THE CUBA REVIEW. 



17 



CUBAN ORE PROPERTIES. 



President E. C. Felton, of the Pennsyl- 

 vania Steel Co., has just returned from a 

 visit of inspection of the Spanish-American 

 Iron Co.'s ore properties in Cuba. 



He visited first the new properties near 

 Mayari on the north coast of the island 

 where development ot the extensive ore de- 

 posits of the company are now being made. 

 He found the work well advanced and the 

 construction of the railroad and terminals 

 very nearly completed. The opening up of 

 the ore deposits has been begun and all 

 the promises as to both the quantity and 

 quality of ore are being realized. The rail- 

 road, where it penetrates the ore field, is 

 itself built of iron ore, there being no other 

 material in the vicinity of the line out of 

 which the road could be constructed. It is 

 expected that shipments of iron ore from 

 this new property will begin about the mid- 

 dle of 1909. 



In reference to the gold properties situated 

 near Santiago on the south side of the island, 

 which he also visited, Mr. Felton said : 



"These mines show no falling ofif in the 

 visible amount of ore, and while they have 

 probably reached their maximum of output 

 a large tonnage may be expected from them 

 for many years to come. The small demand 

 for steel products during 1908 did not allow 

 of the consumption of the entire product of 



these mines by the Pennsylvania and Mary- 

 land Steel Companies, but the mines have 

 nevertheless been operated during the year 

 to their full capacity and the surplus ore 

 stock amounting to an excess of 200,000 tons 

 piled near the mines where it is available 

 when needed by the two steel companies." — 

 Wall Street Journal, Dec. 31. 



Productivity of Cuban Ore Fields. 



Charles M. Schwab, president of the Beth- 

 lehem Steel Co., before the Ways and Means 

 Committee at Washington, D. C, Dec. 15, 

 said that though the Cuban fields promised 

 a productivity greater tha nthat of the 

 Mesaba fields, freight rates to inland points 

 in this country would absolutely protect the 

 Mesaba ore from competition in its natural 

 markets. 



As it is now, he said, Cuban ore can be 

 laid down as cheaply in Pittsburg as can the 

 Mesaba ore, and his own Bethlehem works 

 use the Cuban ore exclusively. However, 

 a reduction of all duties from Cuba would 

 only mean a decreased cost of production 

 along the Atlantic seaboard of 50 cents a 

 ton, while further inland the cost would not 

 be affected at all. 



"That young man, Schwab, of Bethlehem, 

 also has a mine in Cuba and will make a 

 great fortune."— Andrew Carnegie, Dec. 21, 

 before the same committee. 



English Teaching in Cuban Schools. 



Boys and girls in Cuba began to learn 

 English from a text book, the first ever used 

 in Cuban schools, on Jan. 1. The Depart- 

 ment of Education plans to place the book 

 in use in all the schools where English is 

 taught and to have a course in every school, 

 as soon as possible. The enlargement of 

 this work necessitated more teachers and 

 examinations which were held recently 

 yielded certificates to thirty-five out of the 

 fifty-seven applicants. Further examinations 

 will soon be held in four other provinces. 

 The text book was prepared by Miss Abbie 

 Phillips, Supervisor of English in the 

 schools of Havana Province. 



The Belen University seismograph at Ha- 

 vana registered the terrible earthquake in 

 Italy. 



The record shows that it was the most 

 violent ever known, not even excepting the 

 shock at Kingston, Jamaica. 



Automobile Buyers in Cuba. 



"Cuba will purchase over $l,500,000^\vorth 

 of American automobiles next year," said 

 William :\Iitchell Lewis, president of the 

 Mitchell Motor Car Company, of Racine, 

 Wis., who arrived here yesterday in the 

 Ward Line steamer Havana. 



"Heretofore the machines used in Cuba 

 were mostly of foreign make; in fact, only 

 about 19 per cent, were of American manu- 

 facture," said Mr. i^ewis. "During the 

 coming year it is safe to say that over 50 

 per cent, of the cars shipped to Cuba will 

 be of American make. Our agent has placed 

 an order with us for 100 Mitchell cars for 

 early spring delivery, and several other 

 American automobile companies have been 

 favored with orders for different makes." 



The Havana City Council on January 

 5 appropriated $10,000 for the relief of 

 the Italian earthquake sufferers. 



]\Iayor Cardenas approved the pur- 

 chase in France of an automobile fire 

 engine, which is to be used at the Chas. 

 E. Magoon fire headquarters on Zulueta 



Street. 



The city of Santa Clara will soon have 

 an electric light installation. The plant is 

 essentially modern. 



The Americans at Camaguey made a 

 Christmas tree of a mammoth mango, stand- 

 ing on the grounds, and this was illuminated 

 with J'apanese lanterns with gifts for every- 

 body. Santa Claus had the novel experience 

 of needing a ladder to distribute his gifts. 



Earthquake shocks were felt at Santiago 

 Dec. 8 and 16, causing great alarm, as the 

 shocks were more severe than usually felt. 

 There was no damage. 



