24 



THE CUBA REVIE W 



Cuban Commercial Matters 



Motor Vehicles 



Motor vehicles with a short wheel base 

 are much preferred in Habana because of 

 the narrowness of the streets. Cars with a 

 wheel base of 140 inches can not be oper- 

 ated in some of the business sections of the 

 city. 



Imports during 1Q19 amounted to 3,936 

 passenger cars and trucks — mostly from the 

 United States. During the first half of 

 1920, 3,405 passenger cars and trucks were 

 imported, of which 3,347 were American 

 makes. Although statistics have not yet 

 been compiled for importations since June 

 30, 1920, it is estimated that the imports 

 for the entire year 1920 totaled about 7,000 

 cars and trucks. Only about 1,500 passen- 

 ger cars were imported during 1921, al- 

 though imports, especially in the smaller 

 models, have been increasing since the be- 

 ginning of 1922. 



Nearly all American motor vehicles are 

 represented in Habana by agents or repre- 

 sentatives. The leading cars have well- 

 equipped, modern service stations to make 

 repairs and supply parts. European makes 

 are not in great favor because of the lack 

 of such service facilities. 



European makes are systematically ad- 

 vertised by newspapers, billboards, and ex- 

 hibition rooms, and any new car trying to 

 enter the market would require the ener- 

 getic use of all of the mediums of adver- 

 tising and salesmanship. 



Manufacture of Flour and Starch from 

 Cuban Yucca Root 



A company has recently been formed at 

 Habana with a capital of $200,000 for the 

 purpose of producing flour, starch, and 

 similar products from the native yucca or 

 cassava root. This root is of two varieties 

 — the sweet yucca, used principally as a 

 table vegetable, and the bitter yucca used 

 in making laundry starch and as a basis for 

 the cassava bread and meal used for food 

 purposes, particularly in the rural districts. 

 The methods of manufacture have hereto- 

 fore been rather primitive, and the new 

 company proposes to purchase machinery 



and to follow the methods used in Brazil 

 where the cassava flour industry is under- 

 stood to be highly developed, enjoying also 

 Government subvention in the form of 

 loans for the installation and equipment of 

 the mills. 



American Hosiery and Underwear 



Under normal conditions Cuba furnishes 

 a good market for American hosiery and 

 underwear. In 1919, $4,019,462 worth of 

 cotton knit goods was imported, of which 

 about 60 per cent came from the United 

 States; during the first half of 1920, $2,- 

 556,435 worth, about 75 per cent coming 

 from the United States. Cotton under- 

 wear is much preferred to silk or wool be- 

 cause of the hot climate. At the present 

 time the market in textiles is overstocked, 

 as shown by the fact that $732,538 worth 

 of dry goods has been returned to manu- 

 facturers in the United States during the 

 first six months of 1922. Owing to the 

 radical changes in this market since 1920, 

 it is advisable to procure new commercial 

 ratings in almost every instance before 

 opening business relations. 



Farm-Lighting Sets 



American self-contained generating sets, 

 which can be operated with alcohol, should 

 find an expanding market in Cuba. A 

 group of distillers, who are campaigning for 

 the increased use of alcohol as fuel, are 

 seeking a wide assortment of American 

 apparatus, which can be operated on alco- 

 hol, and have opened a salesroom for 

 demonstrating and distributing such equip- 

 ment. 



The retail price of gasoline at Habana 

 is 36 cents and of alcohol 19 cents per 

 gallon. The use of the latter fuel enables 

 a generator set to be operated in localities 

 where current and gasoline are unobtainable 

 or prohibitive in cost. — Trade Commis- 

 sioner F. E. Coombs, Habana. 



