THE CUBA REVI EW. 



13 



COMMERCIAL MATTERS. 



Summary of Customs Rulings. 



(Especially summarized for the CUBA REVIEW.) 



Havana, Nov. 11th, 1908. 

 Ruling of Oct. S, 1908.— Paragraph 64 of 

 Customs Tariff amended to provide that 

 v^ire covered with tissue or insulating ma- 

 terial for the transmission of electricity. 



(a) Wires and cables not protected, 100 

 kilos— $7.50. 



(b) The same protected by lead tubes 

 and other insulating covers, 100 kilos — $2.00. 



Ruling of Oct. 3, 1908. — Amending para- 

 graphs 128 and 142 of the Customs Tariff : 



128 — Trimmings of cotton, ribbons and 

 galloons, N. W. kilo— $0.52. 



(a) Braids and ribbons of cotton for 

 wires, head stalls and girths, N. W. kilo — 

 $0.15. 



The above wires, head stalls and girths 

 shall be surcharged 50% for make-up. 



Paragraph 142 — Trimmings of hemp, 

 jute, linen, ramie, etc., ribbons and gal- 

 loons, N. W. kilo— $0.60. 



(a) Braids and ribbons of hemp, jute, 

 linen, ramie, etc., for reins, head-stalls and 

 girths, N. W. kilo— $0.17. 



Plus 50% surcharge for make-up. 



Ruling of Oct. 12. — Paragraph 281 is 

 amended to read as follows : 



(a) Vinegar in casks, barrels or half- 

 barrels (Disp. 3rd, Rule 5) per hectolitre 

 $3.00. 



(b) In bottles, flasks, demijohns or other 

 like receptacles (Disp. 3rd, Rule 13), per 

 hectolitre $9.00. 



Paragraph 282 — Saffron, safllower and 

 flowers of tobor, ad valorem, 25%. 



283 — Cinnamon of all kinds, cloves, pep- 

 per and nutmegs, ad valorem 25%. 



Rulings of Oct. 12. — The following clause 

 is added to paragraph 127 of the Customs 

 1 ariff : 



(a) Bags for packing sugar at sugar mills 

 or refineries, made of plain or twilled cotton 

 tissue, whenever imported with the name of 

 the mill or refinery indelibly marked there- 

 on, also location of same, N. W. kilo, $0.09. 

 Exempted from all surtax. 



ixuling of Oct. 12. — Note 1st group 4th 

 (vessels) in Class XI of the Customs Tariff, 

 is extended to include also dynamos and 

 lamps for electric lighting, glassware, crock- 

 ery, knives, forks, spoons, table and bed 

 linen and kitchen utensils, in suitable quan- 

 tity and quality to the class and service of 

 the vessels, provided that such articles are 

 conspicuously stamped with the name of the 

 vessel and that said vessels are engaged in 

 the coastwise trade. 



Ruling of Oct. 15th. — Amending paragraph 

 4 in Clause 11 of Article 97 of the Customs 

 Regulations, to read that : 



No entry shall be admitted having any 



erasures or amendments, nor shall any in- 

 voice be admitted unless the original signed 

 one of the manufacturer, producer, seller, 

 owner or shipper of the merchandise, as the 

 case may be. 



Important Improvements in Telegraph 

 Service. 



Director Chas. Hernandes of the depart- 

 ment of mails and telegraphs, states that 

 the work of constructing three new central 

 telegraph lines between Santa Clara and 

 Santiago de Cuba has been completed, as 

 well as the reconstruction of the two old 

 lines which were previously the sole means 

 of communication with thase provinces. 

 On some of the central wires between Ha- 

 vana and Santiago de Cuba "Duplex" ap- 

 paratus has been installed, permitting the 

 sending of two messages simultaneously. 

 The distance saved by these improvements 

 is 619 kilometers and required 2,567 kilo- 

 meters of new wires. This is the most im- 

 portant work of its kind to be completed 

 since the inception of the telegraph on the 

 island. 



The expansion in telegraphic communi- 

 cation has not been limited to this, how- 

 ever, but there have been constructed num- 

 berless lines and branches with forty-five 

 new stations, and nearly all the existing 

 stations have been reconstructed, assuring 

 communication by utilizing other wires if 

 the ones usually employed are interrupted. 



The first wireless station at Nueva 

 Gerona (Isle of Pines) has been recon- 

 structed, the new stations at Havana, Pinar 

 del Rio and Santa Clara are finished, the 

 stations at Camaguey, Bayamo, Santiago 

 and Baracoa are being installed and will 

 be finisned next month. Thus there will 

 be soon completed a system of wireless 

 telegraph. 



The ' Director of Telegraphs furnishes 

 this data and points out that with these im- 

 provements the provinces of S'anta Clara, 

 Camaguey and Oriente, which were pre- 

 viously served by only two lines in an effi- 

 cient state, now are assured of perfect ser- 

 vice over five lines. 



Dry Glue Imports. 



The Cuban imports of dry glue in the 

 fiscal year 1906 amounted to 410,294 

 pounds, of which the United States fur- 

 nished 194,713 pounds, Germany 114,081 

 pounds, and France 42,909 pounds. The 

 glue is used in the wood-working trades, 

 from which there is an increasing de- 

 mand. 



Havana's Custom House Receipts. 



1906. 1907. 1908. 



Oct. $1,258,295.35 $1,621,074.48 $1,469,084.43 



