THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



experience, they are found as lasting as the colors made with any other sort of dyeing wood 

 whatsoever, and on this ground it repaals so much of the statute of England as relates to logwood 

 and gives permission to impart it and use it for dyeing. C. H. PEARSON. 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



PINEAPPLE EXPORTS FROM HABANA 



The total exports of pineapples from this 

 port to the United States during the shipping 

 season, which is at its height in the months 

 of April, May and June, were 8^2, 505 crates, 

 the declared value being at the rate of $1 a 

 crate. 



The ex-ports for IS 15 were 1,674,249 crates, 

 the decrease in the present year being attri- 

 buted to the extreme drought of the winter 

 months and the increased cane plantings on 

 lands formerly devoted to pineapples. 



While the declared value of the pineapple 

 for export to the United States is placed at 

 the uniform figure of SI a crate for the entire 

 season, the actual value in this market is esti- 

 mated at about $1.60 a crate, which would 

 make the total received by the exporters for 

 the crop of 1916 approximately $1,500,000. 

 As there is a large local consumption of this 

 fruit, it is probable that the total value of 

 the crop produced in western Cuba was in 

 excess of $2,000,000. 



Now that the pineapple growers in Cuba 

 are coming to realize the importance of coop- 

 eration in the marketing of their product, and 

 of more modern methods of culture, includ- 

 ing proper fertilization, the financial returns 

 are much better than heretofore. It has 

 been proven that proper fertilization has the 

 greatest influence on the flavor of the fruit and 

 its shipping qualities, and under favorable 

 conditions it has been demonstrated that as 

 fine a quality of fruit may be grown in Cuba 

 as is produced any^vhere in the world. — Cgk- 

 siil Henry M. Wolcolt, Habana. 



CUBAN MARKET FOR RUBBER HEELS 



The use of rubber heels on shoes is very gen- 

 eral in Cuba, especially in the larger cities. 

 Only heels of ^Vmerican manufacture are to be 

 found, at least five well-knoiftTi brands from 

 the United States being on sale in different 

 parts of the island. Distribution is effected 

 in some cases through regular shoe-jobbing 

 houses in Habana or the various other port 

 cities; in other cases the heels are purchased 



through a large shoe-findings wholesaler in 

 Habana, who has a selling organization in 

 each of the six provinces. 



Very little advertising of rubber heels is 

 seen outside of the capital city, and it is be- 

 lieved that an aggressive advertising cam- 

 paign throughout the island on the part of 

 American manufacturers of this product 

 would result in largely increased sales. In 

 some Cuban cities and toTvms, although a 

 shoe dealer would have a good line of Amer- 

 ican made rubber heels in stock, no attempt 

 would be made to advertise this fact to the 

 public. Undoubtedly window display cards 

 of metal or cardboard, or wall posters were 

 forwarded by the manufacturer with the ship- 

 ment of heels, but in many cases these have 

 never been used, or if used, were soon dis- 

 carded. It should be emphasized in this 

 connection that advertising matter in Engish 

 is useless in most parts of Cuba. It is true 

 that English is imderstood by many Cubans 

 in Habana, but Spanish is the language of the 

 island, and to get real results from an adver- 

 tisement of any form, it should be printed in 

 idiomatic Spanish. 



There is a good sale for rubber heels at- 

 tached to new shoes, many retailers carrying 

 several lines of men's and women's shoes im- 

 ported in this way. The usual price charged 

 by a Cuban retailer for attaching rubber heels 

 to a pair of shoes is 70 cents, instead of the 

 standard price of 50 cents, common in the 

 United States. This amount seems to be a 

 fair price to the native consumer, and retailers 

 are of the opinion that very few sales are lost 

 because of the price charged. The problem 

 in Cuba, as in the United States, is not one 

 of price, but of convincing the individual that 

 he wants rubber heels on his shoes. — Special 

 Agent H. G. Brock, Habana. 



DELAWARE CHARTERS. 



Guantanamo Electric Co., carry on busi- 

 ness of electrical company, $800,000; E. J 

 Chibas, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba; E. L 

 Duforc and Miguel Ferrer, both of New York 



