The Washington herald., 1916-01-27
Rionda, Merchant Prince,
Plans Vast Cuban Enterprise

Wall street is said 10 be the longest
street In the United States as its busi-
ness belts the continent says an article
IN the Boston News Bureau.
Down near its physical feet in the East
river is the aroma OF coffee, sugar and
spices. On the southern corner. bg the
waterfront. the American Sugar Refining
Co. studies its cost sheets and deives
In library of worlds sugar statistics.
little farther UP ON the other side a
corner bears the name ''Crossman &
sieicken." crossman. some years ago,
crossed the river whence there is no re-
turn, and Sielcken, the king Of the coli
fee world, his written his letters and
Dictated his business from his magnih-
cent estates In Baden Baden. Germany.
since before the beginning of the war.
On the other side Of the street also
Is modest building OF seven stories and
every story represents a Cuban sugar
company. The seventh, and latest is
the Cuba Cane Corporation. A few
months ago not a dozen so-calIed wall
street men and probably not a hundred
investors In the United States would
know the name or meaning Of the signs
in this buildlns-Czsrnilxow Rionda Co,
Manati Sugar Co.. etc--or what was un-
der them
But one name is likely TO steadily ad-
vance up Wall Street.-The name Of
Rionda-
who Rionda Is.
Manuel Rionda IL a combination Of
| Spanish gentleman and high type of
American business man. Educated In
Brunswick, Maine, lie went to Cuba in
ISL and has spent his business life with
| Its sugar interests and English and
American finance. He knows the soil
1 OF Cuba, Its natural richness its pow
erty Of agricultural development. and
he knows the sugar market I-e holds
the confidence of the financial people az
well as of the smallest and largest sugar
producers. While his companies produce
10000 bags of sugar, he Is the sales
! agent for many others. including the
United Fruit Company. Indeed, what
/ Sielcken is in Brazilian coffee, Rionda is
In Cuba sugar-merchant prince. FIRST in
the line. and there is no second
Mr.. Rionda's standard OF measure is a
! bag OF Cuban sugar. When asked What
is Cuba worth7" he Instantly replied
Not less than 500, 900 when she pro-
duces 100000 bags OF sugar; and you
can safely loan money on that basis"
Once when somebody began to figure
! earnings from plantation. Rionda er-
claimed: Not making money. but rob-
| bing nature''
Rionda believes that cultivation, chem
| istry. fertilization. deep plowing, etc. will
work wonders for Cuba, To this end he
| believes in large units In plants ton work.
He says: I'VE don't buy small planta-
! tions. Like babies. the smaller they are,
the more trouble they give you We want
plantations of 1900 to 5000 tons"
Reason for Cuba's Low Cost.
The reason for Cuba's low cost IN sugar
production is not alone In her rich soil.
with depth in some places Of thirty
feet, but In the fact that cane with one
! planting will bear its annual crop for
[ from seven to ten years. while elsewhere
in the world cane must be replanted
either every year or every two years.
when the Cuban grinding season-De-
| cemoer to May lis finished the fields
are green and the cane is well UP for
the next season. But Porto Rico. next
door, and Java the other side of the
world. must replant every two years, and
the sugar industry exists in Hawaii only
| by extensive cultivation. It Is declared
| with sugar down to cents. cents would
ruin the Hawaiian Island plantations. In
| the Philippines the labor situation is
| against sugar cane development
One would think that In this situation
| Cuban sugar lands would have premium
valuations. On the contrary, the major
| value In sugar plantation is IN its ma
| CnHeIE ana equipment IL Is hnmaterlal
! whether the sugar Is produced for this
| machinery on the owned or leased land.
or comes from nearby plantations under
| other ownership and leases. The essen
| tial thing is the sugar. the plantation
railway for quick transportation and the
| grinding machinery. Work ceases when
II rains. for the fields cannot then be
worked, and cane must be delivered with
| in twenty-four hours OF cutting, or Il
| ferments, sours and will not yield the
sugar crystal Last season the rains cut