THE CUBA REVIEW. 



25 



CUBA'S COMMERCE WITH THE WORLD. 



Importations. 



Countries. 1908. 1909. 



United States $41,576,980 $46,292,216 



Other countries of America.... 7,287,368 7,042,176 



Germany 7,172,358 6,562,241 



Spain 7,454,933 7,966,076 



France 5,029,492 5,286,880 



United Kingdom 11,724,029 12,116,561 



Other countries of Europe 3,485,938 3,899,216 



All other countnes 1,487,293 1,861,245 



Total $85,218,391 $91,026,781 



Statistics of the Havana Chamber of Commerce. 



United States Trade Activity With Cuba Not Due Entirely to American Intro- 

 duction and Establishment. 



In 1909 the United States bought from 

 Cuba merchandise valued at $107,334,716. 

 The highest mark reached in an earlier 

 year was in 1905, when imports were valued 

 at $95,857,856. The high figures of 1909 

 are due to a "record' importation of sugar, 

 3,250,000,000 pounds. Three articles, sugar, 

 leaf tobacco and cigars, account for 90 per 

 cent, of the imports from the island. 



The remaining items of special import- 

 ance are copper ore, $714000; iron ore, 

 $2,681,000; bananas, $958,000; molasses, 

 $1,037,000; cabinet woods, $830,000, and 

 hides of cattle, $710,000. The pineapple 

 trade, which amounted to $900,000 in 1908, 

 is not separately reported. 



The Sun (N. Y.) says: "As nearly all of 

 the exports are distinctly agricultural prod- 

 ucts they are properly to be credited to the 

 industry of a peasant class numbering about 

 1,200,000." 



Exports to Cuba totalled $48,217,689 more 

 than 1908, but less than 1907, when ship- 

 ments were $52,000,000. About half of 

 Cuba's purchases were from the United 

 States, among which were wheat flour, 

 $4,279,000; iron and steel manufactures, 

 $7,941,000; lard, $5,375,000; boots and shoes, 

 $2,900,000, and cotton cloth, $1,363,000, the 

 last two being record imports. Cotton goods 



Over-Sea Transportation Losses. 



U. S. Special Agent J. M. Turner says 

 the great loss resulting from faulty pack- 

 ing of canned goods shipped to the West 

 Indies suggests iron bands for the cases. 

 Goods from Europe he found ' invariably 

 arrived in fine condition. Cases were strap- 

 ped, well marked, bound on the corners 

 and heavy enough to endure handling. 



American shipments, on the other hand, 

 were deficient in nearly all of these particu- 

 lars, the severity of the strain put upon the 

 packages in transferring ' from rail to 

 steamer and local methods not being suf- 

 ficiently realized. All shipments of gro- 

 ceries, canned goods, boots, shoes, dry 



at $2,000,000, represent only about one-fifth 

 of what Cuba buys. 



The Sun also says : "There is general 

 belief that the present economic and com- 

 mercial activity and the present volume of 

 import and export trade are due entirely 

 to American influence, to politiical and 

 economic conditions of American introduc- 

 tion and establishment. The fact is quite 

 otherwise.'" 



In 1894 even incomplete returns show 

 imports by Cuba of $90,790,515, and exports 

 of $113,168,718. The figures are taken from 

 British Consular reports. "A comparison 

 with statistics of earlier years," it says, 

 "may disturb the notions of those who think 

 that Cuba was asleep until Americans went 

 down and woke it up, but the figures are 

 of official record. The notable difference 

 is a transfer of Cuba's imports to the 

 American account, due largely to the reci- 

 procity treaty." 



February Imports and Exports. 



1909. 1910. 

 Imports from Cuba, 



February $13,118,715 $15,590,095 



Imports, 8 months ending 



with February .... 40,688,466 56.891,559 



Exports to Cuba, February. $3,532,505 $4,395,441 

 Exports. 8 months ending 



with February .... 28,897,506 35,215,769 



goods, for over-sea ports should be iron 

 bound. As shippers must bear the loss from 

 handling, it would be decidedly to their in- 

 terest to pack their goods so as to obA-i- 

 ate loss through breakage in transit. 



Using as an illustration some cases of 

 canned salmon which broke open in the 

 handling, and over which much time was 

 lost in gathering loose cans and renailing 

 cases. Mr. Turner says : 



"The cases in this shipment were made of 

 good material, the tops, bottoms, and sides 

 being of half-inch clear stuff and the ends 

 seven-eighths inch, nailed Avitb Ij^-inch 

 smooth, bright wire nails, probably 5-penny 

 box nails. Herein lay the fault. Such nails 



