20 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



FINANCIAL MATTERS. 



Cuba K. R. Report for February— United Railway Beginnings— Earnings of Cuban 



Railroads. 



United Railways Beginnings. 



" i'lic original railroad of our system was 

 one of the first twenty in the world, having 

 been opened for traffic in 1836. It was fifty 

 miles in length. The English company was 

 not formed until 1898, and it has gradually 

 bought up the railways between Havana 

 and Sir William Home's new road. We 

 employ about 5,000 men, and our only 

 labor trouble was due to outside interfer- 

 ence. Gompers was trying to get there 

 with his .Vmerican Federation of Labor, 

 lie did win the cigar strike, but no good 

 was accomplished. Cuban labor is docile 

 if it is treated right. If the sugar and to- 

 bacco crops arc good and are bringing good 

 prices there is no discontent. 



"Not only are they increasing the sugar 

 acreage down there but they are improving 

 the methods of extracting the product from 

 the cane. The banks are doing a good busi- 

 ness and are loaning money freely. 



"The railroad business in Cuba is first 

 rate and we are in the midst of moving 

 the sugar err)]), of which we ourselves 

 handle over 40 per cent. The total will run 

 up 1,500.000 tons, and the moving will not 

 be over until May." — Robert .M. Orr, 

 general manager of the United Railways 

 of Ilavaiia, which operates 700 miles of 

 railroad in Havana, Matanzas and Santa 

 Clara, I'rovincc, in the Xcw York Sun. 



Report of the Cuba Railroad. 



The report of the I uba Railroad Company for 

 the montli of Feljruary and eiglit months ended 

 February 28th comi)ares as follows : 



February 



earnings. . . $254,958 5223,089 $222,086 



F.xpenscs . . . 132,259 108,133 119,928 



February net . $122,339 $114,955 $102,258 



Fi.\ed ch'arges . 36,666 33,759 31,954 



Feby. surplus . $85,673 $81,195 $70,304 



Eight mos. grs. $1,530,657 $1,288,957 $1,275,212 

 Kightmos.net. 596,629 540.962 415,311 



Fixed charges . 388,543 261,119 437,880 



Fight mos. srpls $308,085 $2/9,843 $177,430 



The lack of fractional United States cur- 

 rency, especially dimes and nickels, is caus- 

 ing trouble in Santiago de Cuba and 

 throughout the province. As United States 

 currency is used exclusively for all commer- 

 cial transactions, the poor people tind nnich 

 difficulty in ntaking change. 



The Cuban Treasury Department has 

 ordered a drawing to be made of 733 

 bonds of the series of 1465 for $1,000 

 issued by the revolutioriar\- government 

 in 1896 in order that they may be paid 

 and canceled. Xo date has as j-et been 

 fixed for the drawing:. 



Earnings of the United Railways, the Havana Electric, Cuban Central and Western 



Railways. 

 United Railways of Havana. 



ended 



Earnings for the four week; 

 April 2 comi)are as follows: 

 1910. 



Mar. 12 £43,986 



" 19 41,370 



••26 38.608 



Apr. 2 . 37.080 



From July 1 . . £934,577 



Cuban Central Railway. 



Earnings for the four weeks ended 

 March 19, compare as follows: 



1910. 1909. 



Feb. 26 . . £15,287 £16,113 



-^•ai-. 5 . . 16,467 15,521 



■' 1- ■ . 16,606 16,178 



' 19 . . 16,141 16,590 



Havana Electric Railway. 



Earnings for the four weeks 

 .\pril 3 compare as follows: 



ended 



Western Railways of Havana. 



Earnings for the four weeks ended 

 iNIarch 19 compare as follows: 



1910. 1909. 



Feb. 26 £4,676 £4,875 



-Mar. 5 4,889 5,024 



•• 12 4,795 4.748 



'• 19 4.444 4.810 



