THE CUBA REVIEW 



33 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



$3,708,500 preferred stock and $3,371,000 

 common stock. The dividends on the com- 

 mon stock were 4% for 1914, and the dividends 

 on the preferred stock 8 %. cinuulative. 

 The earnings for the year 1915 have not yet 

 been given to the public, but the}' are under- 

 stood to be largely in excess of 4% on com- 

 mon. The Guantanamo Sugar Company 

 owns about 35,000 acres of sugar land near 

 Guantanamo, Cuba, and its earnings, as 

 shoT^Ti by the report, have been very 

 large for the fiscal j-ear ended June 30, 

 1915. 



A NEW CUBAN BAGGING FIBER 



Experiments are being carried on in Cuba 

 with the fiber of a plant locally known as 

 "malva blanca," which is said to produce an 

 ideal fabric for sugar bags. According to the 

 Habana correspondent of Sugar, the fiber is 

 soft and silky, possesses a tensile strength 

 greater than hemp, is capable of close weaving, 

 and not susceptible to shrinkage if wet. No 

 special machines are required for handling the 

 fiber, those adapted for spinning and weaving 

 hemp, jute or henequen being saitable for 

 malva blanca. 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



CUBAN CONTRACT 



The Caibarien-Remedios Water "\^'orks 

 Compam^ of Caibarien, Cuba, has appointed 

 as their fiscal agents J. G. White & Co., Inc., 

 43 Exchange Place, New York, and awarded 

 contract for the engineering to the J. G. ^^^lite 

 Engineering Corporation, of 43 Exchange 

 Place, N. Y. Construction is to be started im- 

 mediately, and will probably be completed 

 within one year. The contract calls for a 

 gravity sj^stem water supply from a series of 

 springs, the main pipe line extending from the 

 springs, through Remedios, to the cit^- of 

 Caibarien. In all, the system -will require ap- 

 proximately 37 miles of jiipe line to properly 

 cover the two cities, and the cost of the entire 

 development will be between $400,000 and 

 $450,000. Caibarien is located in the Pro- 

 vince of Santa Clara, on the north coast of 

 Cuba, and is one of the largest shipping ports 

 on the Island. 



CUBA TO CONSERVE GOLD 



At a meeting of bankers and merchants in 

 Havana it was resolved to urge President 

 Menocal to decree that the government shall 

 pay the cost of converting Spanish gold, wliich 

 is not legal tender after November, into 

 Cuban coin rather than let Cuba lose the 

 gold. 



It is estimated that the value of the gold is 

 $25,000,000. 



CUBA RAILROAD COMPANY 



It i.* stated on good authority that the 

 Cuba Railroad Company has purchased the 

 Puerto Prmcipe and Nuevitas Railroad Line, 

 which connects Camaguey with Nuevitas. 

 The amount paid for this railroad is under- 

 stood to be $3,000,000. 



CUBAN DISTILLING COMPANY 



It is reported that this company proposes 

 the shipment of molasses between Cuba and 

 American ports, principally by means of 

 molasses barges, which will be towed from 

 Cuba to American ports by tug boats. One 

 tug and two barges will be placed in commis- 

 sion shortlv. 



NEW FREIGHT LINE 



According to press reports, a new line of 

 freight steamers is to be established to run 

 between Genoa, Italy, and Havana, Cuba, 

 the steamers to be under the Italian flag. 



UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE 



The United States Civil Service Connnis- 

 ion, Washington, D. C, announces an ex- 

 amination to be held on Nov. 30th, 1915, for 

 a special agent, qualified as a Latin-American 

 trade expert, to fill a vacancy in the Bureau 

 of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, salary 

 $3,000 per year, traveling expenses and 

 subsistence when he is absent on official busi- 

 ness to be allowed. 



