14 THECUBAREVIEW 



CONDITIONS IN CUBA AND WHAT THEY 

 SHOULD TEACH US 



By Bishop W. A. Candler 



Nineteen times since 1898, I have visited the Island of Cuba. During this jjeriod both 

 material and moral conditions on this rich and beautiful island have improved very much. 

 The population has increased from about l,60O,0CO to 2,500,000. 



The peo])le are more intelligent. Schools are better, and more pupils are in the schools. 

 The number of persons who speak English constantly increases; and there is a far better and 

 more general understanding among the people concerning the genuine friendship of the United 

 States for Cuba than ever liefore. A larger number of the Cul)an people observe the Sabbath 

 than formerly; and while the national lottery is still maintained, there is a growing sentiment 

 against this injurious and iniquitous institution. Recently the mvmicipality of Santa Clara, 

 the capital of the second province of the island in the number of its inhabitants, petitioned the 

 national congress to suppress it. All these things are marks of moral progress. 



Evidences of material progress are not less marked. The main crops in Cuba are those of 

 sugar cane and tobacco. While the latter crop has had its ups and downs, the production of 

 sugar in Cuba shows large advancement with every passing year. The following figures, giving 

 the tons of sugar produced each year since 1909 will show how great has been the growth of this 

 industry : 



1909-1910 1,804,349 tons. 1912-1913 2,429,240 tons. 



1910-1911 1,480,217 tons. 1913-1914.' 2,596,567 tons. 



1911-1912 1,893,687 tons. 



In view of the high price of sugar since the Eiu'opean war began, one would expect to find 

 very general prosperity among all the people of Cuba; but such is not the case. The sugar 

 industry is a rich man's enterprise; it is essentially an aristocratic indu.stry. This will be under- 

 stood clearly when it is stated that in all the island of Cuba there are only 174 "centrals," or 

 sugar mills. These establishments do not grind cane for anybody but their owners, a-; our 

 grist mills grind corn for anyone who brings a bushel or more to them, and take toll for the 

 service. A Cuban farmer who grows a small crop of cane must sell it to the nearest mill for 

 what the mill owners will pay him for it. There being no more than 174 mills in the whole 

 island, these "centrals" are not often found close to one another. One sugar mill has thus a 

 monoply of all the cane grown on a considerable area around it. The case is very much like 

 that which would prevail in Cieorgia, if there were only 174 grist mills in the State and every 

 man who grew corn found himself compelled to sell his corn to the millers for what they were 

 willing to pay him. A sugar central costs anywhere from .1500,000 to $1,000,000 and the 

 Cuban farmer who grows small crops of cane, can never hope to have a mill of his own; and if 

 he had it, the grinding of his small crop and the crops of a few of his neighbors would not pay. 

 Wherefore the profits of the sugar crop go in the main to make rich men richer. The wealthy 

 Cubans, who own sugar "centrals" have made much money during the past year, although the 

 Cuban people are little better off, if at all as prosperous as last year. But this case of the 

 owners of sugar mills during 1915 is not so promising. Heavy rains have prevailed during 

 December and thus far in Janaury, which is the grinding season; and the losses thereby arising 

 will be enormous. The winter months in which grinding is commonly done, are the dry season 

 generally in Cuba; but this year they have been very wet months, and both cane and tobacco 

 have suffered much from the rains. 



The coffee industry also which had begun to revive in the island, has suffered a setback. 

 In November the Cuban Coffee Growers' Association appealed to the agricultural department 

 of the govermiient for agricultural banks to save their industry from serious injury, if not 

 absolute destruction. They claimed that the coffee crop involving 2,950 coffee raisers, 

 engaging 25,000 persons, and yielding annually 3,600,000 pounds of coffee was threatened 

 through their inability to obtain loans without paying exorljitant rates of interest. 



So there are "hard times" in Cuba on account of the war, and harder times at hand, not- 

 withstanding the large crops gathered last year. The war is nothing less than an assault upon 

 the prosperitj' of manldnd. 



Our country could do much to relieve Culia, if it would; and it would make a profit from 

 doing so. This will be apparent by attentively considering the following figures of Cuban 

 imports and exports. The total trade of Cuba for 1913 (the figures for 1914 are not yet avail- 

 able) were: 



Imports. $143,826,869. 



Exports, $165,125,059. 



Balance of trade in favor of Cuba, $21,298,190. 



Of Cuba's exports the United States took $132,095,619, leaving to all the rest of the world 

 only $33,039,440. But Cuba imported from our country no more than $75,939,293; or in 

 other words, we had to pay Cuba, a cash balance of $56,146,326, out of which Cuba paid her 

 balances to other countries, which were against her to the amount of $34,848,136, or only 



