The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-04
COMMERCIAL CUBA.

Dor, through its Bureau of Statistics.
It appears as a part of the Monthly
Summary of Commerce and Finance,
and will also be printed as a special
report, separate from that document.
It4contains a large amount of infor-
nation concerning the trade and in
dustries of Cuba, which will be found
especially timely and valuable at pres
ent and in the immediate future.
THE monograph begins with a gen.
eral review of Cuba's physical feat
nres, soil, climate, natural produc-,
TONS, etc, it's population. and the va
rious occupations of the inhabitants,
and a description % the principal ag-
ricultural activities, such as the rails
ing of sugar cane, tobacco, fruits,
vegetables, coffee, and live stock, the
mining of iron and other metals and
the production OF timber, vegetable
fibers, etc. 1t is shown that although
nearly all of the land in the island
OF high degree of cultivation, not
more than half of the area has been
even partially developed. and only
about one twenty-fifth OF it reduced to
scientific and advanced cultivation.
While the total area of the island is
about 28,000,000 acres, the acreage of
Cuba's magnificent cane fields is less
than 100000 acres, and her extensive
crops Of unrivaled tobacco are grown
on the insignificant total of not to
exceed 100000 acres. The comparison
between what Cuba has been and is
doing In agricultural lines and what
she is capable of doing, as presented
in this work, is striking and full of
suggestion. The same is true as to
the statements regarding the manu-
featuring industries and possibilities
of Cuba, and her abundant mineral
and forestal wealth, as yet hardly be-
gun to be exploited.
A chapter is devoted to the reorgani-
cation Of the administrat ton of the ISL
and under the United States protec-
forate and the new Cuban republican
government, and it is pointed out how
greatly the business interests of Cuba
have been advanced and benefited by
the reforms in the laws, in the cur
reney, in the tariff and tax regulate
in the municipal systems, in the pub
lie sanitation, ETC., so that Cuba has
now been transformed into healthy
and, well-ordered community, solvent,
self governing, reliable, and prosper
Gus, with it's business affairs settled
upon a solid and stable financial and
governmental basis.
One of the most important features
of the monograph relates to the recent
tariffs of Cuba with relation to their
effects upon Cuban trade and COM
meree. A comparison is made of the
tariff rates on several leading articles
of commerce in the last four tariffs,
namely, the old Spanish tariff in force
previous to 1890, the reciprocity tariff
of 1891, the Spanish tariff Of 1897, and
the present tariff framed under Unit
ed States auspices in 1900. A tabular
list of the exports of these articles
from this country to Cuba under each
of these tariffs is also given: and thus
it becomes easy to at least approxi-.
mate the practical effects of the vari-
Gus tariff rates upon our trade with
Cuba. S-j4
The different reciprocity agreements
and propositions of the past, with
their practical results, are narrated,
and history is given of the reci-
procity negotiations and debates of
1909, with the full text of the bill of
that year and also of the pending Gu
ban reciprocity convention.
Full tables and other details of Gu
ban foreign commerce are presented,
including particulars regarding immi-
grafton, revenues and expenditures,
customs receipts, tonnage, steamship
lines of communication, etc. 1t ap-
pears that the volume of Cuban for
eign commerce, which naturally suf-
fered a serious diminution during the
recent war, has lately experienced an
encouraging increase, and promises
soon to outstrip the record of its PALM
lest days before the war. During the
instruction no official returns were
made of the commerce of the island as
a whole, but it is known that its vol
ume was greatly curtailed. For ex-
ample, Cuba's most important export,
sugar, which --ourted to over $50, 900
tons in 1899 and will exceed LOCO
600 tons in the present year. was only
about 100000 tons in $685. and likewise
the Cuban export Of tobacco to the