18 



THE CUBA REVIEW, 



Cuba Exports Dressed Beef. 



The Alatcdcro Industrial, a Spanisli 

 company of Havana, Cuba, with a capital of 

 $2,000,000 paid up, has entered the field of 

 New York as a competitor for its fresh 

 dressed beef trade. It has been engaged 

 in supplying the local market of Havana 

 and 'he island with meat, and has extensive 

 ranches near Santiago, extending to the 

 middle of Cuba, on which it raises its 

 own cattle for this trade. Breeding has so 

 increased that there has been a surplus over 

 home consuming wants, for which an ex- 

 port market had to be found. A refrigerat- 

 ing plant was built at Havana and a mod- 

 ern up-to-date packing house. 



When this plant was reconstructed the 

 company entered the field as the pioneer ex- 

 porter of beef from Cuba to New York. 

 This occurred about a month ago and has 

 been followed by four weekly shipments 

 since, consisting of about 100 carcases each. 

 These have been distributed through the 

 principal wholesale markets in New York 

 and Brooklyn, and have found such ready 

 sale that they have already established a 

 market for all arrivals at the same prices as 

 our own gras-fed American or Western 

 beef, of the better and even best qualities. 

 Retail butchers claim that consumers prefer 

 it to our native beef, because it is more 

 juicy, being generally more fat than ours. 

 These Cuban cattle are slaughtered when 

 two years old, hke our native stock, and 

 their average weight is 600 to 700 pounds. 



which is a good average for grass-fed 

 cattle at the West. 



These carcases have been sold whole- 

 sale at 6'i(<jj7hc by the side, or the same 

 as our grass and alfalfa fed beef. Cuba 

 has one great advantage over the United 

 States in the cost of production in the 

 milder climate, where pasturage is pre- 

 served and good the year around, requiring 

 no feeding of stock. 



As to how much the production of cattle 

 on the island can be increased, it is prob- 

 able that the successful introduction of the 

 beef in this market would stimulate cattle 

 raising. 



The only drawback on this trade is our 

 duty of 1 l-2c per pound on dressed beef, 

 which the 20 per cent reduction to favored 

 nations, under which Cuba comes, reduces 

 to $1.20 per 100 pounds. 



There are no other slaughterers on the 

 island at present with modern packing 

 plants. Yet there are quite a number of 

 smaller ranchmen wdio may enter the export 

 trade by building modern refrigerated 

 packing houses. The trip from Havana to 

 New York takes three days, or one day less 

 than sail shipments from Chicago. 



This beef is admitted here under the 

 Cuban inspection certificate of a veterinary, 

 made both before slaughter and before ship- 

 ment. 



The officers are Scnor Francisco Negra, 

 president; Senor Emcterio Zorilla, vice- 

 president: Senor Jose Iglesias, secretary, 

 and Senor Maximino Arrojo, treasurer. 



Matadero Industrial. — Vista general tomada desde el mar, from Cuba y America. 

 Plant ol' the Company at Havana. 



