THE CUBA REVIEW 



WAR WILL BRING PROSPEROUS TIMES TO CUBA 



SOME PREDICTIONS OF PROMINENT MEN 



GOOD TIMES AHEAD 



"There can be no question but that Cuba 

 is going to have an exceedingly propserous 

 period," said James L. Rodgers, United States 

 Consul at Havana, while in New York re- 

 cently. 



He beheves this due in the main to the high 

 prices of sugar which are bound to obtain. 

 At present the country is eminently prosper- 

 ous, and everything is well ordered. He said 

 further : 



"Theoretically it would seem that, on 

 account of the war, Cuba will buy a great 

 deal more goods in the United States. The 

 imports of the country have hitherto been 

 divided in the ratio of 51 per cent, coming 

 from the United States to 49 per cent, from 

 other countries. The coimtries of Europe 

 probably send 34 per cent., leaving 15 per 

 cent, from the rest of the world. As a metter 

 of course, from nations affected by the war 

 there will be a dimunition of selling ability, 

 and to that extent Cuba will probably seek the 

 markets of the United States. 



"From Europe the coimtry imports food- 

 stuffs, textiles, a great deal of machinery, 

 coming mainly from Germany; a large supply 

 of print paper — in fact, the trade of Europe 

 with Cuba is pretty well distributed over all 

 sorts of commodities. It would be natural 

 to assume that the United States will be called 

 upon to furnish products whose manufacture 

 or delivery is hampered by the war situation. 



"I look for a much increased sugar acreage 

 in the cotmtry. Prices will be so high in the 

 future that they will give a great impetus to 

 sugar growing." 



SPLENDID INCOME EXPECTED 



"Some investigations and statements by 

 United States Secretary of Commerce, Red- 

 field, John Barrett and others of the conditions 

 prevaihng in the Latin American repubUcs, as 

 a consequence of the war, seems to conclude 

 that some of them are unfortunately in pro- 

 found distress," said Dr. Cailos Manuel de 

 Cespedes, Cuban minister to the United 

 States, recently. And this, he continues, "has 

 prompted warnings to American business men 

 that there is at present unavoidable financial 

 stringency and disruption of trade machinery 

 in those countries which must be remembered 

 by all firms and persons entering the field." 

 These conditions are not true of Cuba and 

 Dr. Cespedes says the republic should be ex- 

 cluded from any such generalization, and 

 warnings because its condition and outlook 

 are far different. 



Cuba is one of the few countries which will 

 profit by the war. 



He says further: 



"Our principal product is sugar. Having 



produced 2,600,000 English tons during the 

 last grinding season, under strained circum- 

 stances due to low prices and the general 

 financial crisis, it is safe to calculate that we 

 will produce and sell at remunerative figures 

 at least 3,000,000 tons in the course of the 

 next season. 



"This means, as a well known Cuban 

 banker summed up with me a few days ago, 

 from $300,000,000 to $350,000,000, export 

 aside from other articles such as tobacco, 

 fruit, vegetables, fine wood, minerals, &c., and 

 a large part of this splendid income therefrom 

 derived surely will be spent in buying products 

 of the soil and the industries of the United 

 States. 



"Cuban daily mail is now only fifty-six 

 hours from New York. Many American 

 business men with whom I have come in con- 

 tact have expressed themselves to me as in- 

 tensely satisfied with their relations with 

 Cuba, and I have only heard from these 

 sources the highest praise of honesty and 

 seriousness with which our commerce is con- 

 ducted. 



"It is therefore in the interest of all that no 

 mistake be made. American business men 

 may feel sure that every dollar sent to Cuba 

 will return high interest and place my country 

 in a situation to buy a still larger quantity of 

 American goods. The moment seems pro- 

 pitious to draw the attention of the American 

 public to the great opportunities offered by 

 Cuba for the safe and profitable investment 

 of capital. 



"Last, but not least, it is important to 

 notice that all of Cuba's banking business is 

 done in New York. 



"I will invite examination of the facts and 

 will furnish all data desired." 



THREE MILLION TONS PREDICTED 



ISenor Manuel de la Vc!;a Calderon, Secretary of the 

 Cuban Legation at Washington.! 



While the great increase in the price of 

 sugar has nearly tripled the value of the 

 Cuban crop, the planters are not the bene- 

 ficiaries this year. 



All but about 300,000 tons out of the 2,500,- 

 000-ton crop had been sold by the planters 

 before the war sent the price skyrocketing. 

 Grinding with us begins usually in December 

 and stops in May, when the rainy season be- 

 gins. Afterwards there may be some late 

 grinding, but not much. The high price of 

 sugar will doubtless stimulate some additional 

 planting for next year. It greatly depends on 

 the season how the crop turns out. If we get 

 through this month and next without serious 

 storms, we ought to have a 3,000,000-ton crop 

 next year, and prices will probably continue 

 high for some time. Even should the Euro- 



