THE CUBA REVIEW 



25 



CARROS DE MOTOR 



DE LA 



COMPANIA BUDA 



Fabricamos equipos para Ferrocarriles e In- 

 [ genios, que incluyen Carritos de Mano, 

 Carretillas, 

 Gatos, Cam- 

 biaviasy 

 Ranas 



30 Church Street, New York 



CUBA AND THE EUROPEAN WAR 



Cuba, child of American democracy, 

 through her own ingenious statecraft and 

 resourcefuhiess, has weathered the financial 

 stringency caused by the European war. Her 

 title to an easy money mart while the war 

 is juggling other nations' stocks, finds its 

 basic strength in federal exigency. 



Free maritime insurance on tobacco, mint- 

 ing of money by the state, advance from 6 to 

 8 per cent, on hypothetical loans, consolida- 

 tion of the rural guard and army, and govern- 

 mental aid to the unemployed, turned the 

 trick for Cuba. The story of the govern- 

 ment's recovery from the panicky condition 

 resultant from the European conflagration is 

 prettity told in the matter-of-fact report of the 

 country's condition, recently issued. 



When war closed brokerages of the world 

 and banks shut their doors and moratoriums 

 were declared, Cuba became active in her own 

 behalf. And before the world at large had 

 shook off the awful paralysis of world-war, 

 the tiny island nation was sailing in a sea of 

 prosperity and confidence. 



One of the first measures adopted by the 

 state was allowing the advance of from 6 to 8 

 per cent on loans of the hypothetical bank — 

 the Territorial Bank of Cuba. This was the 

 first modification of the laws of 1910 pro- 

 viding for the establishment of such an insti- 

 tution. Minting of government money also 

 came up in conjunction with this as the tight- 

 ness of the world's cash became more apparent. 

 These two measures practically assured 

 interior prosperity. 



Gold was taken as a standard for the new 

 coinage and money was coined in denomina- 

 tions ranging from 2 cents to $20. In gold, 

 allowing 001. alloy, $20, $10, $5, $4, $2 and $1 

 pieces were coined. In silver, .002 alloy, $1, 

 40c. 20c. and 10c. were coined. In nickel — • 

 250 parts nickel, 750 parts copper — 5c, 2c and 

 Ic. pieces were coined. This new money and 

 that of the United States are declared the only 

 legal tender of the island government. 



State guarantees, free, of foreign shipments 



of tobacco, up to 75 per cent of its value, was 

 one of the greatest reliefs of the country, 

 tobacco being one of the principal ex]3orts of 

 the country. This guarantee is on the man- 

 factures product as well as the raw material. 



For the sake of relieving the government's 

 economic condition, the government arranged 

 for the consolidation of the rural guard and 

 the standing army of the republic. This was 

 done by a modification of the country's laws 

 to make the duties of the two uniform, and a 

 recasting of the functions of the general head- 

 quarters of the army, thus dispensing with a 

 heavy governmental e.xpense by consolida- 

 tion of two staffs. 



The next step taken by the country was the 

 care of the unemployed — the majority being 

 tobacco plantation laborers. The country 

 provided that "the executive shall employ 

 the sum of $5,000,000 in the establishing of 

 asylums, rations, orphanages, a home for help- 

 less women and whatever other means he may 

 deem necessary." 



Cuba's chief export product is sugar, the 

 1914-15 crop being estimated at 2,660,286 

 tons (2,240 pounds each). Exportation of 

 sugar from the country for January to Nov- 

 ember, 1914, follows: Sacks Tons 

 To three ports north of 



Hatteras 12,867,442 1,836,206 



New Orleans 2,109,806 301,414 



Galveston 220,480 31,496 



Canada 41,899 5,987 



Vancouver 38,200 5,457 



Japan 135,215 19,316 



Europe 1,921,954 274,565 



Totals 17,335,086 2,476,441 



Sacks, 320 pounds each; tons, 2,240 pounds 

 each. 



The principal other products of the island 

 are alcohol, cigars, cigarettes, leaf tobacco, 

 cocoa, molasses, honey, wax, tortoise shell, 

 mahogany, cedar, raw hides, cocoanut, ba- 

 nanas, pineapples, oranges, grape fruit and 

 all kinds of vegetables. — San Antonio (Tex.) 

 Express. 



