18 



THE CUBA REVI E W 



COTTON GOODS TRADE IN CUBA. 



As a rule tliis market prefers goods put 

 up in stiff, square-ended bolts not over a 

 quarter of a yard wide, and narrower if 

 practicable. The Cubans laugh at the Amer- 

 ican packing in comparison with that done 

 in Europe. The Spanish, in shipping col- 

 ored goods, wrap each narrow, square- 

 ended bolt in paper and paste a sample of 

 the goods on the outside. A New York 

 firm has improved on the Spanish method 

 and in addition to following their style of 

 shape and wrapping and pasting a sample 

 of the goods on the end of the package, it 

 uses a neat cardboard tag 2 by 3 inches, 

 having printed on one side the Spanish 

 name of the cloth and the yards contained, 

 the style number used by the firm and the 

 pattern number used by the merchant, while 

 on the back is neatly glued a small square 

 sample of the goods in the bolt. This tag 

 is attached by a string and is a better ar- 

 rangement than that of the Spanish and is 

 nmch liked. 



Neat packing has a business value for 

 merchants at Havana and Santiago have 

 stated that if the American packing had 

 been more tasteful they would have pur- 

 chased their goods from the United States. 

 A permanent demand depends more upon 

 appearance than qualitj'. 



Gray Sheeting, Cotton Blankets and 

 Quilts and Knit Goods. 



Of the small importations of gray sheet- 

 ing and drills, and other gray goods, the 

 bulk comes from the United States. Regu- 

 lar three-harness drills should be put up in 

 quarter-yard folds to give a stiff, nearly 

 square bolt. 



Cotton blankets and quilts are, of course, 

 preferred to woolen, and are largely used 

 instead of mattresses, the heavier gray ones 

 being the best liked. They come mainly 

 from England, Spain and Belgium, range 

 from 35 to 55 inches, weighing 9 ounces, 

 up to 63 by 84, weighing 3, 4 and even 5 

 pounds. 



They are sold by the pound, the present 

 price at Liverpool being 7^ pence per 

 pound. Ordinary cotton quilts come mainly 

 from the United States and are known as 

 "colchonetas." The present invoice price 

 from New York is $4.15 a dozen for the 

 40 by 69- inch size up to $12.95 a dozen 

 for the 72 bj 84-inch size. 



The United States' trade with Cuba in 

 knit goods is increasing because of a pref- 

 erential tariff of 40 per cent., but is still 

 behind that of France, Germany and Spain. 

 The former makes the finest goods and the 

 latter the cheapest. American goods are 

 objected to because sold in fixed assortment 

 lots, including large sizes, giving the mer- 

 chant no chance to make up his own assort- 



ment, and leaving him at the end of the 

 season with a large supply of unsalable 

 stock. The Cuban is small, and No. 36 

 undershirt is the most salable. These retail 

 at $9.00 a dozen and are packed in four 

 sizes, numbered 1 to 4, which correspond 

 to about Nos. 30, 32, 34, and 36, the regular 

 sizes of the Cuban market. 



Importers of Havana and Santiago com- 

 plain not only of poor packing, but in the 

 former city that some American drummers 

 quote same prices to them and to retail 

 stores. Also that Americans refuse samples 

 for the importer's salesmen. 



Though the metric system is the official 

 and legal system of Cuba, some Spanish 

 weights and measures are still largely used, 

 among them being the arroba, of 25.3664 

 pounds, and the vara, of 33.334 inches. Cloth 

 is bought by the importer by the meter or 

 the yard and 'is retailed in the shops by the 

 yard or the vara, the vara being more com- 

 monly used. Few of the retail shops have 

 any fi.xed price, but the larger ones are 

 coming to this. 



Greater Concessions Required. 



The American exporter now defers to 

 his customers wishes to a degree not con- 

 sidered five years ago. But there is still 

 too much stiffness about making up, pack- 

 ing and payment. It is not practical to 

 cater to all the demands of the Cuban im- 

 porter, but a larger trade could be secured 

 by paying closer attention to points on 

 which concessions are possible. 



The situation may be thus summed up: 

 American mills make to stock, English to 

 order. The former try to sell goods al- 

 ready made up while the latter take or- 

 ders for goods to be made. The American 

 system gives a quick delivery on points in 

 Cuba of from two to three weeks from 

 date of order. The English system means 

 delivery in four months, and on white 

 goods three months. From Spain delivery 

 is figured at eight weeks, as the mills 

 usually have the cloth on hand. In busy 

 seasons English mills require six months 

 or more for delivery, while the American 

 mills, where they have made goods to or- 

 der, have been able to deliver in six to 

 eight weeks. 



Special Marks and Labels. 



But time saved in delivery is balanced by 

 the fact that the English mill will make 

 the goods as the Cuban wants them. Does 

 he want a cloth a little wider or narrower, 

 or a trifling different finish, or made to 

 look the same and yet cheaper, or does he 

 want a large number of designs in a lim- 

 ited order, differently marked, or packed, 

 he finds the English ready to meet his 

 wishes. Manv American houses are now 



