THE CUBA REVIEW. 



19 



Children of Cuban Tenements. 



Childien of Havana Tenements. 



The common sort of dwellings for the 

 poor classes are like the illustration. 

 Rooms open on narrow courts, where 

 women work at the wash tub, while 

 their children play around them — clad or 

 rather unclad in nature's garb. In one 

 tenement a little urchin was seen shoul- 

 dering a broomstick for a musket, a 

 paper hat on his head, and no other 

 covering, while his little squad, likewise 

 unclad, went through childish military 

 evolutions. 



Cubans are fond of flowers and decor- 

 ate their homes with potted plants freely. 



The reading of Zola's novel, "Labor," 

 at an Havana cigar factory inspired the 

 formation of "La Crecherie," a society of 

 100 members for the improvement of 

 homes for the laboring classes. The first 

 fruits of their work was the opening 

 of twenty-five new houses — clean, com- 

 fortable and hygienic in every way. 

 These houses, which are in the Vedado, 

 outside of Havana, in a most salubrious 

 location, were built and sold on the in- 

 stalment plan, and others are now being 

 constructed. 



The mayor of Havana, Sefior Julio 

 Cardenas, and many prominent men at- 

 tended the inauguration of these dwell- 

 ings. 



Each member of "La Crecherie" pays 

 eight dollars American currency monthly 

 to the building fund. Although only or- 

 ganized in 1903, the society has already 



expended $26,500, and the enterprise is 

 proving profitable. 



Cuban Mahogany and Cedar. 



Arrivals and market at New York for 

 January, 1909, were as follows: 



Mahogany: There were a great many 

 more ports represented in the January 

 receipts than usual, contributing a very 

 large number of logs. Some of the re- 

 ceipts have passed into second hands, 

 but the stock that was on hand a month 

 ago has been materially increased. 



Cedar: There was an unusually large 

 number of logs received during the 

 month of January and a very small pro- 

 portion sold, thus increasing the stock 

 in first hands to a very large extent. 

 As a matter of fact, the present holdings 

 are larger than they have been for a 

 long time, with a very limited demand. — 

 Geo. F. Herriman, Feb. 1, 1909. 



Among close friends of the adminis- 

 tration it is believed certain that Gon- 

 zalo Quesada will be within a few days 

 transferred to Paris as the Cuban Min- 

 ister, and General Carlos Garcia Velez 

 will take his place at Washington. 



At the indication of the French Lega- 

 tion, through its Minister, M. LeFaivre, 

 the National Bank of Cuba has elected 

 Mr. Ernest Gaye, General Agent of the 

 French Transatlantic Steamship Com- 

 pany, as one of its directors. 



