54° 



The National Geographic Magazine 



to place her crops most easily and eco- 

 nomically upon the market. These con- 

 ditions determine the character of her 

 industrial life. Her highly skilled work- 

 men have mostly come from beyond the 

 seas. The labor question has not as- 

 sumed a social aspect. It has simply 

 been a problem of supply and demand of 

 field hands. There is little special skill, 

 little organization, little class spirit among 

 her working people. A tinge of paternal- 

 ism, prolonged in Cuba by the late con- 

 tinuance of slavery and the Spanish 

 tendency to organize commercial enter- 

 prises upon a domestic basis, pervades 

 the relations of employer and employee. 

 Even in urban .centers the industrial char- 

 acteristics of an agricultural community 

 prevail. 



The real labor supply of Cuba is inade- 

 quate to the needs of the island. It does 

 not permit the exploitation of resources 

 already in sight, much less does it afford 

 a social motive for developing new indus- 

 tries. The intelligent people of the island 

 appreciate this condition. They have 

 tried to remedy it by encouraging the im- 

 portation of labor from abroad. Now 

 that their national aspirations appear to 

 be realized, they desire that this labor 

 shall be composed, so far as possible, of 

 permanent settlers, who will become iden- 

 tified with Cuban sentiments and interests 

 and raise the prevailing standard of in- 

 telligence and citizenship. 



There is no trait more marked in the 

 Cuban workman in every employment 

 than his preference for contract or piece 

 work Over a regular wage. The former 

 seems to appeal to a speculative tendency 

 in his nature that adds interest to his oc- 

 cupation. It also flatters a certain senti- 

 ment of self-esteem. He feels himself 

 more independent, more his own master 

 in the former instance. Perhaps there is 

 a prejudice against hired service that has 

 come down from the days of slavery and 

 contract labor. There are few workmen 

 harder to drive and easier to lead than 

 the Cubans. Whatever the reason, em- 

 ployers all emphasize the preference of 

 the people for contract work. 



THE COMMERCE OE CUBA 



The foreign commerce of Cuba, ac- 

 cording to the latest returns received by 

 the Bureau of Statistics of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce and Labor, amounts 

 to 200 million dollars per annum, the im- 

 ports being 95 million dollars and the ex- 

 ports no millions. 



There has been a steady gain in the 

 share of the imports drawn from the 

 United States, the share in 1894 being 39 

 per cent; in 1902, 42 per cent, and in 

 1906, 50 per cent. The share of the ex- 

 ports sent to the United States was, in 

 1894, 85 per cent; in 1902, jj per cent, 

 and in 1906, 87 per cent. 



Of the exports, which are composed 

 chiefly of sugar, tobacco, and fruits, 

 nearly all of the sugar and a large pro- 

 portion of the fruits are sent to the 

 United States, and the exports of tobacco 

 are divided between the United States 

 and Europe. 



Of the 48 million dollars' worth of im- 

 ports from the United States, iron and 

 steel manufactures amounted to prac- 

 tically 10 million dollars, meat and dairy 

 products about 6 millions, flour a little 

 over 3 millions, lumber 2 T / 2 millions, 

 leather and its manufactures about 2 mil- 

 lions, cattle about 2 millions, coal a little 

 less than 2 millions, coffee (from Porto 

 Rico) about \y 2 millions, cotton manu- 

 factures about \y 2 millions, and vegeta- 

 bles about 1 million. 



BRITISH AND AMERICAN INVESTMENTS IN 

 CUBA 



The British investment, estimating 

 railroads at $90,000,000, shipping at 

 $5,000,000, and real estate and indus- 

 tries at $5,000,000, may be approximated 

 at $100,000,000, as against nearly $120,- 

 000,000 of American money in the island. 



The oldest and most profitable rail- 

 roads in Cuba are owned and operated 

 by British capital, namely, the Western 

 Railroad of Habana, the United Rail- 

 ways of Habana, and the Cuban Central 

 Railroad, which are owned by one group, 

 .while the stocks of the United, Maria- 



