Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/747

* CUBA. 643 CUBA. plantations that it is rallior to be reganlocl as an adjunct of agrii-ulluiv than a separate industry. In the ease of tobaeeo products the line of demar- cation is more distinct, and, while some of the large maiuifacturing companies hiivtf their own plantations, most of tlicm pi-efcr to buy the raw material of the planters. The centre of the cigar manufacturing is Havana, and must of the large firms are in the hands of foreigners. Tliis indus- try has of late begun to show some signs of de- cline owing to the heavy import duties imposed by foreign coiuitries, and the general tendency ia to jxport (L'uban tobacco in its raw state. L.VBOK CoNDiTiOKS. One of the prominent re- tarding factors in the agricultural and indus- trial deveIo])ment of Cuba is t!ie scarcity of labor. The liberation of slaves had a detrimental effect on the economic development of Cuba as well as the West Indies in general. With the supply of black labor cut olT, the Chinese coolies became the cliief factor in the Cuban hilior market, but, owing to real or alleged inhuman treatment, the Chinese Governnu'nt prohibited further eniigi-ation to the ishind. Since then Spain and the Canary Islands have been drawn upon to some extent, but the suppl.y falls short of the demand. The war still further depleted the ranks of labor, and according to the census of 18'J'J only 20!), 197 persons were engaged in agriculture, tishing, and mining; 03,034 in manu- facturing and mechanical pursuits. To the sugar planter the problem of securing competent laborers is serious. In the tobacco industi'y the labor question does not offer such dilliculties, owing to the fact that the work requires great skill, and white labor can be utilized to a large extent. In the mining industry the problem is also simplified, largely because of moi'e favorable climatic conditions in the mountain districts. Tkaksportation. Owing to the oblong shape of the island and the comparative evenness of the surface, the transportation problem presents few natural difficulties. The existing facilities, however, are utterly inadequate. The roads are mostly imcared for, and during the rainy season become almost impassable. Even the Camino Central, the chief highway of the island running from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, is for the most part in a very poor condition. The railway lines, while exceeding in mileage the length of the island, are concentrated chietly in the westeni and central parts. They are mostly narrow- gauge lines with light rails and poor roadbeds. The centre of the railway system is Havana, from ■which lines lead to Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Cardenas, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Camajuani, and a number of minor places. East of thcProv- ince of Santa Clara there are only a few short lines, of which the most important are the one connecting Puerto Principe with its port, Xuevi- tas, and the few short lines leading from San- tiago de Cuba into the mining region of the province. The total length of the seventeen pub- lic railways is over 1200 miles, while the 107 private roads (mostly belonging to sugar planta- tions) have a total length of 80.5 miles. The Central Railway connecfs Santa Clara with San- tiago de Cuba, and thus gives uninterrupted railway communication from one end of the island to the other. Commerce. The commerce of Cuba, under the Spanish regime, notwithstanding the restrictions placed upon it, was, relatively speaking, exten- sive. By a system of heavy protection, which had grown out of the monopoly idea of the seventeenth century, most of the commerce was diverted into Spanish cliannels, although only few of the demands of the island could be sup- plied by Spain from its domestic products, llut the adoption of a reciprocal treaty between the United States and Spain gave an impetus to commercial relations l)etweeii the former jiower and Cuba. Tbe exports of raercliaiidise fmm the United States to Cuba ro.se from .$12,224,888 in 1891 to .$21,137,ti08 in 1893, while the im- ports of Culian products into the United States increased during the same jieriod from $01,714,- 395 to .')!78,7O(l,.')O0. With the expiration of thi.s treaty in 1894 and flie beginning of the Cuban war in the following .veai'., the commerce of the island began to decline, and the exports and imports in 1809 amounted to ifUo.OOO.OOO and $4r).3l)0,000 respectively, as against .$(14,000.1100 and $03,000,000 in 1892. Thus the exports had remained practically the same, while the ini- ])orts had fallen olf over 50 per cent. The figures for 1900 showed but a sliglit increase over the preceding year. The principal imports into Cuba in 1900 were as follows: jirovisions and liquors (45 per cent.) ; textiles (15 ])er cent.) : metals, manufactures, and machinery (about t) per cent.); and live stock (about U per cent.). The exports for the same years consisted of sugar and its products, over 36 per cent.; tobacco and its products, 53 per cent.; the rest being made up of iron ore, fruits, wood, etc. Comparing the mean annual value of im])orts bv countries for 1894-95 ($07,335,800) with that'for the period of 1899-1900 (.$64,905,800), we find that Spain's share fell off from about 44 to less than l(i per cent.; that of the United States increased from about 33 to over 45 per cent., while that of Great Britain practically remained the same, over 15 per cent. The export trade of ('iilia for 1900 was distributed as follows: United States and possessions, 68 per cent.; United Kingdom and possessions, 12 per cent.; Spain, 2 per cent.; and Germany, II per cent. The United States buys almost the whole of Cuba's sugar and a large portion of her tobacco and mineral prod- ucts, and sends to the island in return live stock and animal products, flour, and metal manufac- tures, including railway supplies. Havana was visited in 1900 by 3270 vessels of 2,078,126 tons. Banks. Probably no other business reflects so closely the general economic condition of a coun- try as banking. It is therefore not at all sur- prising to find the banking business of Cuba in a deplorable state. Of all the banks founded in Cuba in the course of the last three decades of the past century, only two survived the Spanish-American 'ar, viz. the Spanish Bank of the Island of Cuba and the Bank of Coni- nicrce. The former, though owned by private stockholders, was a semi-ollicial institution under the Spanish regime, being subject to certain oflicial regulations, and its governor appointed by the Spanish Government. It .acted as fiscal agent of the Government, collecting the internal revenue, and floating the paper currency. The Bank of Commerce owes its uninterrupted, though by no means entirely prosperous, existence to its valuable railway and other properties which have helped indirectly to swell its bank- ing business, and have yielded a revenue out-