Honolulu star-bulletin., 1917-03-17
CUBAN SUGAR CROP HAS SETBACKS
" FROM VERY OUTSET OF THIS SEASON


burns down the. fire is communicated
to the leaves and from that to the
standing cane. IT happens very often
that while the plantation workers are
putting out fire in one place, another
will start up in a different locality.
This second fire is very apt to gain
rapid hea6way owing to the fact that
the first fire is occupying the atten-
tion of the greater number of fire
fighters.
There has been decided change in
/ the weather since early Friday morn
ing, February 2. At that time strong
northwest wind began 10 blow, which
brought with it showers and de-
scending temperature The weather
men say that this wind and cold is
the effect of the storm which on Feb
ruary / and 2 was marrying the New
Jersey coast The average tempera.
ture on the first date mentioned was
az deg. and by Saturday morning the
thermometer registered 81 deg, re-
manning thereabouts the rest OF the
day This temperature is rather cool
for Cuba.
Light, showers have fallen in this
part of the island and rains have also
been reported in the east 1t is likely
therefore that the storm has affected
the greater part of the island. At
one time the wind blew in Havana at
the rate of so miles per hour, but the
only damage so far reported sIef a
local nature and easily repaired.
More Sugar Needed
The Cuban minister to Argentina
recently reported to the secretary Of
state that owing to great scarcity of
sugar in Argentina a decree would be
promulgated permitting the importa-
ton of certain amount of sugar free
of duty. 1t was at first thought that
the decree would allow the free entry
of only $4,000 tons, but the Cuban
minister has since been informed that
the sugar tonnage required would be
considerably in excess of this figure.
I One of the reasons that the present
crop is not being harvested as rapidly
as was expected is the lack of rolling
equipment throughout Cuba. The
railroad companies of the island are
face to face with serious car short
age and cannot handle all the business
that is being presented to them. The
large sugar companies also find them
selves in the same boat, as they lack
by q considerable margin the neces-
sary cars to handle promptly and eff
ficiently the large crops to be moved
from the cane fields to the sugar
mills.
The fact that the big Cuban pro-
ducers are short of cars is not due to
any lack of foresight, but in the main
to chain of unfavorable circum-
stances that has worked against their
securing the large number of new cars
ordered from the United States during
the summer.
In the first place the American man.
ufacturers could not fill the orders
promptly. Secondly, after being
shipped from the factory. existing
freight embargoes and the congestion
of transportation on the American rail-
roads delayed the delivery of the cars
at Cuban ports by many weeks. On
top of these two discouraging develop
ments was added the fact there were
iui lHSI- NSAlilS uetdyS III dSS6UlUilHS
the cars at the ports and in moving
the cars to the mills and plantations
over the Cuban railroads.
Plan Future Relief
In order to give further relief to the
planters and producers. President
Nennooal has signed decree permit
ting the entry free of. duty of all ma
chinery and accessories necessary for
the making of steel cars The presi-
dent in this case took advantage of a
provision of law which enables him
TO permit free entry of materials that
NAV be necessary for the establish
ment of new industry. II is reported
that a cuban company has already
been formed for the purpose of manu-
featuring steel railroad cars and will
avail itself of the provisions of this
decree. If the company really goes
into business and is successful the
planters would have one impediment
removed when preparing for future
4,