THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



Cuban Commercial Matters 



Consular Invoices for Certain Printed 

 Matter 



The Cuban Consul General at New 

 York communicates the information that 

 articles of printed matter dutiable in 

 Cuba require consular invoices when 

 mailed at localities where Cuban consular 

 representatives are located. Articles classed 

 as merchandise, such as books, photo- 

 graphs, and calendars, sent in large quan- 

 tities and subject to duty, require consular 

 invoices when mailed at such localities. 

 Articles such as newspapers, single copies 

 of magazines, catalogues, calendars, or 

 single books intended for use by the ad- 

 dressee, and not dutiable, do not require 

 consular invoices. 



American Cotton Goods 



Notwithstanding the crisis of two years 

 ago, Cuba proved the most profitable for- 

 eign field for American cotton goods in 

 1922. Firms dealing in prints and piece- 

 dyed goods uniformly report that Cuba 

 was their best market, and this is borne 

 out by the export returns. These sales, 

 however, were in the cheapest ranges of 

 cloth, which would indicate that retail pur- 

 chases in the island were largely restricted 

 to necessities. Stocks of bleached goods, 

 or "creas," are still reported to be ware- 

 housed in Habana, and ginghams and other 

 yarn-dyed materials have not been sold in 

 normal quantity. Viewing the market as a 

 whole, results were most gratifying. 



Railway Tie Supply in Cuba 



Cuban railways at present are obtaining 

 increasing quantities of ties of native 

 woods. When the railways were originally 

 constructed, most of the ties were of im- 

 ported cypress. Although there were im- 

 portant timber resources in Cuba, labor, 

 being attracted by higher wages in the 

 cane fields, proved too costly to properly 

 exploit them. In addition, interior water- 

 ways could only be used in a meager way 

 for transportation. 



Cuban hardwood ties cost $1.60 each 

 as compared with $1.75 for imported cy- 

 press ties. They are not treated and 



usually give from 12 to 15 years' service. 

 None has been exported in important 

 quantities, Cuban hardwood generally being 

 shipped rough in the log. 



There are no freight rates quoted for 

 railway ties from Cuba to the United 

 States, but recent quotations on logs have 

 been about $15 per 1,000 board feet, and 

 on sawed lumber $10 per 1,000 feet to 

 New York from Habana. Mahogany, ce- 

 dar lignum-vitae, and majagua are the 

 native woods most abundant. — Consul 

 General John R. Putnam, Habana. 



Scarcity of Agents for New Truck Lines 



Three factory representatives of leading 

 makes of American trucks have failed to 

 find suitable distributers in Habana during 

 the past two months, as practically all the 

 larger and more responsible truck agents 

 at the present time have agreements with 

 the manufacturers whom they represent 

 which do not permit them to take over the 

 agency of another manufacturer. There 

 are approximately 500 unsold trucks in 

 Cuba. The demand from commercial 

 firms is not very heavy, as during the pros- 

 perous years preceding the crisis of 1920- 

 1922 many of them bought more trucks 

 than their business required. — Acting Com- 

 mercial Attache Paul L. Edwards, Habana. 



American Sporting Goods 



The demand for American sporting goods 

 in Cuba is on the increase. Baseball, ten- 

 nis, football, and basketball supplies are 

 the chief articles called for. INIanufactur- 

 ers should note that athletic activity in 

 Cuba is much greater in winter than during 

 the summer — (Commercial Attache Paul 

 L. Edwards, Habana.) 



Catalogues of Machinery 



Consul Charles Forman, Nueva Gerona, 

 Isle of Pines, Cuba, requests that cata- 

 logues and price lists be forwarded to that 

 consulate by manufacturers of irrigation 

 equipment and canning machinery used in 

 the growing and canning of pineapples, 

 citrus fruits, and vegetables. 



