THE CUBA RE r I E JV 



Cuban Commercial Matters 



Temporary Permission to Reexport 

 Declared Imports 



An important measure of relief to tlie 

 owners of American goods that have been 

 holding in Cuban ports is contained in the 

 presidential decree of November 28, 1921. 

 Imported goods which have been declared 

 for consumption in Cuba may, for a period 

 of 120 days, be returned to the port of 

 origin without the payment of duties, upon 

 request by the importers or their legal 

 representatives. Exportation must be ef- 

 fected within a i)eriod of thirty days — 

 which is not subject to extension — from 

 the date of request. 



The concession is largely the result of 

 representations on behalf of American 

 interests, made through the legation at 

 Havana by Commercial Attache Chester 

 Lloyd Jones. The consignees of mer- 

 chandise now holding in the Cuban custom 

 houses who lack funds to clear their goods 

 through the customs, and representatives 

 of American houses who find the present 

 market conditions in Cuba unfavorable 

 for the entry of goods shipped, will thus be 

 permitted, for the period of the concession, 

 to return the merchandise to the United 

 States without payment of Cuban import 

 duties. — Acting Commercial Attache, Chester 

 Lloyd Jones, Habana. 



Storage Facilities at Matanzas 



At the end of the harbor nearest the 

 city of Matanzas the Cuban government 

 owns and operates the wharf known as 

 Muelle Real. It is 716 feet long and cov- 

 ered with warehouses of wooden frame and 

 zinc roof. The draft alongside is 12 or 13 

 feet and the location of the wharf between 

 the mouths of the Yumuri and San Juan 

 Rivers, where mud accumulates rapidly 

 and continuously, makes dredging imprac- 

 ticable. Consequently, all merchandise 

 must be discharged there by means of 

 barges or lighters. A project is on foot, 

 expected to be undertaken soon, for re- 

 building the warehouses in concrete and 

 building a concrete pier with sufficient 

 draft to permit coastwise shipping to come 

 alongside. 



The most important wharf in Matanzas 

 Harbor for the discharge of general cargo is 

 owned by the Cuban government, but 

 operated by the Munson Line on a long- 

 term lease. It is a 612-foot concrete pier 

 equipped with two car tracks, and has a 

 draft of 25 to 26 feet, where two 300-foot 

 vessels can discharge at the same time, 

 working a maximum of seven hatches. 

 Vessels other than those of the Munson 

 Line are permitted to discharge cargo at 

 this dock when it will not interfere with the 

 discharge of Munson Line vessels. Two 

 large warehouses, ordinarily used for sugar 

 are available for general merchandise, al- 

 though they are rarely so used, as the rail- 

 road lines on the dock permit the prompt 

 transfer of such cargo to bonded ware- 

 houses in the city. 



The Armour Co., has a 312-foot concrete 

 dock abutting its property on the west side 

 of the harbor, 1}/^ miles from the business 

 section of the city. This dock is also- 

 equipped with a railroad track and has a 

 25-foot draft. The only warehouse facili- 

 ties near are those of the Armour Co. and 

 the tanks of the Sinclair Oil Co., the latter 

 having arranged for a pipe-line service at 

 the Armour dock for discharge of tankers.. 



There are two pipe-line wharves used 

 for loading and discharging molasses and 

 oil, one owned and operated by the Cuba 

 Distilling Co. and the other by the Antilles. 

 Molasses Co. The former has a draft of 

 42 feet, the latter of 25 feet. 



Warehouse facilities at Matanzas are 

 apparently adequate. In addition to the 

 government warehouses on the Muelle 

 Real, there are two bonded warehouses 

 under government supervision, with a com- 

 bined capacity of 16,500 cubic meters. 

 For storage of sugar there is warehouse 

 space adequate for 1,800,000 sacks, with 

 extra space available should the need arise. 

 — Vice Consul Thomas McEnelly, Matan- 



Trade with Switzerland 



Swiss imports from Cuba in 1920 were- 

 valued at $722,511 and exports to Cuba 

 for the same period amounted to $4,554,375.. 



