16 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



PRESS COMMENT ON CUBAN AFFAIRS 



ROGER W. BABSON ON CUBAN TRADE 



The most important coimtry of Central 

 America or the West Indies is Cuba. It is 

 tlie hirgest inhabited island in the Western 

 Hemisphere. It is nearer to the Ignited States 

 than any foreign country except Mexico, and 

 probably has the most stable government. 

 Does the average person realize that here is an 

 island more than 750 miles long, with a popu- 

 lation of 54 persons to the square mile, as 

 compared with 5 to the scjuare mile in the 

 average South American country? Does he 

 realize that the imports for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 1913, were $132,350,000 for a popu- 

 lation of $2,500,000, or $52 per capita, as 

 compared with South American imports (be- 

 fore the war) of about $1,000,000,000 to 35,- 

 000,000 people, or $28 per capita? The bal- 

 ance of trade in favor of Culia during this 

 period was $32,663,000, a per capita balance 

 of $13. 



It is interesting to note that Cuba's annual 

 sugar crop exceeds $120,000,000, that her 

 annual yield of tobacco of $32,000,00, that her 

 citrus fruits and vegetables are produced at 

 the value of $10,000,000, and that pineapple, 

 cacao, honey, asphalt, iron, hennequen, ma- 

 hogany, cedar, etc., yield $10,000,000. It is a 

 fact, moreover that Cuba's exports have in- 

 creased 140 per cent in 10 years, and her im- 

 ports 82 per cent, in the same length of time, 

 and that there are on the average 22 steamers 

 a week to the United States, which is more 

 than four times as many as to South America. 



The opportimities in Cuba presented to the 

 the peojjle of the United States may be rough- 

 ly divided into two classes; first, those existing 

 to manufacturers who wish to extend their 

 foreign tracle and to whom Cul)a offers an ex- 

 cellent market; secondly, to men of moderate 

 means who desire to take up the growing 

 of staple foodstuffs. 



Control of Cuba's Market 



In the first place, it must be remembered 

 that the United States already controls half of 

 Cuba's imports and nearly 85 per cent, of her 

 exports. This means that many keen United 

 States business men have already availed 

 themselves of this market. In other words, 

 Cuban imports from the Unitetl States al- 

 ready amount to $17 per capita, and Cuban 

 exports to the United States already amount 

 to $20 per capita. The chances for increased 

 trade, moreover, are growing steadily, and 

 the recent opening of the ferry service be- 

 tween Havana and Key West inaugurates an 

 era of greatly augmented trade possil)ilities. 



Cuba has a very delightful winter climate, 

 and is said to raiik as the secontl healthiest 

 country, per capita, in the world. The death 

 rate is 12.69 per thousand; while that of Aus- 

 traha, which alone is lower, is 12 per thousand. 

 The extreme low winter temperature is 60 

 -degrees. The mean average temperature of 



January is 70.3 degrees. The rainy season is 

 in summer, the dry in winter. There are 

 1,246 miles of magnificent shaded automobile 

 roads and driveways, extending all over the 

 island, and the beach roads on the north shore 

 are as fine as those of Florida. The suburbs 

 of Havana arc unsurpassed. The scenery is 

 picturesque, the hotels all that could be wished 

 for, and the people are courteous and friendly. 



Suggestions to Manufacturers 



With these attractions it would seem that 

 manufacturers should get busy and place even 

 more of our products in Cuba. To these man- 

 ufacturers I would, however, speak a few 

 words of advice. First of all, in seeking to in- 

 crease your trade, send a representative to 

 Cuba who will visit Havana, Matanzas, San- 

 tiago, Cienfuegos and all the other important 

 cities. Don't let him be content with visiting 

 Havana. He should study the wants and 

 customs of the Cubans which, from climatic 

 and other reasons, are necessarily different 

 from ours. He will have to learn that he can- 

 not force any kind of an article on the Cuban. 

 When he comes back to your factory, he is 

 ver\' likely to impress on you that you cannot 

 acquire and hold the trade of a foreign people 

 while you continue to send out fabrics in 

 American lengths and widths which do not 

 suit these Cuban people. 



I might say, in this connection, that the 

 American manufactm-er is very set, as a rule, 

 in his methods of foreign trading. He says to 

 himself that the foreigner must accept his 

 styles, measurements, weights and systems of 

 credit. This is where he is very wrong, and it 

 is precisely for this reason that European man- 

 ufacturers have been able to step in under our 

 nose and carry off a valuable percentage of the 

 trade. 



I wish again to impress upon the manufac- 

 turer the necessity of sending his own man to 

 Cuba, for he must bear in mind that the ex- 

 penses of a trip to Cuba is nowhere near as 

 much as for the South American journey. 



Not only are transportation costs much 

 less, but it is cheaper to line in Cuba than in 

 South America. In selecting a representative 

 in Havana we should get a good man who 

 speaks Spanish fluently, pay a good salary, 

 and give him full liberty to work out the busi- 

 ness in Cuba. This will be cheaper in the long 

 run. 



As to the second class of opportunities, the 

 Cuban Government has ex]:)ended a consider- 

 able sum to encourage immigration of the mart 

 of moderate means, who will take up the voca- 

 tion of raising truck and garden produce. In 

 this connection it has sent out relialjle inform- 

 ation, particluarly as to agricultural advan- 

 tages. This work has been greatly needed, as 

 for many years irresponsible firms have been 

 sending out to all ]iarts alluring and mislead- 

 ing literature concerning Cuban opportuni- 

 ties,especially in regard to citrus fruit growing. 



