THE CUBA REVIEW 



25 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



CAMAGUEY 



A stock company has been promoted in 

 Camaguey by the Cattle Breeders' -\ss'n for 

 the construction in Camaguey Province of a 

 modern abbatoir, inckiding a fertilizer plant, 

 ice-storage house and facilities for handling 

 the by-products. The company has issued 

 stock to the amount of $2,000,000 common 

 and SoOO.OOO preferred, all of which has been 

 subscribed for. The financing is being 

 handled by the same group of bankers that 

 promoted the ]\Ianati Sugar Mill. 



The corner-stone for the main building was 

 laid April 18th. Bids for the buildings have 

 been asked for and the work is to commence 

 about yiay 18th. The buildings will repre- 

 sent an investment of .S200,000 at the begin- 

 ning and S300.000 is to be immediateh' in- 

 vested in the purchase of cattle. .§1,000.000 

 has been set aside on 6^^ bonds as a guaran- 

 tee for the financiers. The by-laws of the 

 companj^ are very conservative. Each mem- 

 ber of the board of directors must be a pre- 

 ferred stock holder. Shares sold atSlOOand 

 the nmnber of shares is unlimited to one 

 buyer. 



The plant will have an initial capacity of 

 200 head of cattle per day for the Havana and 

 Cuban market consumption. .Arrangements 

 have been completed with the Cuba RR. Co. 

 for 12 new refrigerator cars to be built in the 

 U. S. and returned to Cuba by the Ke}' "West 

 ferries. 



Premiums will be offered by the Breeder's 

 Ass'n to encomage the breeding of better 

 stock of cattle. 



This is only a sufficient number of cars to 

 handle the busine.ss at the beginning, and 

 other orders for cars v,'ill follow when the 

 plant is in fuU operation. Revenue for the 

 cars to be guaranteed by the Abbatoir com- 

 panj' to the railroad company until the busi- 

 ness is satisfactorily settled. One car of 

 dressed beef equals four cars on the hoof, and 

 the resultant saving in freight wiU be realized. 

 All livestock formerly shipped from this sec- 

 tion to the Havana packers will be killed in 

 the new plant and this saving in handling 

 and loss wiR be enormous. No competition 

 with the trust is anticipated at present, for 

 only one grade of beef is raised in Cuba at 

 the_present — an inferior grade which sells 



at about six cents — and the choice cuts of 

 beef and meats are all obtained from the 

 States. 



The one best feature of this new venture 

 will be the teaching to Cubans of the great 

 opportunities in the cattle-raising business and 

 will work hand in hand with the Government 

 agricultural station located at Camaguey. 

 The new company is looked upon in Cuba as 

 one of its best investments and a system of 

 training Cubans in the scientific raising of the 

 better grades of cattle will be introduced. 

 They ah-eady have the climate and pasture 

 lands and the question of water and irriga- 

 tion is to receive first attention. 



INCORPORATED IN NEW YORK 



Xorth Coast Exploring Corpn., realty on 

 north coast of Cuba, .S10,000; J. L. Feeny, H. 

 E. Reilly, K. E. Heimburger, 43 Exchange 

 Place. 



THREE ELECTRIC PLANTS 



Petitions have lately been rece-ved at the 

 office of the Secretary of Public Works for 

 permission to install electric lighting plants at 

 Santo Domingo and Cartagena in Santa 

 Clara Province, and in La Catalina, Havana. 



CUBA RR. 



It 's reported that the Cuba RR. has placed 

 an additional order for 15 locomotives with 

 the American Locomotive Co. 



On June 3d the first train was sent over the 

 new branch of the Cuba Raih-oad from Place- 

 tas to Fomento. Ultimately this branch will 

 be continued to Trinidad, and of com'se mil 

 be of immense benefit to this district. 



HAVANA CENTRAL RAILROAD 



This company is reported as being in the 

 mai'ket for 500 20-ton and 50 30-ton flat cars, 

 100 30-ton box cars and 6 consolidated loco- 

 motives. 



EXPORTS TO CUBA FROM GREAT BRITAIN 



1913 19U 



Linen piece goods S1.051..329 SS70,451 



