T H E C U B A R E V I E W 35 



SUGAR REVIEW 



Specially Written for The Cuba Review by Willett & Gray, of New York 



Our last review for this magazine was dated January 9, 1914. 



At that date centrifugal sugar of 96° test from Cuba was quoted at 3.26c. per lb. duty- 

 paid, and is now quoted at 3.48c. per lb. old duty paid or 3.14c. per lb. new duty paid. 



As all Cuba shipments from this time must come into use under the new duty of 1.0048c. 

 per lb. for 96° test, we now quote values on that basis say 3.14c., which is the cost and 

 freight value of 2%c., at which a quite large business has been done for February and 

 March shipments. 



Porto Rico free duty sugar has been sold at various prices according to the times for 

 arrival in February, and the price has now settled to the basis of Cubas at 2%c. c & f, 

 equal to 3.14c. landed duty paid. Up to the present time 41,272 tons Porto Rico sugar 

 have come in, which with a moderate amount to arrive this month still leaves a large 

 majority of that crop, which crop is estimated at 345,000 tons, to come in at the reduced 

 duty basis of value, which reduction is severely felt by the Porto Rico planters, and 

 some of them look for a considerable reduction in their crop for 1914. 



The United States refiners have been selling their refined product for consumption at 

 4c. less 2. per cent for granulated, ever since our last report, which price represents only 

 about .44c. per lb. difference between raws and refined, and results in a continued loss to 

 refiners. At this price for refined, the reduction of duties appears to have been fully 

 discounted, so that there will be no particular change in', price when going over March 

 1st, except that a temporary scarcity may exist during the last days of February, by reason 

 of the refiners curtailing their meltings of old duty raws. 



In fact, the Howell Refinery have stopped selling to-day until March 1st, and some 

 others have advanced to 4.05c. and 4.10c. less 2 per cent. The large production of Cuba 

 crop to date and the generally, fine weather for grinding indicates a full crop, and the 

 disposition shown by planters to dispose of Alarch shipments at 2%c. c & f indicates 

 that for the present at least, the tone and tendency does not warrant expectation of 

 further improvement, but a possible slight reaction if stocks are unduly pressed for sale. 



Some 200,000 bags are seeking buyers at this writing. 



European markets for beet sugars have not given much encouragement to holders of 

 sugar. Quotations remain persistently near the 9s. Od. per cwt. cost of production, rising 

 from 9s. 0%d. during the time under review, to 9s. 3%dL for January, reacting for 

 February to 9s. l^^d., rallying to 9s. AVjd. and closing at 9s. 3%d. 



Regarding the conditions of the new tariff in its relation to the Cuban Reciprocity 

 Treaty, the Louisiana planters have raised a question as to whether thei action of our 

 Congress in rescinding one section of the treaty without the change being approved by 

 the Cuban government, does not still continue in force after March 1st, the duty of 1.348c. 

 per lb. on Cuba sugar. 



Thus far, this protest by Louisiana has attracted little attention, and duties ort Cuba 

 sugar will no doubt be collected at the rate of 1.0048c. per lb. for 96° test. 



It is unfortunate, however, that the treaty has not been sufficiently considered by the 

 treaty powers of both the United States and Cuba so that si^jch a question cannot be 

 raised by Louisiana, or the beet sugar people, whose interests are injured by reduced 

 duties. 



New York, February 16, 1914. 



INGENIO CIEGO DE AVILA ')Ut in reality it is capable of an output 



considerably above this figure. 



This factoiy, situated at Ciego de Avila, The cane is fed to the mills by a patent 



Caniaguey Province, is located close to the cane elevator of the latest design from a 



tracks of the Cuba Railroad at the station cane pit into which the cane is discharged 



on the road and is practically completed. from the cars by a patent tipping machine. 



The work was done by a Havana firm of The milling plant consists of a cane 



sugar and railroad engineers. crusher of four 6-foot mills driven through 



This factory was built for the Ciego de steel gearing by a powerful steam engine. 



Avila Compania Azucarera. nominally to Xo expense has been spared to make this 



produce 100,000 bags of sugar per crop, plant as strong as possible and the mills 



