The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-07
SHIPS To CUBA
WOULD PAY WELL
is OPINION OF H. P. SMART.
HE THINKS BIG CARGOEs COULD
BE SECURED BOTH WAYS.

Lumber, Manufactured Lumber, Cat
tie, Meats and Many other Articles
Would Find Ready Market in
Cuba-Return Cargoes Would Com
sist of Tobacco, Coffee, Fruits, Veg
etabIes and HardwOOds - Raw
Sugar Might BE Exported and
Might Mean Sugar Refinery for
Savannah.
1t is more than probable that the
question Of establishing a line Of steam
ships between Savannah and Havana
will be taken up shortly by the Cham
Der of Commerce.
Mr.. H. p. Smart, who was for seven
years a resident of Cuba, believes that
such a line would be an excellent thing
for the business Of this city. He has
been discussing the matter with other
business men, with the result that the
attention of the Chamber of Com
merce VIII be called to it, with the
request that that organization investi-
gate the subject.
Mr.. Smart says there is, in his opin-
ion, enough business offered in Sa-
vannah to make it paying business to
send a ship to the Cuban capital every
two weeks, or three at least. Return
cargoes can be secured at least as often
If not oftener. A large trade between
the two ports can be had, he says, and
needs only to be developed to be one
of great Importance to this city, which,
because of its great advantage as a
point of distributes for large terri
tory, is peculiarly adapted to be the ter
minal of such line as is proposed.
Could Make Heavy Shipments.
Referring to Mr.. Pierponts state
ment, published in the Morning News
several weeks ago, that the
Pierpont Manufacturing Company
could furnish a cargo of crate
Smart said that not only
should there be a sufficient demand
in Cuba for the entire output of the
Pierpont company in the way of fruit
and vegetable crates, but of the out
put of several other similar factories
as well. In addition to such shipments
as crates, there would be heavy ship
ments of lumber he thinks; OF cattle,
products of cotton seed, canned meats
and a variety of manufactured arti-
cles.
Return cargoes would be of even a
greater variety of articles, he says,
for the fruit and vegetable exports
of Cuba are exceptionally large and
yearly growing in Importance, while
tobacco, hardwoOds, coffee, preserved
fruits, and, possibly, raw sugar, should
also be shipped to Savannah in large
quantities.
Might Get Sugar Refinery.
A line of the sort proposed might
make possible SaVannah's plan for a
big sugar refinery at this point, though
to secure such a plant this city's ad-
vantages as a point of distribution
would have to be brought prominently
to the notice of the big company that
now practically controls the sugar
business in this country.
AS showing the possibilities of such
line Mr.. Smart cited the disadvant-
ages under which the islanders now
labor in the matter of securing manu-
facturies by stating that most of the
cigar boxes that are used in Cuba are
made of cedar that grows on that
island, but which is exported as lum-
Der to New York, there made into box
material and then reshipped to the
source of it's supply
That line as suggested would be a
paying proposition Mr. Smart has no
doubt as, he says 1t would materially
reduce the rate on q number of lr-
ticles which are now received via Flori-
da, and on which the freight rate of
the railroads is very high.