THE PUTUBB OF THE ISLAND 141 



neath the houses.- It is not that the people in general do 

 not fully appreciate the necessity and luxury of water, but 

 that the executive power is Lacking. Taxes are raised for 

 this purpose, and special taxes are sometimes levied to 

 build new works, or for coal to keep the pump going; but 

 (and this may serve as an instance of many transactions) 

 the money is calmly banked to the credit of the officials, or 

 the coal is bought and resold for their benefit. Water is 

 lacking in the towns during the dry season, and might 

 easily be had. Excellent springs abound in most places, 

 and small rivers of good water are fairly common. 



I lonnected with the cities and towns may be cited harbor 

 improvements. Cuba is the land of fine harbors. Havana, 

 Matanzas, Santiago, Guantanamo, Cienfuegos, and many 

 other less important spots have splendid harbors, and, with 

 the exception of Matanzas, which is wide at the mouth, the 

 entrances are so narrow that inside they resemble inland 

 lakes in form and tranquillity. But more piers and wharves 

 for sea-going vessels are much needed. 



Much loading and unloading is done by means of light- 

 ers. Money is collected for the construction of piers 

 and the dredging of approaches to them, but no work is 

 done, for a very profitable understanding seems to exist 

 between the owners of the lighters and the city govern- 

 ments on these points. Such a condition of things cannot 

 continue for very long. In a prosperous season Cul >a ships 

 a million tons of sugar alone, and surely, under a half- 

 enlightened government, this were worth an occasional 

 pier. 



What the iron and copper deposits may amount to, it is 

 now impossible to say, but that both exist in paying quan- 

 tities is undoubted. In the total absence of any official 

 reports on which the smallest reliance can be placed, the 

 prospecting engineer must attack the problem of Cuban 

 mining from the very beginning. All one can say at pres- 

 ent is that the held is a promising one. The ore deposit- 

 lie near the coast, and the Large shipments of iron ore. 



