Republican farmer., 1919-06-20
CUBA GETS MORE FROM TOBACCO
 THAN SUGAR


 New York, June 16.-In spite of her enormous sugar industry, Cuba does not receive a great sum of money for her sugar production. In propor- tion to the total annual yield from that crop, her returns are meagre.
 The sugar income Of the island re- public is ten times as great as her tobacco income, yet tobacco brings much more money into Cuba than sugar does. This statement. which is contrary to the general accepted be- lief, was made by Right Rev. Hiram Richard Hulse, D. D., Protestant Episcopal Missionary Bishop of Cuba, now in New York to raise money for establishing schools in Cuba. Alp sentee ownership of Cuba's sugar mills Is the reason.
 Americans own one-third of the Cuban sugar mills and produce one half of the yield,' said Bishop Hulse. '"The sugar crop this year, will bring a return of about $700,000,000 which is o.000,ooo more than the 1918 yield, but most of the profits will go into the pockets of the American owners and stockholders.
 The tobacco plantations on the other hand, are mostly owned by the Cubans and the money which comes in from that source remains in Cuba.
 ''The principal reason why Ameri- cans own so many of the sugar plan tations and sugar mills Is that 1t re- quires so great an amount of money to enter profitably into the business. It reqires about s1.000,00o to start a sugar plantation. In addition to the necessary machinery. the planter must buy a large tract of land-enough so that he can raise sufficient cane to keep his machinery in use all the year arond. It Is difficult for a Cuban, or a group of Cubans, to raise such an amount, hence American capital must be sought, with the result that the profits go to the American own CTS.
 "A tobacco plantation can be start ed on a capital of from s20,000 to s5o,000. Because of the much smaller sym needed, a great many more Cubans enter this industry and the money which is made remains in Cuba"
 Often the sugar workmen on plan tations owned and operated by Cubans do not see one cent in actual money from years end to years end and as they are paid off in orders on the company store. When the year is over IL IS 1OunQ tHdt luoy hdSS "oAh VI eaten up the total amount they have earned, and often more.
 Cuban agricultural and industrial development was greatly hampered and stunted by the policy pursued for hundreds of years by the Spanish government which forbade the Span ish colonies to produce any of the commodities which the mother coun- l try could produce. By this policy Cuba was restricted to the single ef- fort of agriculture. and limited even in this to the production of sugar and tobacco. Many of the Americans who have gone to Cuba to live since she won her independence have en- sased in the citrus fruit industry.
 The 40 pupils at the Limonar in- dustrial school are all Negroes. For ty per cent. of the inhabitants Of Cuba | are Negroes and they provide capable and willing til1ers of the soil and emcient ones if they have had instruc- ton in the clements of agriculture |
 .~The retail traders in Cuba," he l said. ''are all Spaniards. The Cubans i do not seem to be able to break into that business Banking there is done mostly by Americans and Comedians although more or less frequently Cuo- ans are employed as directors or branch offices in the interior of the island.
 '~The National Bank of Cuba is managed by Americans. but some Cubans may be found in the branch offices. The Bank of Canada has sev- eral Cubans as directors of its many | branches in the interior. Although l many Cubans are engaged in agricul tural pursuits. they prefer to be over ] seers, directors and politicians. Busi- l ness is almost wholly barred to them"
 Living expenses in Cuba are from fifty to sixty per cent higher than | they arc in the United States. Bishop | Hulse stated. because Cuba imports i most of the necessities of life From | the United States instead of rais- ing them herself.