THE CUBA REVIEW 



23 



COMMERCE AND RAILROADS 



CUSTOM HOUSE COLLECTIONS 



The custom house collections at Havana 

 for the month of August compare as 

 follows : 



1911 $1,597,533.39 



1910 1,414,351.17 



1909 1,516,254.53 



1908 1,293,894.44 



From all custom houses in the republic, 



the collections for the tiscal year 1910-11 

 were as follows. 



■1910 



July $2,012,912 



August 1,947,571 



September 2,069,532 



October 1,836,350 



November 2,447,508 



December 2,345,422 



1911 



January 2,225,383 



February 1,968,944 



May 2,138,126 



March 2,358,563 



April 1,976,710 



June 2,130,490 



Total $25,457,516 



IMPORTATIONS OF SUGAR BAGS 



A subsidiary cultivation that has made 

 some progress in Cuba is that of sisal or 

 henequen, which produces a course kind 

 of fibre. Its cultivation has indeed ad- 

 vanced so far that a Cuban company has 

 recently applied to the government for a 

 concession for the manufacture of sugar 

 bags. These are at present imported into 

 the country to the extent of 15,000 tons 

 and of the value of £310,000 annually. 

 Of this total 90 per cent is made in six 

 factories in Calcutta, and the remaining 

 10 per cent at Dundee, the whole amount 

 being transported in British ships. — Report 

 of the British consul in Cuba. 



DO NOT WANT AN INSPECTOR 



Members of the Private Stock Exchange 

 of Havana do not like the presence of a 

 government employee at their sessions and 

 have filed a protest with the secretary of 

 agriculture, commerce and labor. 



An order- for a government employee 

 to be present at all sessions was issued 

 only about a month ago, under the law 

 which allows the Department of Commerce 

 to inspect banking and financial institutions 

 in Cuba. 



RAILROAD NOTES 



The Railroad Commission has accepted 

 the bond of $6,000 put up by Manuel L. 

 Diaz as a guarantee that the Compania 

 de Ferrocarriles de Vuelta Abajo will 

 build a railroad extending from the port 

 of La Esperanza to Vinales in the prov- 

 ince of Pinar del Rio. 



The road will tap a section of the prov- 

 ince rich in minerals and where much to- 

 bacco is grown. 



The United Railways of Havana have 

 been granted permission by the govern- 

 ment to extend their lines along the 

 Havana harbor front on the reclaimed 

 land of the Atares Wharf and Warehouse 

 Company. The building of this road will 

 connect the docks and warehouses under 

 construction at this point with the railroad 

 systems of the island. 



The Cuban Central Railways having 

 opened its new branch from Caguagas to 

 Rancho Veloz in Santa Clara Province, 

 the postmaster-general has estabhshed a 

 traveling post-office to collect and to dis- 

 tribute the mails between these towns and 

 also to Alfonso, San Francisco and Central 

 Ramona. This service will also benefit 

 the population of the towns of Quemados 

 de Guines and Carahatas. 



Payment was made September 7th to 

 the United Railways of Havana of the 

 sum of $13,782.50, being the amount due 

 that road for subsidies corresponding to 

 the new extension built by that company 

 from Cardenas to Coliseo, which is 16% 

 kilometers long. 



CUBAN TELEPHONE COMPANY INCOME 



The long distance telephone system be- 

 tween Havana and Matanzas was opened 

 September 6th for business. 



The July report of the Cuban Telephone 

 Company showed 6,919 subscribers at the 

 end of July, an increase of 3,947 as com- 

 pared with the same month in 1910. 



The total proceeds of the plant for the 

 month were $38,041.43 as compared with 

 $24,372,21, an increase of $13,669.22. 



The total expenses of maintenance have 

 been $8,026.84, leaving a net gain of 

 $30,014.59. 



Rumor has it that a company will estab- 

 lish near Sugua de Tanamo and Nipe Bay 

 two large plants to manufacture turpentine 

 and lubricating oils. 



