Evening star., 1949-07-24

IS and other trouble makers, arc
time, at least until September 80.
All of which will eat into this
years profits. so that producers
will be forced to cushion the Jolt
with diminished financial reserves.
Among the arguments for this
course of action is the high cost
of living and the possible labor
unrest any cut in the wages Of
sugar workers would bring. It
would play into the hands Of the
Communists, who are still influ-
ential in Cuba. Then there Is the
theory that high wages make for
more industrial demands, and
therefore more volume of output.
more jobs for other Cubans and
so on. The argument is even ad-
vanced that high wages mean
more purchases, more imports
from the States. But Cubans do
not hesitate to say that the basic
reason the government forces the
paying of the present high wages
is that it means more public sup
port for the present administra-
ton at time when the opposi-
ton is again in full battle array.
President Prio's party, the Au-
tentico, founded by his predeces-
sor, DR.. Ramon Grau San Martin.
has the largest representation in
Congress, and with the support Of
two smaller parties. the Republic
cans and Democrats, a clear ma
jority in the Senate and House Of
Representatives. But, what is
more important, DR.. Grau himself
is now bidding for a comeback.
At least he is trying to regain in
fuence in, if not complete control
of, the Autentico Party. There is
no evidence yet, except his own
determination and confidence, that
he will be able to regain any con-
siderable influence. much less
domination. But he can be ire
menQOuS NUISANCE.
Batista Rebuilding
Another former strong man.
Fulgencio Batista. is back in
Havana and working hard to re-
build his political fences. Batista
is said to have considerable fol-
lowing among the lower ranks in
the army. His brother is the gov
ernor of the important province
of Havana. and he himself Is .
Senator. 1t now looks as II Ba-
tista is definitely in the running
for the presidency in 1852. Grau
himself cannot run because Of q
provision in the constitution which
does not permit a President to run
for the Office again until two full
terms have elapsed after his in.
cumbency.
But the chief criticism Cubans
offer of the Prio administration Is
that it has not shown strong and
positive leadership. Cuban busi-
nessmen say that instead Of
scrapping the unpopular policies
of the Grau administration Pres
ident Prio has continued them.
They insist he has not faced the
facts about sugar; that he Is
temporizing with radical labor.
and thereby hamstringing busi-
ness and industry in general.
Meantime Communist propa-
ganda is being fed the general
public. in all the sly ways charac-
teristic of its purveyors.
Nor can the Importance of Gu
ban sugar to our own everyday
economy and well-being be over
emphasized. Sugar was the first
food product to be rationed in two
great World Wars, and the very
last to be released from such re-
strictions. Sugar is not only the
backbone of Cuban economy, but
since we are the major market,
the welfare of the islands 5,000.-
900 people is dependent primarily
upon the amount of the product
we import.
Good Investment
1t is also we'll to keep in mind
that the hundreds of millions Of
dollars United States citizens have
invested in the industry were not
made yesterday, or in recent
years. Many of them go back 40
years and more. And stockhold-
ers in every part of the country
have hundreds of millions Of their
savings tied up in them.
The Truman administration IL
fostering a program to induce
United States private capital to
go into other countries to help
develop new enterprises and i'm
prove the standard of living OF the
people of the so-called "economi-
cally underdeveloped areas" But
the continued prosperity Of great
United States investments, such
as the United States-owned sugar
plantations in Cuba. is equally vi
tai not only to Cuba, but to our
own citizens. Private capital can't
be expected to go abroad unless
it can also look forward to an
extended peroid of profitable pro-
duction.
If ever any United States enter
prise in any foreign country
brought valuable returns to every
section of the United States, 1t is
our Cuban sugar investments. For
example the average annual value
Of our purchases from Cuba during
the 1946-1948 period was over
$404 100000 At the same time
Cubans sent right back to- us an
average of 100000 a year.
They used these American dollars
to purchase not only every con-
ceivable kind of manufactured
goods imaginable. but for innum-
cradle agricultural products as
we'll.
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