30 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



CENTRIFUGAL SUGAR PRICES 



The prices at Havana for centrifugal sugar, 

 9«5-degi-ee polarization, from December, 1912, 

 to and including April, 1914, is officially 

 quoted by the Agrarian League of Havana 

 as follows: 



The prices are quoted in reales, per arroba 

 (25 pounds). 



Dec, 1912... 4. 68. 5 Sept., 1913... 4. 39 

 Jan., 1913... 3. 90. 9 Oct., 1913. . .3.86.3 

 Feb., 1913... 3. 80. 7 Nov., 1913.. .4.15.7 

 Mar., 1913. .3.97.7 Dec, 1913. . .3.62.7 

 April, 1913 . . 3 . 69 . 7 Jan., 1914 ... 3 . 65 . 9 

 May, 1913.. .3.52.6 Feb., 1914. . .3.78.8 

 June, 1913... 3. 57. 7 Mar., 1914.. .3.55.5 

 July, 1913 ...3.91.2 April, 1914. . . 3 . 53 . 5 

 Aug, 1913 ... 4 . 40 . 8 Mav, 1914. .. 4 . 10 



INTERESTING CUBAN SUGAR FACTS 



In the United States Government suit, on 

 May 13, to dissolve the American Sugar 

 Refining Company, Mr. Manuel Rionda of 

 Czarnikow, Rionda & Co., a well-known 

 corporation of New York and Cuba, was a 

 witness and gave most interesting testimony 

 concerning his early connection in the sugar 

 business, the raw sugar prices of 1877, as 

 compared with the prevailing low prices, and 

 the causes which lead to the reduction. Mr. 

 Rionda said that in 1899, or thereabouts, 

 Cuban sugars were sold in the American 

 market on the basis of cost and freight and 

 duty paid, but principally the latter. Sales 

 of the commodity were made here, the sugars 

 having been brought here by owners who sold 

 to the refiners. 



In 1877 the pride of raw sugar was 11 cents 

 a pound, duty paid or about 8 cents a pound 

 in Cuba. Within the last two or three years, 

 Cuban sugars have sold at New York at be- 

 tween 2 and 3 cents a pound cost and freight 

 and some of it below 2 cents a pound. The 

 reduction in the price was due to improved 

 manufacturing facilities. For instance, in the 

 earher year the cane was crushed by a single 

 machine, consequently a large amount of 

 the sugar was left in the cane, and consequent- 

 ly went to waste. At the present time the 

 cane goes through a half dozen different 

 machines and practically all of the sugar is 

 extracted, which results in a material reduc- 

 tion in the cost of manufacture. 



Mr Rionda said that more cane was pro- 

 duced in eastern Cuba than in the western 

 part of the island, owing to the fact that the 

 ground in the first-named section was virgin 

 soil. In answer to a question concerning the 

 industrial conditions on the island during the 

 Cuban W^ar, Mr. Rionda said that late in 

 1894 the insurrection in Cuba assumed very 

 large proportions, and about December of 

 of that year the Cubans took control of the 

 western side and destroyed considerable 

 property, resulting in a crop for 189&-96 of 



225,000 tons, as against estimated crop of 

 1,200,000 tons. The following year very 

 nearly the same thing occurred, the crop 

 amounting to 212,051 tons, and so continued 

 until 189S when the Spanish-American War 

 took place. The following year the crop 

 amounted to 351,000 tons, and during the 

 succeeding four years it increased until it 

 readied what it was prior to before the war, 

 namely approximately 1,000,000 tons. 



THE CENTRAL CARACAS AND 

 ITS RAILROAD 



La Correspondencia, of Cienfuegos, in a 

 recent issue, said: 



Supplementing the information which we 

 have received regarding the sale of the great 

 "Caracas" Central, and its railroad, we can 

 now make the following statement : 



It is not knowii what English company has 

 made the purchase, though it can be assured 

 — according to information from an author- 

 zed source — that the proprietors of the 

 United Railways of Havana are not the buyers. 



The Cuban firm, proprietors of the Central 

 "Caracas," at one time, offered this Central 

 and its lines to the "hacendados" of Cienfue- 

 gos, giving them the preference, desiring 

 that the "Caracas" property remain in the 

 hands of the "hacendados" of the province. 

 The offer was not accepted in Cienfuegos nor 

 elsewhere in the island. Consequently the 

 proprietors of "Caracas" went to the United 

 States to complete the sale, but not finding 

 a suitable field for the transaction, they went 

 to London, where the deal was put through. 



1913-1914 CROP ESTIMATE 



Special advices received on May 26, 1914, 

 from Messrs. Cuma and Mejer of Havana are 

 to the effect that Cuba crop estimates are 

 being lowered. The crop is now estimated at 

 2,508,000 tons, against a previous estimate of 

 2,550,000 tons. 



H. A. Himely of Havana, estimates the 

 Cuba crop at 2,529,000 tons, against a 

 previous estimate of 2,535,000 tons. 



Willet and Gray's estimate remains un- 

 changed at 2,500,000 tons. 



Santa Cecilia finished grinding on May 18 

 with 81,639 bags (325 lbs. each), the largest 

 crop yet made. The output next year should 

 reach 90,000 bags. 



Confluente finished on May 23 with 

 50,217 bags, which is 13,935 more than its 

 record crop of 36,282 bags last year. Next 

 \'ear the output should exceed 65,000 bags. 



Central "San Leno," at Rodas, terminated 

 its grinding late in May with 67,000 bags. 



