THE CUBA REVIEW 



19 



f condition of Cuban roads is the fact that 

 \ much of the hauling of cane in the vicinity 



of the sugar mills is done with narrow-tired 



wagons, which rapidly cut through the 

 , macadam surfacing. Legislation aimed at 

 ( the discontinuance of the use of such tires 

 i has been passed, but its enforcement is at 



present suspended. 

 i The state roads constructed in the island 



now reach a length of 2,357 kilometers, not 



counting 75 kilometers in the Isle of Pines. 



— Acting Commercial Attache Chester 



Lloyd Jones, Habana. 



Coal Consumption in Cienfuegos 

 Consular District 



Consul Frank Bohr, Cienfuegos, Cuba, 

 reports that there is no coal mining in the 

 Cienfuegos consular district. Practically 

 the only importation and consumption at 

 present is of bituminous coal from the 

 United States, although in times past lim- 

 ited quantities of American anthracite and 

 coke have also been imported. The princi- 

 pal consumption of coal in the port of 

 Cienfuegos is for ships' bunkers. Mexican 

 fuel oil, which was introduced about two 

 years ago, has more or less completely re- 

 placed coal for railways, electric light 

 plants, sugar estates, and other industrial 

 purposes. 



The value of the coal imported during 

 the calendar years 1920 and 1921 at the 

 port of Cienfuegos was $1,456,334 and 

 $50,764, respectively. The one local im- 

 porter and dealer has informed this con- 

 sulate that during the year 1921 the con- 

 sumption of coal in this port was only some 

 14,000 tons, whereas in previous normal 

 years it had been from 60,000 to 70,000 

 tons. 



Receiving and Bunkering Facilities of 

 Ports 

 Cienfuegos is by far the most suitable 

 port in this consular district for the coal 

 trade and for coal bunkers. Coal is dis- 

 charged in the open bay into lighters and 

 also into coal cars on the Cuban Central 

 Railway pier. The rate of discharge is ap- 

 proximately 500 tons per day of 24 hours. 

 Vessels are generally bunkered by means 

 of lighters, although they can also dock at 

 the above pier and receive coal direct from 

 the coal cars. The present price of $11.50 



per ton is for delivery into the ship's bunk- 

 ers, only the necessary trimming being 

 ordinarily for the account of the vessel. 

 The present usual stocks on hand are from 

 3,000 to 4,000 tons, some 2,000 tons being 

 kept stored in barges anchored in the bay. 

 Bunkers are usually supplied from these 

 barges, while the inland requirements are 

 supplied from a stock kept on shore. 



At Caibarien the anchorages are about 

 sixteen miles from the port, and the cost 

 of lighterage therefore makes direct trans- 

 portation, as well as the supplying of bunk- 

 ers to vessels, very expensive. In normal 

 times the consumption at that port has 

 been from 12,000 to 18,000 tons, but much 

 of this has been shipped direct from Ha- 

 bana. Sagua la Grande is not generally 

 considered a bunkering port; its imports of 

 coal are principally for use of the sugar 

 estates, and but a very small stock is kept 

 on hand by the dealers. 



Coal Importations at Habana 



There was a heavy decrease in the 

 importation of coal at Habana during 1921, 

 as compared with 1920, largely due to 

 general economic conditions. The decline 

 in shipping was one of the principal factors, 

 and it is possible that an increase in the use 

 of fuel oil in many of the industries also 

 had its effect in decreasing the demand for 

 coal. 



The following table, prepared from figures 

 furnished by one of the most important coal 

 importing companies, shows monthly im- 

 portations at Habana during 1920 and 1921: 



Imports of coal into Habana during 1920 and 

 1921, by months. 



Months 1920 1921 



Tons Tons 



January 67,203 38,643 



February 70,111 39,686 



March 87,905 68,108 



April 69,503 30,038 



May 92,414 13,535 



Tune 72,227 55.670 



July 54,204 30,607 



August 77,621 35,597 



September 86,678 27,535 



October 65,230 18,598 



November 61,323 46,314 



December 65,535 43,605 



Total 867,054 447,936 



(Consul John R. Putnam, Habana.) 



