28 T H E C U B A RET I E W 



In addition to the petroleum products imported from the United States, as shown 

 in the preceding table, there were received from Mexico in 1920, at Habana, imports of 

 62,304,194 gallons of fuel oil, valued at $645,271. and other petroleum products amount- 

 ing in value to $3,131, and 875,123 kilos of tar, costing $24,534. In 1921, 55.852,659 

 gallons of fuel oil, valued at $547,32 7, and 633,600 kilos of asphalt, valued at $18,300, 

 were received at Habana from Mexico. The use of petroleum is increasing, owing to 

 the greater use of oil fuel for industrial purposes. Accurate information relative to the 

 quantity of oil refined in Cuba from crude oil has not been obtainable, but several 

 million gallons are refined annually. 



Production of Petroleum ix Cuba is Slight 



Production of petroleum in Cuba is insignificant when compared with consumption. 

 There are no large producing oil fields in the country. The first large-scale explorations 

 were made during 1913 ,at Bacuranao and Camarioca. In 1914 extraordinary activity 

 developed in the search for petroleum, and numerous companies were organized with the 

 purpose of conducting investigations. Notwithstanding the number of wells sunk by 

 various companies and the depth of some, it was only possible to locate important 

 petroleum deposits in the land drilled by the Union Oil Co., in Bacuranao, from which 

 there have been taken some 800,000 gallons of first-grade oil. 



Mining Operations in Cuba 



Many minerals are found in limited quantities in Cuba. Statistics later than the 

 close of 1919 are not available. During the 12-year period, 1908-1919, the minerals which 

 were exploited in considerable quantities were iron, copper, manganese, gold and asphalt. 

 At the close of 1919 there were 2,915 mining concessions registered in the country, 

 covering 356.036 hectares of land (879,780 acres). These concessions were divided as 

 follows: 826 of 161,935 hectares, iron; 1,020 of 90.894 hectares, copper; 131 of 40,546 

 hectares, petroleum; 285 of 16,609 hectares, manganese; 239 of 14,583 hectares, asphalt; 

 35 of 2,719 hectares, coal; 80 of 2,270 hectares, gold; 14 of 1,333 hectares, bituminous 

 coal; 16 of 1,057 hectares, lead; 5 of 902 hectares, chrome; and the remainder were 

 for various other less important minerals. 



The mining of iron ore has been confined to the Province of Oriente. where in the 

 districts of Daiquiri and Mayari the Juragua Iron Co. and the Spanish-American Iron 

 Co. have extracted and exported large quantities of ore, though at the close of 1919 only 

 the latter company remained in operation. In 1913, 1,697,053 tons of iron ore were 

 extracted, of which 1,462,105 tons were exported; in 1917 the figures were 1,399,082 

 and 574,581 tons; in 1918, 830,006 and 620,276 tons; in 1919, 315,921 and 285,678 

 tons. During the 12 years from 1908 to 1919, 13,809,423 tons of iron ore were extracted, 

 of which 10,778,975 tons were exported. 



Copper ore is mined in the Provinces of Oriente and Pinar del Rio. The extraction 

 of this product in Pinar del Rio has increased steadily since 1914, while in Oriente it 

 has decreased since 1912 until in 1919 practically no ore was extracted, due to the 

 fact that the Cuba Copper Leasing Co. ceased working its holdings at the end of 1918. 

 In 1913 a total of 37,321 tons of copper ore was extracted in the two Provinces. The 

 production in these two Provinces steadily increased during the war years until in 

 1917 a total of 102,224 tons was extracted, decreasing to 94,551 tons the following 

 year, and to 89,324 tons in 1919. From 1908 to 1919, inclusive, 456,580 tons of copper 

 ore w-ere extracted in Oriente, and 389,595 tons in Pinar del Rio. 



Manganese ore was not extracted after the year 1909 until the demand and high 

 prices, due to the European war, resulted in the reopening of many of the mines in 

 Oriente. A total of 2,300 tons were extracted in 1914, 40,167 tons in 1917, 97,653 in 

 1918, and 16,944 tons in 1919. The bulk of the production during these years was 

 exported. 



