THE SUGAR AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES.1

Producing farms.-The number of farms contributing to the sugar crop of 1906-7, was 186, this number being 5 more than the total for the previous year, and 7 more than the total for the year 1904–5.

Cultivated area.-Estimated upon the basis of the quantity of cane ground and the average yield per acre, the last crop required a cultivated area of no less than 849,100 acres as compared with 748,733 acres in the previous year. Cane ground.-The quantity of cane ground increased in 1907 as compared with 1906, 1,679,947 English tons, the large amount of 14,214,946 tons being reached in the former year, and 12,534,999 tons in the latter; the quantity ground in the latter year, in its turn, exceeded that for the preceding year, by 958,862 tons.

Sugar production.-In consequence of the increase in the area devoted to the cultivation of sugar cane, the production of sugar in 1906-7 exceeded that of 1905-6; the amount produced was 1,444,310 tons in the former ycar and 1,229,737 tons in the latter year. The increase was 214,573 tons. The corresponding increase in 1905-6 as compared with 1904-5 was only 46,389

tons.

Sirup production.-The production of both molasses and sugar sirups has a close relation to that of sugar. The quantity of sirups obtained from the crop of 1906-7 was 46,745,736 gallons, while the quantity manufactured in 1905-6 was 37,917,752 gallons, the increase was, therefore, 8,827,984 gallons, an increase very much greater than the increase in 1905-6 as compared with 1904-5, the latter increase being 2,760,497 gallons.

Production of brandy and alcohol.-In 1906-7, the manufactures on sugar farms included 1,853,648 gallons of brandy and 400,120 gallons of alcohol as compared with 1,032,930 gallons of brandy and 330,121 gallons of alcohol for the year 1905-6, which represents an increase of 820,718 gallons of brandy and 69,999 gallons of alcohol, quantities which, in their turn, are much greater than those reached in the comparison between 1905-6 and 1904-5, the increases for that period being 226,433 gallons of brandy and 3,836 gallons of alcohol. The production of each of these liquors in factories or distilleries, aside from the production on sugar plantations, shows also an appreciable increase-1,302,053 gallons of brandy and 41,262 gallons of alcohol.

1

This account of the sugar industry of Cuba, and of the other industries connected with and dependent thereon, is based upon the report published in 1908 by the Section of General Statistics of the Cuban Treasury Department, of which Dr. Julian Betancourt is chief.

follows, therefore, that the excess of the national production in 1906-7 as compared with 1905-6 was 2,122,771 gallons of brandy and 111,261 gallons of alcohol. The total production of those liquors for 1906-7 amounted to 6,806,333 gallons of brandy and 2,954,809 gallons of alcohol, an aggregate of 9,761,142 gallons.

Total value of crops.-The value of the products of the sugar mills may be estimated upon the basis of the value of the exports of these products, except in the case of alcohol, with which brandy and rum must be included because details are not given for this product in the custom-house documents. As estimated these products were valued at $73,896,899 in 1906-7 and $61,514,978 in 1905-6, the increase being $12,381,921. These crops were exceeded, however, by that of 1904-5, the value of which, estimated in the same way, was $80,002,734.

Exportation of sugar.-In the year 1907, 1,292,777 tons of raw sugar were exported by the national custom-houses, while in 1906 only 1,180,615 tons and in 1905, 1,077,193 tons were exported. Although the quantity of these exports increased over 100,000 tons each year, the value of the raw sugar exported in 1906 ($57,909,932) was less by $13,843,405 than the corresponding value for 1905 ($71,753,337). Fortunately for the country, this threatened fall in prices did not continue, and the value of the raw sugar exported in 1907 was $69,416,689, or $11,506,748 more than the value for the previous

year.

With regard to refined sugar, the data of the custom-houses show that there has been an extraordinary increase in the amount exported, the amount increasing from 1 ton in 1905 to 8 tons in 1906, and to 3,311 tons in 1907, while the values increased from $129 in 1905 to $1,198 in 1906 and $137,739 in 1907.

Exportation of sirups.-The same unusual condition is noted with respect to sirups, of which 34,532,005 gallons were exported in 1907, 31,530,398 in 1906, and 28,130,263 in 1905; this represents an increase for 1907 over 1906 of 3,001,607 gallons and a greater increase, 3,400,135 gallons, for 1906 over 1905. The variation in the total value of these exports was from $794,542 in 1905 to $774,627 in 1906 and $921.312 in 1907; while the decrease between 1905 and 1906 was $19,915, the increase between 1906 and 1907 amounted to $146,685.

Exportation of other products.-The normal relation between quantity and value exists in the case of the exports of sweets and preserves and liquors, other than brandy and rum, obtained from sugar cane. The exported sweets and preserves amounted to 627,900 pounds valued at $33,047 in 1907 and 380,989 pounds valued at $31,935 in 1906, thus showing an increase in quantity and in value. Similarly the exports of liquors other than brandy and rum increased from 5,676 gallons valued at $1,415 in 1906 to 217,435 gallons valued at $59,886 in 1907. In the case of brandy and rum, the quantity decreased from 1,342,892 gallons in 1906 to 1,270,745 gallons in 1907 while the value increased from $250,809 to $257,800.

Total value of the exports mentioned.-The total value of the exportations noted-namely, sugar, sirups, sweets and preserves, brandy and rum, and other liquors-amounts to $70,826,464 for 1907 as compared with $58,969,916 for 1906, showing an increase of $11,856,548, or 20.2 per cent. Of this increase the greater part was obtained in commerce with the United States, to which country saccharine products to the value of $65,156,492 were exported in 1907 as compared with similar exports to the value of $58,433,121 in 1906, the increase in 1907 over 1906 being $6,723,371.

