Wages in Cuba are higher than in most important cane-producing countries in the tropics, and Dr. V. S. Clark quotes a number of authorities to show that inefficiency makes Cuban labor costs in most lines of work relatively higher than in the United States and other countries on the American continent, although he says that American supervision has in some instances increased efficiency greatly.[58] (Bureau of Labor, Bull. [L. of C.] 41, pp. 712, 778.) Complete, reliable and up-to-date information and statistics concerning Cuba’s sugar industry are not obtainable at the moment, nevertheless it is well known that the Cuban plantations and mills that are operated by modern scientific methods can produce sugar at lower costs than Germany or any of the beet-raising countries, while as regards cane-growing countries, Java is the only possible rival. And yet, despite the optimistic views of Cuba’s supporters, the fact remains that the full development of her resources is still a matter of uncertainty, though the possibilities for expansion are enormous, provided that certain obstacles, notably the labor problem, can be overcome. At the present time it is doubtful whether the production of sugar could be largely increased, chiefly because of the growing difficulty of securing adequate help in the fields. During the season ending midsummer, 1915, Cuba’s output of sugar was 2,592,667 long tons, the largest crop raised in any country in the world, and the vast amount of cane from which it was manufactured was ground by 176 central factories. It is estimated that the production for 1916 will reach 3,000,000 tons. When it comes to the marketing of her sugar the United States is Cuba’s best customer, only a comparatively small amount being taken by Europe.[59] The 20-per-cent preferential allowed on Cuban sugar duty under the reciprocity treaty, however, does not always go to the Cuban manufacturer. The real beneficiary is the consumer in the United States, for this reason: when the grinding of the Cuban crop is in full swing, the weekly production of raw sugar is approximately 150,000 tons, which speedily exhausts the available storage capacity of the island, so that movement of the sugar is imperative; besides this, the natural anxiety of the planter to realize in order to meet his current expenses causes a strong pressure to sell. It becomes with him a question of whether he can net better figures in New York or the United Kingdom, and owing to difference in port charges and dispatch, the New York results are generally more satisfactory, even with the concession of a part, or at times all of, or even more than, the 20-per-cent preferential. Inversely, it follows that when raw sugars are in keen demand, the planter pursues his advantage to the limit. The total production of sugar in Cuba from 1850 to the present year is as follows, but the figures prior to 1882 are not entirely dependable, as has been previously explained: YEAR TONS