THE CUBA REVIEW 



19 



COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



REGISTRATION OF SPECIALTIES 

 DEMANDED 



Manufacturers of all pharmaceutical spe- 

 cialties and of patent and proprietary- 

 medicines, doing- business in Cuba, either 

 personally or through agents, or whose 

 goods are handled by wholesale drug houses 

 in that island, were notified last month by 

 their correspondents and business friends 

 in Havana that the obnoxious provision of 

 the Cuban government's pharmaceutical 

 regulations, known as section 47 of these 

 regulations, which requires licensing of the 

 sale of and registration of each of their 

 products offered in Cuba, had become 

 operative. 



The Cuban pharmaceutical regulations 

 stated that this provision was to become 

 effective six months after the date of the 

 last decree on, this subject, which was 

 August 22, 1913, and the provision, there- 

 fore, became operative after February 22, 

 1914. 



The provision in the new Cuban pharma- 

 ceutical regulations, known as section 46a. 

 requiring the labeling of all drug prepara- 

 tions with the ingredients, to which such 

 preparations owe their medicinal properties. 

 will not become operative until August 22, 

 1915, as the regulation states that it shall not 

 become effective until two years after 

 August 22, 1913, when the last decree was 

 issued. This will give American interests 

 an opportunity to appeal for relief from 

 this onerous requirement to the Cuban 

 Congress. 



Some of the Havana wholesale druggists 

 volunteered to obtain the necessary Cuban 

 licenses for American interests who have 

 not yet secured them by making application 

 on their behalf to the Cuban secretary of 

 public health and charities. 



The American manufacturers must give 

 the following details to their Havana agents 

 in making such application : 



First, that they desire the Cuban con- 

 cerns to obtain the necessary licenses for 

 them. Second, whether their preparations 

 have ever been licensed in Cuba and also, 

 if so, when, and the number of such li- 

 censes. Third, the name of the products 

 for which licenses are desired. Fourth, the 

 names and addresses of the manufacturers, 

 which must appear on the labels of the 

 products to be licensed, and fifth, whether 

 the products are already guaranteed under 

 the United States Pure Food and Drugs Act, 

 and, if so, to give the serial numbers as- 

 signed under the provisions of that law. 

 Labels of each of the products to be li- 

 censed must also be furnished, to be filed 

 with the application. 



The Cuban wholesale houses are stocked 

 up with American goods and naturally de- 

 sire the matter cleared up quickly as after 

 February 24th the sale of all pharmaceutical 

 specialties and patent medicines was for- 

 bidden except where a special license had 

 been secured. — Oil, Paint and Drug Re- 

 porter, New York. 



HAVANA S CUSTOMS COLLECTIONS 



The March collections of the Havana 

 custom house compare as follows : 



1914 $1,623,415 



1913 1,634,219 



1912 1,746,462 



1911 1,705,843 



1910 1,662,338 



1909 1,562,486 



190S 1,445,400 



For the previous six months beginning 

 October, 1913, the collections were: 



October, 1913 $1,941,320 



November 1,927,107 



December 1,912,191 



January, 1914 1,756,675 



February 1,522,886 



March 1,623,415 



EXPORTS OF GIBARA 



For the calendar year 1913 the exports to 

 the United States of Gibara. a city on the 

 north coast of Oriente Province, amounted 

 to $2,000,537.32. 



The principal products exported and their 

 value is given in the following table : 



Value 



Sugar (bags) 256,140 $1,811,074 



Bananas (bunches) 510,191 177,050 



Wood (logs) 4,673 1,344 



Cacao (bags) 15 358 



Leaf tobacco (bales) ... 296 4,375 



GRAPE JUICE DUTY CHANGED 



Cuban Customs Circular No. 11, dated 

 January 28, 1914, provides for the classi- 

 fication of unfermented grape juice under 

 tariff' No. 28nc, with cider, root beer, and 

 other nonalcoholic beverages not elsewhere 

 mentioned, dutiable upon importation from 

 the United States at $1,456 per hectoliter 

 (26.417 gallons) when shipped in wooden 

 receptacles, and at $2.73 per hectoliter when 

 '^hipped in glass. Grape juice was formerly 

 classified under tariff No. 273 as preserved 

 foods, dutiable at 25 per cent ad valorem. 



El Sol (The Sun) is a new Havana daily 

 which will sell for a cent. 



