THE CUBA REVIEW 



11 



WAR WILL BRING PROSPEROUS TIMES TO CUBA 



sort of cloth, or a particular type of motor car, 

 or a certain make of shoe in Detroit, Chicago 

 or San Francisco, they think they can sell the 

 same things to the people of Cuba and South 

 America. They must learn that they are 

 dealing with people who are entirely foreign 

 in temperament, race, tendencies and sym- 

 l^athies. The merchants of France, Germany 

 and England have been wise enough to ap- 

 preciate this fact. They send experts to our 

 countries regularly to study our wants, our 

 habits and our requirements. They know 

 that we are particular, exacting and perhaps 

 finnicky in our demands. 



"American manufacturers insist upon send- 

 ing up cheap cotton and cheap woolens. They 

 also send us cheap leather for oiu" shoes. They 

 do not seem to know that there is a great 

 demand in our countries for the very finest 

 silks, which we have hitherto obtained from 

 France. We want the very best clothing 

 materials. These we have been getting from 

 England." 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, MACHINERY 

 AND MILL SUPPLIES WANTED 



United States Vice-Consul General, Joseph 

 A. Springer at Havana, has sent his Govern- 

 ment an interesting report on the business 

 prospects in Cuba which should be read by 

 every American manufacturer. In addition, 

 the \lce-Consul General adds valuable advice 

 as to how this business can be obtained. 



\lr. Springer has been in Havana many 

 years as a United States Government repre- 

 sentative, and there is none more thoroughly' 

 informed as to trade conditions. His report 

 in the main is as follows : 



"The present situation should, and un- 

 doubtedly will, mean a great increase all along 

 the line in Cuba's purchases of American prod- 

 ucts. This is especially true in manufac- 

 turers of cotton, linen and silk. In 1912, Cuba 

 purchased of these goods a total valuation of 

 $17,790,577. The share of the United States 

 in this trade was onlv $4,085,394, the United 

 Kingdom $5,762,492, France $1,947,304, 

 Spain, $1,845,106, and Germany $1,089,314. 



"Now that the trade of Cuba in these lines 

 is forced to look to the United States to supply 

 the greater part of its purchases, it behooves 

 American manufacturers and exporters to 

 make every endeavor to satisfy the demands 

 of the market, sacrificing, if necessary, some of 

 the present-day profits in order that a firm 

 foundation may be laid for future business. 

 It must be born in mind that this trade is 

 almost entirely in the hands of Spaniards, 

 and our exporters can ex-pect to make progress 

 in the extension of their trade in Cul^a only 

 by conforming in some degree, at least, with 

 the customs and preferences of the Spanish 

 merchant. Therefore, all correspondence and 



catalogs should be in the Spanish language, 

 with prices expressed in American currency, 

 which is the official money of Cuba, and only 

 such salesmen as speak Spanish fluently 

 should be sent to Cuba to seek this trade. 



"Salesmen should also be prepared to spend 

 more time in covering the territory than would 

 be the case in cities of similar size in the 

 United States. American salesmen often 

 come to Habana in the steamer of Wednesday, 

 expecting to return home by the ship sailing 

 the following Saturday. This is a great mis- 

 take. Salesmen of other countries spend 

 weeks in studying and canvassing the trade 

 where Americans chafe at the thought of 

 spending the same niunber of days. 



"Though the textile trade seems to offer 

 greater opportunities to our manufacturers 

 for increased business during the continu- 

 ance of the present European situation than 

 almost any other line, still there exist splendid 

 opportunities for gi-eatly increased trade in 

 nearly all imports to Cuba. If sugar prices 

 are as high during the coming year as present 

 conditions seem to indicate, there should be a 

 heavy demand for machinery, tools, mill sup- 

 plies, and agricultural implements. 



It will proljably be necessary for our ex- 

 porters to be prepared to extend rather long 

 credit in many lines, but fortunately the 

 great majority of the Spanish firms are firmly 

 established upon an entirely solvent basis, and 

 it is not difficult for salesmen to select such 

 concerns in their business dealings. 



"Transportation facilities are still good, 

 notwithstanding the withdrawal of the steam- 

 ers of two lines which touched at ports in 

 eastern Cuba, and there should be little diffi- 

 culty in the matter of securing shipping. 



"There are no banking and exchange em- 

 bargoes or moratorium obstacles to American 

 trade in Cuba." 



BIG TRADE WAITS IN CUBA 



Joseph E. Hubbard, secretary of the Y. M. 

 C. A. of Havana, is enthusiastic over the 

 possibilities of developing more trade be- 

 tween the United States and Cuba. 



"The European war," said Mr. Hubbard 

 yesterday, "has put money in the pockets of 

 the Cubans and they are good 'spenders.' 

 American made goods, liked by the Cubans, 

 will find a better market there to-day than 

 at any time since the founding of the republic. 



"In the ten years I have been working in 

 Cuba I have never known the people so happy 

 and prosperous." 



John Roberts, formerly of Guines, and 

 lately of Havana, well known among the fruit 

 and vegetable planters in Cuba, died suddenly 

 at Charleston, S. C, on September 26. 



