18 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



Declared Exports to United States 



In the following table is given the value of the declared exports to the United States 

 from all Cuba, and from the consular district of Havana for 1912 and 1913. It should 

 be remembered that these figures represent only the invoice declarations at consular 

 ofifices and therefore differ materially from the values assigned by the Cuban government. 



Articles 

 From all Cuba 



Animals 



Asphalt 



Bananas 



Cigars, etc 



Cocoa 



Coconuts 



Copper ore 



Fruits & veg'bles 



Hides, etc 



Honey 



Iron ore 



Lumber & woods 



Metalscrap 



Molasses 



Pineapples 



Sponges 



Sugar 



Tobacco leaf. . . . 



Wax 



All other articles 



1912 



$13,214 



86,031 



857,186 



3,916,016 



313,097 



139,173 



724,344 



253,742 



607,590 



35,485 



3,872,078 



1,019,058 



269,881 



1,067,429 



1,060,087 



128,282 



99,702,232 



16,260,692 



150.514 



228,319 



1913 



$17,802 



24,105 



849,364 



3,927,779 

 246,010 

 145,202 

 635,376 

 380,505 

 461,942 

 26,735 



4,805,457 

 908,919 

 270,547 



1,150,580 



1.024,323 



142,877 



78,168,30] 



13,890,501 



100,728 



281,178 



Articles 1912 



From Havana District 



Animals 



Asphalt 



Cigars & cig'ettes 



Copper ore 



Fruits & veg'bles 

 Hides, bones, etc. 



Honey 



Lumber & woods 



Metal scrap 



Molasses 



Pineapples 



Sponges 



Sugar 



Tobacco leaf . . . . 



Wax 



All other articles 



$13,214 



71,564 



3,916,016 



45,201 



183,3.-) 8 



259,418 



17,789 



76,731 



240,910 



766,906 



1,059,976 



119,127 



45,613,681 



16,126,172 



109,229 



119,702 



1913 



$17,802 



2,951 



3,927,622 



65,007 



285,949 



152,221 



23,920 



55,244 



251,987 



781,934 



1,024,323 



134,782 



36,392,472 



13,869,186 



73,165 



214,734 



Total $68,738,994 $57,273,299 



Total $130,704,453 $107,458,23 1 



Returned American goods from all Cuba amounted to $182,121 in 1913 and $433,869 in 

 1912, and from the Havana district to $91,621 in 1913 and $384,310 in 1912. There were 

 no exportations to Hawaii or to Manila. To Porto Rico goods were sent from the 

 Havana district to the value of $3,309, and from that of Santiago de Cuba $18,032. 



MORE IMPORTS NECESSITATED 



Sixty per cent of the annual import 

 values of Cuba consist of foodstuffs, cloth- 

 ing, shoes and other necessities of life. The 

 population is increasing, sanitation is pro- 

 gressing, peace obtains, a sound govern- 

 ment is in control and consequently there 

 must be an increasing volume of imports 

 for daily needs. 



Although official statistics of the foreign 

 trade of Cuba in 1913 are not yet available, 

 it is well known that they must show a de- 

 cline in values and quantities of both im- 

 ports and exports. With sugar mill man- 

 agers understanding that earnings would be 

 small at best, and with merchants facing 

 the prospect of a diminishing trade, there 

 was necessarily a policy of economy which 

 must have affected imports materially. 



The decrease in 1913 will show mostly 

 in imports of luxuries, sugar mill and 

 other machinery, and material for con- 

 struction or for use in manufacturing. The 

 import value in 1912, according to official 



figures, was $125,902,241 and in 1913 it 

 should be about $10,000,000 less. 



In spite of the fact, however, that every 

 line of endeavor felt adverse conditions, 

 Cuba came safely through the year and 

 faced the new year with optimism. This 

 result was in large part due to the modern 

 banking facilities, which made possible the 

 conservation of such values as remained 

 intact and prevented the troubles that under 

 old conditions would have resulted in dis- 

 tress and ruin for many. — U. S. Consular 

 Report. 



The Boston (Mass.) Retail Grocers As- 

 sociation want an invitation extended to 

 Cuba by the government, to send an exhibit 

 to the domestic science exposition soon to 

 be held in that city. Without a resolution 

 from Congress no one in Washington has 

 authority to issue an official invitation, but 

 the matter will be turned over to the Cuban 

 minister. The exhibition will be held in 

 October next. 



