Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-01
CUBA A GOLD MINE
Millions Circulating Where
Starvation Formerly Reigned.
OUR TRADE OUTLOOK
CONSUL STEINHART TALKS OF
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
Good Men Already Earning Fortunes
Selling American Goods to the
Islanders-Land Values.
Copyright, 1905, by Frank G. Carpenter)

Copyright, 1908, by Frank c. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Star.
HAVANA
Cuba has put on the seven-league boots
of modern progress and is marching, dOu-
ble-quick. toward prosperity and wealth.
Its surplus this year is greater per capita
than that of any country on earth. Sugar
has gone skyward. and the crop will bring
forty million dollars more than the usual
price. In addition Cuba has more than
twenty million dollars from the bonds
which have been recently allowed to the
soldiers. From these two sources alone it
has nowsiXty million dollars more than
year ago, and all this in popula-
ton of 10000 souls. This means an av-
erage increase of $40 for every man, woman
and child in the country. or, at five to the
family, an increase of 800 per family. To
realize that suppose that every family IN
the United States could suddenly add $500
to it's present pile. Suppose that every
mothers son of you and every mother 3
daughter, too. had $40 more than you had
last year, or in any year preceding, and
you have the condition of the Cuba of to-
day. Such an increase in the United States
would mean the sudden addition of about
three and one-half billion dollars to our
national wealth; and also that this vast
sum would almost all go into immediate
crcula ton for the booming and building
up of the country.
That is what they have today in Cuba.
They have more. Every business is pros
porous. The tobacco crop has been good.
The island is fast becoming the fruit
and vegetble garden of the United
States, lands are being sold in large tracts
to Americans and there is a general rise
in real estate and other properties through
out the island. There were three times as
many American tourists here last winter
as I'm any winter preceding, and today scat
tering companies of young Yankees are
prospecting the provinces and picking up
good things in cheap lands and other in
vestments. l felt that we should soon have
a big industrial and commercial invasion
of Cuba, and came here of the adj
vance scouts of our business army to re-
port to you the possibilities of that peace
full invasion. / find, however. that the
movement is far in advance of what / sup
posed, and that the invasion. although en-
tirely unorganized, is well under way.
A Talk With Our Consul General.
Perhaps no American in Cuba is better
posted on the situation than Mr.. Frank
Steinhart, the consul general from the Unit
ed States. He was here during the war
and was also closely associated with Gen.
Wood and our other officials in the reforma-
ton of the country He has done much for
American trade since then and he sees Cuba
through the eyes of practical business
man. I met Mr.. Steinhart In the offices of
the consulate this morning. Said he:
you. cannot appreciate the change in
Cuba since the war without having been on
the ground. At that time the people
were the poorest of the poor. Thousands
had not enough to eat and hardly enough
clothes to cover their nakedness. This was
SO when the war closed and long thereafter.
At the Inglaterra Hotel, where you are
stopping the cafe, you know. Is right on
the street Eating dinner there, in those
dark lines, one would have crowd look
ing 81 at the windows reaching out its
hands and begging for food. You could see
famine in the ribs Of every other person
YOU met; many of the children were skin
and bones The cattle had been eaten up
during the war. and there was practically
no meat for sale at prices which the people
could pay. There was no money The mer-
chants had no business. Everything was
poverty Today the people here are fat and
well dressed. All thave plenty and money
10 spend. Business is good everywhere and