjoyed 

 under the Reciprocity Treaty were clearly 

 set forth. President Menocal has thus evi- 

 denced to Mr. Christian the trend of thought 

 in Cuban official circles along the hnes indi- 

 cated in these despatches more than a year 

 ago. 



A strong effort is being put forward by the 

 Louisiana sugar planters, with such assistance 

 as the beet-sugar men can give them, to have 

 that portion of the Underwood Bill which 

 sets May 1, 1916, as the date for free sugar, 

 repealed. Although conditions in Louisiana 

 are admittedly ruinous and the voters at the 

 last election elected one Progressive to Con- 

 gress, thus manifesting their discontent, it is 

 not believed that the sugar schedule will be 

 modified. Hence confronted with free sugar 



on Maj' 1, 1916, it is quite possible that Cuba 

 will take steps to abrogate the Reciprocity 

 Treaty to do which now requires a years' 

 notice. — -From U. S. Tobacco Journal. 



AFTER OIL IN CUBA 



Roy Parrish, of Wllhamstown, who, with 

 several other drillers of this locality, are in 

 Cuba drilling test wells for the Cuban Oil 

 Company, tells in a letter of their experiences. 



]Mr. Parrish states that in the first well 

 drilled some oil was found. He does not say 

 at what depth, but three months' time was 

 consimied in its completion, starting with the 

 moving, building the rig, etc. On the second 

 test no oil was found and they are contem- 

 plating a move 50 miles up the coast from 

 Cardenas, near where the drilling was done. 

 Flowers in great profusion are in bloom at this 

 season and the trees are in full foliage. The 

 company, which is a branch of a big New 

 York corporation, furnishes the men horses 

 to ride from their camp to the nearest town 

 five miles distant. The four men went from 

 here imder a six months' contract for .$150 a 

 month straight time, with transportation paid 

 both ways. In the event that a strike of any 

 consequence is made it is expected that they 

 will get many drilling crews from this section.. 

 — Parkersburg (W. Va.) Sentinel. 



HOW THEY RUN FILMS IN CUBA 



Did you ever hear about the way they run 

 their film theatres in Cuba and in South 

 America? If you go in to see a feature film 

 in this country and don't get another film or 

 two with it, you think the manager is giving 

 you a short show. Well, down in Cuba and 

 South America, they take the feature film of 

 five parts and cut it u]) into twenty parts, 

 and then they proceed in this unusual fashion. 

 They will run about three or foin- of the 

 twenty parts and then stop the film and show 

 a very short comic. If you want to see the 

 rest of the feature film you must go out and 

 buy another ticket, and then the operation is 

 repeated. In that way they get about six 

 admissions for a five part feature. That's 

 what you might call an improvised serial. 

 There are about 5,000 theatres in all in the 

 West Indies and South America, according to 

 a buyer of films now in the city. — -New York 

 Mail. 



The Consul-General to Cuba, Mr. James 

 L.Rodgers,will shortly make an address at the 

 meeting of the Jacksonville Chamber of Com- 

 merce. Mr. Rodgers will deal with the pros- 

 pects and possibilities of closer trade relations 

 between the United States and Cuba. 



