30 T H E CUB A REV I EW 



we had 831 cars awaiting despatch. The effect on the economical working of the Railway 

 of these traffic blocks at both ends of a small system of only 289 kilometres of main line — 

 which were entirely beyond our control and extended over several months — may readily be 

 appreciated. 



"The movement of the sugar crop was handled more freely than for some years past, 

 due entirely to the greatly increased facilities our new rolling stock afforded. We were, as 

 a matter of fact, able to move sugar from the mills more rapidly than the warehouses at the 

 ports could absorb it. This difficulty became accentuated when the lack of sugar sales in 

 the States put a stop to embarkation at the ports, and in March, at the height of the crop, 

 there were times when we had no less than 1,600 cars awaiting space for off-loacling in the ware- 

 houses of the different ports. 



"Labor. — The year opened with a threatened strike on the part of the employees of the 

 Locomotive and Traffic Departments, who demanded a 30% increase in their wages, owing 

 to the enormously increased cost of living. A concession of from 10 to 15% was given as 

 from the 1st July, and this was accepted by all the employees except the Boilermakers, who, 

 while earning up to $250 per month, demanded a 60% increase and remained out on 

 strike for six months. The effect on our locomotive repairs was very serious indeed, and for 

 months we had an enormous number of locomotive failures, a large proportion of which as 

 already stated was due to sabotage on the part of the Locomotive Staff. With this single 

 exception the behavior of our employees throughout the year has been excellent. A com- 

 mencement was made with general wage and salary reductions in the months of May and 

 June and these have been accepted in the best possible spirit by all concerned. Ordinary 

 peon labor is now being paid .|1. per day as compared with $2.50 last year. During the last 

 three months, the exodus from Cuba of all classes of labor has been constant, and if the labor 

 requirements of the next crop are anything like normal, we shall certainly be faced with the 

 usual shortage of labor again early in the new year. 



'''New Tariffs. — In order to meet the higher costs of working, due to the increases in 

 wages and in the cost of materials, we asked the Government in July, 1920, to grant us a cor- 

 responding increase in our tariffs. Advantage was taken of the statutory biennial revision 

 of Tariffs to present to the Railway Commission a new classification of Tariffs, dividing goods 

 into twelve classes instead of five and providing for the assessment of goods rates by weight 

 instead of by volume. Unfortunately, consideration of our petition was postponed until after 

 the Presidential election, and it was not until the 12th December that the President agreed 

 to the new Tariffs coming into force. It may be said that the additional Tariffs saved all the 

 railways from a very serious financial situation brought on by the greatly increased and quite 

 abnormal costs of working. Today with the fall in wages and in prime materials, it is becom- 

 ing necessary to reduce these Tariffs, and we are now studying the best means of so doing be- 

 fore the movement of the next sugar crop. There have been various legislative attempts to 

 force this reduction upon us, but the difficult working conditions which the Railways have 

 experienced during the past year have always been fairly and justly recognized by the Govern- 

 ment authorities concerned. Now that our working costs are being steadily reduced, it is 

 only reasonable that we should voluntarily offer to lower some of the higher Tariffs of last year 

 to as great an extent as we can afford to do. 



"New Rolling Stock. — The heavy purchases of rolling stock arranged by the Board the 

 previous year came to hand in time for the movement of the sugar crop. This considerable 

 reinforcement of our traction facilities placed us in a very different position for handling the 

 crop from that which has obtained for some years. 



''Presidential Election. — The Presidential Election, which took place on 1st November 

 resulted in the election of Dr. Alfredo Zayas as President, and he formally took office on the 

 20th of this year. I take this opportunity of expressing our great appreciation of the uni- 

 form courtesy and consideration extended to this Company by the outgoing President, Gen- 

 eral Mario Menocal, and his Secretaries of State." 



" Visit of Chairman. — Durmg the year we had the privilege of a visit from the Chairman 

 of the Board, Mr. C. J. Cater Scott, the Hon. A. O. Crichton, and Mr. W. J. Maslen, London 

 manager and secretary, which gave us the advantage of discussing with them or the spot the 

 current business of the Company and many important matters of policy pending decision." 



United States Imports and Exports 



Total values of merchandise imported from and exported to Cuba durin<^' August and 

 the eight months ended August, compared with corresponding periods of the preceding 

 year, are given below: 



Month of August — 8 Months Ended August — 



1921 1920 1921 1920 



Imports from Cuba 116,951,997 $73,242,368 $187,039,591 $654,248,107 



Exports to Cuba 9,296,107 38,407,537 150,077,989 316,070,718 