Importation of bags and machinery.-In connection with the sugar and allied industries it is necessary to import quantities of bags and machinery. In 1907, sugar bags weighing 11,208 tons were imported; these were valued at $1,299,040. In the same year 18,481 tons of machinery to be employed in the manufacture of sugar and brandy were imported at a cost of $1,445,254. These figures compared with those for 1906 show decreases in quantity amounting to 1,021 tons for bags and 5,417 tons for machinery, a decrease of $739,401 in the value of the machinery, and an increase of $80,749 in the value of the bags. The total value of the bags and machinery imported amounted to $2,744,294 for 1907 and $3,402,946 for 1906. Thus there was an excess in 1906 over 1907 of $658,652 for importations.

Balance.1-A comparison, or final balance, of the exportations and importations which have been mentioned, shows an excess in the value of the exports amounting to $68,082,170 in 1907 and $55,566,970 in 1906. The excess for 1906, however, is over five million dollars less than that for 1905, the excess for 1905 being $68,313,230.

'Subject to correction for 1907.

THE POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH SERVICES.

By J. CHARLES HERNANDEZ, Director General de Comunicaciones, Cuba.

PROGRESS FROM JANUARY, 1899, TO JANUARY, 1908.

The military intervention of the United States of America in Cuba started a new era of progress in all the branches of the public administration. During the four years of that government a radical transformation was effected. From the beginning the important question of the postal and telegraph services, which had always been in a miserable condition, was given special attention by the intervening government because these services were powerful governmental resources as well as necessities to the government and to the people. Among the numerous changes authorized, the following may be mentioned: The sale of postage stamps at post offices, instead of at the offices of "stamped papers"; the discontinuance of the delivery fee (5 cents) collected from the addressee by the carrier for each letter; the considerable increase of letter boxes; the establishment of a more frequent collection of mail; the issue of a stamp for use on mail for immediate delivery; and the creation of the Dead Letter Bureau.

In the month of April, 1899, the postal tariff issued by the intervening government was put in force. The rates of postage were as follows: Letters weighing less than 1 ounce, 2 cents; single postal cards, 1 cent; double postal cards, 2 cents; newspapers entered as second class matter by the editors, 1 cent for a package not exceeding 1 pound in weight, provided the papers were to be distributed at the office of destination or at an office without free delivery, and 1 cent for a package not exceeding 8 ounces in weight, if the papers were to be distributed by carriers at a free delivery office; printed matter of other kinds, 1 cent for a package not exceeding 2 ounces in weight; medicine, merchandise, and samples, 1 cent for each ounce or fraction thereof. The registry fee was fixed at 10 cents.

Later the rate of postage for letters not weighing over 1 ounce was reduced to 2 cents and the registry fee to 8 cents, including the return receipt, while the rate for newspapers entered as second class matter was fixed at 1 cent a pound.

On January 23, 1906, a law authorized by Congress was promulgated, granting domestic franking privilege to all the national newspapers. This privilege, which it was feared would cause the second class mail to disappear, did not lessen the quantity of that class.

As there were no special stamps for Cuba at the time of the American

intervention the sale of United States stamps was authorized. Afterwards Cuban stamps of denominations of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 cents were issued; of the 10 cent denomination, two different kinds were issued, one for postage, and the other for special delivery. A new stamp of 50 cents has been issued lately, which is used chiefly for parcels and packages.

The Postal Code was promulgated on June 21, 1899, by order No. 115, of the General Headquarters of the division of Cuba. This order, still in effect, granted the Postal Service the most complete autonomy, fixed its rights in a clear manner, pointed out the duties of the postal officers, and established penalties for violations of its provisions.

During the Spanish administration, the Postal Service was practically limited to the transportation and distribution of the mails. The intervening government, after considering the public needs and the general convenience, created two new services: the Money Order and the Parcels Post systems, which began to operate shortly after the promulgation of the Postal Code. These two systems, which formerly were not known in Cuba, were welcomed by the public.

The Money Order Service was established only in 32 military postal stations, but it was soon transferred to the post offices. At first this service, outside of Cuba, was in operation only with the United States; but it was extended later, to Canada. At the end of the first intervention there were 103 post offices with money order service in Cuba; at the expiration of the first government of the Republic there were 120, and at the present time there.

are 155.

At the close of the first American administration the Parcels Post System was in operation at 159 post offices. During the period from May 20, 1902, to September 29, 1906, it was established in 56 additional offices, and during the present provisional government of the United States 45 more have been added, making a total of 260 at the present time.

No important changes have been made in the Money Order or Parcels Post systems. A new money order blank, similar to that now in use in the United States, has been substituted for the old form and has been well received by the public, as it bears a picture of Commanding-General Calixto García Iñiguez.

No postal treaty was concluded during the epoch of the intervention, as Cuba had no definite status. Upon the restoration of the national government, five were concluded as follows: one with the United States and one with Mexico for the exchange of mail; and one with Mexico, one with Germany, and one with France for the exchange of parcels. By virtue of the first two treatics, the domestic rates in force in the country in which the mail originates are charged. With the exception of newspapers, articles under franking privilege in the domestic service are also entitled to this privilege in the International service.

Of the treaties for the International Parcels Post Service those with Germany and France, which are the most perfect, were put in force on June 1,