THE CUBA REVIEW 



19 



A group of cement houses for working men erected in the Vedado, Havana. These houses 

 each contain six rooms and a bath room, and are beautiful to look at and well constructed. 

 They rent for $20 a month, and there are facilities afforded to thrifty working men to purchase 

 them on the installment plan. 



Un grupo de casas de hormigon para trabajadores, construdias en el Vedado, Habana. Cada 

 una de esas casas tiene seis habitaciones y un cuarto de bafio, son de muy buen aspecto y estan bien 

 construidas. Se alquilan a razon de $20 al mes, ofreciendose facilidades a los trabajadores que 

 saben ahorrar, para que las compren a plazos. 



The Spanish Treaty Claims Commission. 



Judge D. ]\I. ]Massie, who for the last 

 seven years has been in Havana and other 

 cities of Cuba taking testimony and acting 

 as referee for the Spanish Treaty Claims 

 Commission appointed by President Mc- 

 Kinley to settle the claims growing out of 

 the destruction of the Maine and of prop- 

 erty in Cuba, returned to New York on 

 July 8. Judge Massie finished taking testi- 

 mony on June 30. 



The commission was to investigate 542 

 claims made against Spain after the close 

 of the Spanish-American War which were 

 assumed by the United States. The total 

 amounted to $61,000,000. All but five of the 

 claimants — except those in connection with 

 the Maine — were found in Cuba. The com- 

 mission decided seventy cases in favor of 

 the claimants and made awards aggregating 

 $1,000,000. Thirty cases are still undecided 

 and 442 were thrown out for various rea- 

 sons. When the thirty cases are passed on 

 by the commission a report will be made 

 to Congress and an appropriation made from 

 the Treasury to settle the accounts. 



Assistant Surgeon-General Gorgas says 

 that the United States has shown in Cuba 

 that the white man can live in as good 

 health there as in more temperate zones, 

 and the returns from his labor are many 

 times greater there than in the north. 

 Debility, caused principally by malaria, will 

 disappear in the presence of perfect sani- 

 tation. 



to a Porto Rican commission, printed in 

 the New York Tribune on July 28, in 

 which the following reference to Cuba 

 occurs: 



"Trouble is brewing for Cuba. I am satisfied 

 there is a powerful element in this country de- 

 termined to regain and keep control of that 

 island. The pretext will be easily discovered. 

 We have our own serious internal disturbances. 

 We are not by any means out of the woods in 

 the solution of our own problems, but that will 

 not prevent us from seizing upon such a crisis 

 in Cuba as a pretext for its seizure." 



Caravonica Cotton in Cuba. 



The caravonica cotton is being cultivated 

 experimentally in Cuba. Near Baracoa, in 

 the most easterly part of Cuba, 1,500 feet 

 above sea-level, there were planted last 

 autumn about fifteen acres with Caravonica 

 "silk," and about fifty acres with Cara- 

 vonica "wool-cotton." Although the plant- 

 ing could not be done till the first days of 

 December, as the seeds ordered from Aus- 

 tralasia did not come before that time, the 

 result is stated to be most satisfactory for 

 both varieties ; the trees have borne and 

 are still bearing very richly. Samples of 

 the cotton have been sent to several ex- 

 perts in America and Europe, and have been 

 praised for strength, gloss, and length of 

 staple. — Textile Mercury, London, England. 



Trouble Brewing for Cuba. 



United States Representative John A. 

 Martin, of Colorado, has written a letter 



Carlos Manuel de Cespedes sailed July 1 

 from New York to take charge of the 

 Cuban legation at Rome. He is the first 

 minister of Cuba to Italy, and formerly 

 was Governor of the Province of Oriente 

 in Cuba and Vice-President of the Cuban 

 House of Representatives. 



