20 



THE CUBA R E V I E W 



This movement has gradually ceased, and 

 with the more complete dominance of the 

 market by American films which have 

 passed the censorship boards in the United 

 States it has not been renewed. 



Charcoal 



The quantity of charcoal used in Habana 

 is nearly 80,000 sacks per year, and allow- 

 ing for the additional use of this fuel in 

 other cities of Cuba, it is fair to estimate 

 that the country, as a whole, consumes 

 between 480,000 to 500,000 sacks annu- 

 ally. The production of charcoal in Cuba, 

 according to census reports for 1914 and 

 1919, was 769,989 and 42 7,000 sacks, re- 

 spectively, for these years. Harc?woods of 

 any available sort are often burned for 

 charcoal in Cuba, but the principal supply 

 is made from red mangrove and yana wood, 

 both of which are found in large quanti- 

 ties near the seashore and on the small 

 keys along tne coast. 



Wholesale prices range from $1 to $2 

 per sack, according to the quality and 

 supply. This includes delivery to purch- 

 asers within a reasonable distance of the 

 warehouses on Habana Harbor, a small 

 price advantage being given sometimes in 

 the case of large orders. The price of 

 charcoal is affected by the weather, as the 

 burning is done in open-air pits and rains 

 of long duration stop the work, thereby 

 causing a temporary scarcity and an in- 

 crease in price. 



Dense charcoal of a fairly large diameter 

 is preferred and brings the best price, as 

 retailers calculate upon increased bulk 

 when the coarse pieces are broken up. 

 Dealers state that there is no effective reg- 

 ulation of the charcoal business at present, 

 and that while a sack of charcoal averages 

 about 5 arrobas (125 pounds) there is no 

 strict standard. Retail prices are variable, 

 but in general may be 45 to 60 per cent 

 higher than wholesale. — Trade Commis- 

 sioner Frank S. Coombs, Habana. 



Telephone Service 



Two neighboring towns in the rich 

 sugar-producing region of Matanzas Prov- 

 ince celebrated on Aug. 1 the inauguration 

 of local telephone service. The towns are 

 Manguito and Calimete, which lie between 

 Colon and Amarillas. 



Ineffective Form Letters 



The American exporter has been lectured 

 on many occasions and from many sources 

 for a great variety of errors in his methods 

 of exporting. He has been told, among 

 other things, that his correspondence with 

 potential buyers in foreign lands is not of 

 a sort calculated to secure orders from 

 them. In particular, he has been warned 

 against the use of form letters which stand 

 out plainly as being such. And these lec- 

 tures are never complete without some 

 reference to the fact that competing for- 

 eign nations handle all of these matters 

 much better than we do. 



Therefore, it comes as something of a 

 shock to note that a well-known foreign 

 manufacturer has been circularizing a large 

 number of prospects in this and other 

 countries with what is plainly a form letter. 

 What is particularly displeasing about this 

 is the fact that while the body of the letter 

 is mimeographed in black ink, the date, 

 name, and address of the person to whom 

 it is sent and the name of the firm at the 

 bottom have all been filled in with blue 

 ink. No one could possibly mistake it for 

 anything other than a form letter, and it is 

 fair to suppose that it will meet the fate 

 of the great majority of letters of this kind. 



The fact that foreign firms of good 

 standing in the export world are prone to 

 err is no source of satisfaction. The only 

 reason for dwelling on this particular case 

 is to bring out once more the fact that 

 form letters, unless very carefully dis- 

 guised, are poor "business getters" any- 

 where, and also to show that the best 

 American exporters do not need lessons in 

 exporting from any other nation in the 

 world.- — Commerce Reports. 



Ortega & Terrasa S en C 



The above company was organized July 

 1, 1923 with an office at room 209, Lonja 

 del Comercio Building, Havana. This 

 firm will handle provisions, groceries, etc. 

 on commission basis. The managers are 

 Messrs. Fernando Ortega Gonzalez and 

 Francisco Terrasa Calafell, the silent part- 

 ners being Messrs. Florentine Suarez Gon- 

 zalez, Juan Basterrechea Cortaeta, Ramon 

 Zavala Mandaluniz, Ramon Suero Bernal, 

 Victoriano Echevarri Aragon and Manuel 

 Soto Morodo. 



