THE C U B A RE E I E If 



19 



able as formerly, even where virgin tracts 

 remain, because of the heavy expense of 

 clearing and planting such lands. In prac- 

 tically all instances the lands near the mills 

 are already under cultivation and the ex- 

 tension of cultural operations to more dis- 

 tant fields involves expensive railway con- 

 struction and enhanced transportation 

 costs. 



"One objection raised by practical- 

 minded sugar men to the adoption of more 

 thorough-going methods of soil preparation 

 and cultivation is the lack of sufficient 

 labor. It has been truly said that the 

 only successful substitute for tropical la- 

 bor is something that will work harder 

 and longer hours, live more cheaply and 

 never strike — in other words, machinery. 

 One of Cuba's great needs is the adoption 

 on a much more extensive scale of labor- 

 saving field equipment. Another is the 

 restoration of exhausted or partially ex- 

 hausted soils by the use of fertilizers and 

 fertihty-restoring crops. Still another is 

 the application of the same degree of 

 trained technical ability to the manage- 

 ment of lands that has been applied so 

 successfully to the operation of mills. 



"An agricultural problem that is some- 

 what apart from those that have been dis- 

 cussed, though equally urgent, is that of 

 eliminating diseases, particularly mosaic 

 and root disease, that are spreading havoc 

 in the cane fields. These present no in- 

 superable obstacles, but require prompt at- 

 tention and vigorous activit)^ if productiv- 

 ity is to be maintained. 



"Upon the attention that is given to her 

 agricultural problems and the treatment ac- 

 corded them, more than upon any other 

 single factor, depends the future of Cuba's 

 sugar industry." 



— Sugar Ceiitral & Planters News. 



United States Trade with. Latin America 



April foreign-trade figures completely 

 demolish the sophistical argument of anti- 

 American propagandists in Latin America 

 that, because of alleged diminishing pur- 

 chases by the United States in those mar- 

 kets, Latin Americans should place their 

 import orders with their supposedly better 



customers in Europe rather than with this 

 country, which is charged with always sell- 

 ing and never buying. 



In April, 1923, the United States im- 

 ported from Latin American countries mer- 

 chandise valued at $111,550,000— almost 

 double in value of such imports in April, 

 1922 — and in the 10 months ending with 

 April, 1923, goods valued at 8818,931,000, 

 an increase of 55 per cent over those im- 

 ported in the 10 months ending with the 

 previous April. Increases in imports from 

 certain countries are even more striking 

 than the increase in total imports from 

 Latin America. In the 10 months ending 

 with last April our imports from Chile 

 were 157 per cent greater and from Cuba 

 80 per cent greater than in the correspond- 

 ing period of 1921-22. Considering April 

 alone, imports from Chile were 110 per 

 cent larger, from Cuba 74 per cent greater, 

 and from Peru 60 per cent more in 1923 

 than in 1922. 



Instead of finding the United States a 

 parsimonious purchaser of their raw and 

 semi-raw products, Latin Americans are de- 

 veloping in this country steadily improving 

 markets for their hides and skins, wool, 

 coffee, cacao, sugar, fruits, minerals, and 

 other products. Half the coffee of Brazil, 

 half the nitrates of Chile, and an important 

 percentage of other Latin American com- 

 modities are sold in the United States. 



Reciprocal Latin American imports from 

 the United States have shown a scarcely 

 less satisfactory growth. In April, 1923, we 

 exported to Latin America 356.600,000 

 worth of goods — an increase of 37 per cent 

 over April, 1922. In the 10 months ending 

 with April, 1923, our e.xports to Latin 

 America reached a value of 8483,873,000, 

 as compared with 8411,587.000 in the 10 

 months ending with April, 1922. The 

 smaller percentage of increase in the 10- 

 month period, as compared with that for 

 April alone, is largely explained by the 

 time that has been required for our larger 

 imports from Latin America to react on 

 the purchasing power of that region. 



The increasing mutual purchases of 

 Latin America and the United States afford 

 convincing proof of the soundness and per- 

 manency of the commercial relations be- 

 tween the great divisions of the .\merican 

 Hemisphere. 



