THE CUBA REVIEW 



21 



Cuban Commercial Matters 



Gas Stoves and Water Heaters 



During the past six months there has 

 I been a steady improvement in the Cuban 

 ■market for gas stoves and water heaters. 

 The demand is supplied almost exclusively 

 by American manufacturers, as the Euro- 

 pean products are not suited for this 

 market. 



The building of new residences and 

 apartments, which has been going on for 

 the past six to nine months, has had a 

 very favorable effect on the sale of these 

 products. Comparatively few owners pro- 

 vide gas stoves in the apartments, since it 

 has been the practice in the past for the 

 tenant to buy the type he prefers, and to 

 take the stove with him, as he would any 

 other piece of furniture, when he moves 

 to another apartment. 



The stove having the largest demand at 

 the present time is the four-burner tjqje 

 with oven and broiler. Good appearance 

 is as important as anything else in selling 

 gas stoves in Cuba. 



In small residences gas stoves are gradu- 

 ally replacing the old-fashioned charcoal 

 burners. The two and three burner models 

 have the best sale in the "hot-plate" type 

 of stove, which is being used more and 

 more in the numerous small cafes and 

 restaurants. The demand in water heaters 

 is for the better grades of the well-known 

 makes. 



Most of the sales of gas stoves and 

 water heaters are made for cash. The 

 largest dealer in Habana allows time pay- 

 ments on sales amounting to not over $50, 

 but all sales exceeding this amount are for 

 cash. When time is granted, payments 

 often extend over a period of six months. 

 Other dealers occasionally grant credit, but 

 only when the customer is well known to 

 the house. (Assistant Trade Commissioner 

 Howard H. Tewksbury, Habana, July 11.) 



Athletic Goods in the Cuban Market 



Approximately nine-tenths of the sport- 

 ing goods imported into Cuba are of 

 American manufacture. A small amount 

 of golf and soccer-football equipment is 

 purchased in England, but outside of that 



a decided preference is shown for American 

 goods. 



Baseball is the most popular game in 

 Cuba, practically every town or village 

 having at least one uniformed team. Be- 

 sides this the majority of the sugar cen- 

 trals have baseball teams, and during the 

 tourist winter season a six-team league in 

 the western part of Cuba plays a regular 

 schedule. All told, baseball is becoming 

 more and more popular, and this increasing 

 popularity is shown by the increasing sales 

 of baseball supplies. 



Soccer-football is played to a certain 

 extent, but is confined to the larger towns 

 of the island and to the few more impor- 

 tant sugar centrals. 



Tennis is popular in Cuba, tennis tourna- 

 ments being held each year in Habana. 

 There are a few tennis clubs in the larger 

 cities, but very few public courts. This 

 does not apply, however, to the sugar cen- 

 trals, where courts have in a good many 

 cases been installed for the employees. 



Golf has not as yet obtained a very 

 strong foothold in Cuba. It is played very 

 httle outside of the capital where there is 

 a golf club. 



There are several yacht clubs in the 

 island which stage small regattas at various 

 times during the year. There is usually 

 one club in each city in Cuba which de- 

 votes some time to different forms of 

 athletics such as handball, basket ball, or 

 boxing. (Consul General C. B. Hurst, 

 Habana, June 8.) 



Cuban Market for Corsets 



Cuba presents a good market not only 

 for the sale of ready-made corsets, girdles, 

 and brassieres, but also for the materials 

 entering into their manufacture. This is 

 due to the fact that the Cuban women 

 follow French and American styles in 

 dress, as well as to their general preference 

 for well-designed corsets and like garments. 

 After careful investigation, the United 

 States Consul in Havana reports that it 

 has been found that about the same quanti- 

 ties of corsets are imported, principally 

 from the United States, as are manufac- 



