T M E CUBA REVIEW 



2:5 



niadc a close imcstiKiition and had t'nuiid 

 the cane in j^ood condition in all uf the 

 cane sections except in that section to the 

 north of the line, from Regia to Santa 

 Clara, where the cane showed the want of 

 rain. The estimate was therefore reduced 

 to about 630,000 tons. lUit he added in 

 that in case there were rains in the next 

 lifteen days he would stick to his oriL;inal 

 estimate. 



The question was brought up in the meet- 

 ing as to the advisability of using oil for 

 fuel, and the chairman replied that as no 

 oil is produced in Cuba and the question 

 of duty being so important an item, it 

 would be quite impossible at present to 

 consider the use of fuel oil, however de- 

 sirable it might be in many ways. 



With regard to the provision of hotels, 

 the chairman said he hardly thought a rail- 

 vva}' company should run hotels. In Ha- 

 vana there were several good hotels, but 

 he could not recommend a railway company 

 to take up such business. 



The meeting approved the 4 per cent 

 dividend, less the income tax. 



WESTERN RAILWAY S MEETING 



The annual meeting of the board of di- 

 rectors of the Western Railway of Havana, 

 Ltd., took place in London, October 20th. 



Mr. J. White Todd, the chairman, said 

 during the meeting that they had reason 

 for congratulation on the results of the 

 past year's working, notwithstanding the 

 unfavorable outlook in the lirst half of 

 the year and the adverse effect upon the 

 company's business of the severe cyclone 

 in October last, says the Financial News 

 of London. Their passenger receipts had 

 increased, and on a line such as theirs this 

 was a certain sign of increasing activity. 

 The decrease in the working expenses was 

 due, in a great measure, to the facilities 

 for carrying out repairs to locomotives and 

 rolling stock in their new locomotive 

 shops, which were fitted with modern ma- 

 chinery and appliances, and were now in 

 full operation. The better conditions pre- 

 vailing in the tobacco districts were bound 

 to have a beneficial effect on their traffics 

 later on, and although the sugar carried 

 over the line was small, they anticipated an 

 addition to their revenue from this source 

 from the increased cultivation. The report 

 was adopted. 



The road traverses Havana and Pinar 

 del Rio Provinces, a very rich section of 

 the island and tapping the famous tobacco 

 districts. 



London. Though they were not able, he 

 said, to congratulate the shareholders', as 

 last year, ni a record of gross receipts, 

 still, only a small diminuition was shown. 

 He thought that 1,500,000 tons would rep- 

 resent the sugar crop of last season. Their 

 company lost only 7 Vi; per c^nt, whilst the 

 total decrease was nearly 17 per cent. The 

 company had carried over 20 per cent of 

 the whole crop, whilst last year they ear- 

 ned only 18^4 per cent. The increase in 

 their average receipts per ton of goods 

 handled and the growing development of 

 their passenger traffic were encouraging 

 features. They were in negotiation for the 

 purchase of two public service narrow- 

 gauge roads of some 90 kilometers, which 

 had been competing with the company to 

 some extent in the carriage of cane, sugar 

 and other goods. The acquisition of these 

 roads would be useful to the company. 



The tobacco crop in Santa Clara Prov- 

 ince was a failure, owing to the drought 

 and until some improvement was made in 

 drainage it would always be uncertain. In 

 machinery and building materials, also in 

 timber, traffic has increased. There was 

 also an improvement in the passenger 

 traffic. 



The company's business at Cienfuegos 

 pier continued to be satisfactory, although 

 there was naturally a decrease in the 

 number of bags of sugar. They were con- 

 sidering the advisability of increasing the 

 facilities at their old wooden pier, with the 

 object of attracting small craft. He 

 looked forward to the company holding its 

 own, and perhaps a little more. 



CUBAN CENTRAL RAILWAYS MEETING 



Sir W. Lawrence Young presided at the 

 annual general meeting of the Cuban Cen- 

 tral Railwavs held on October 27th in 



Leading ;\Ien in Cuba's Government— Senor Jesus 

 Barraque, Secretary of Justice. He is a well- 

 known lawyer and notary public, and required 

 considerable solicitation before he accepted the 

 proferred office in President Jose Miguel Gomez's 

 cabinet, as he was averse to abandon his practice. 



