THE CUBA REVIEW 



U 



MINOR NOTES. 



On August 6 D. E. McConib, chief 

 engineer of the sewer and paving work 

 in Havana, said to a La Discusion rep- 

 resentative that "Within two months 

 great activity will be noted about the 

 city on account of the new impulse to 

 be given to the works. Within that time, 

 he said, the loan negotiated with Speyer 

 & Co. will be available. 



"Meanwhile the same firm has offered 

 to advance $2,000,000 to meet all the 

 necessities of the moinent. Five elec- 

 tric digging machines are now on the 

 way from the United States." 



Dr. Francisco Zayas was recently ap- 

 pointed Cuban minister to Belgium. Dr. 

 Zayas is a brother of Alfredo Zayas, 

 Vice-President of Cuba. He sailed from 

 New York for his new post on August 

 15. 



The second of November has been se- 

 lected as the official date for the in- 

 auguration of the monument set up on 

 the battlefield of El Caney and San 

 Juan to honor the Spanish dead, of the 

 Spanish-American war, which has been 

 erected by the Spanish colony. . 



The total number of lunatics secluded 

 at the state insane asylum at Mazorra, 

 including the criminal insane, accord- 

 ing to the last statement, is 2,155. Of 

 these 1,143 are men, 991 women and 21 

 childen. There is no increase in the 

 number of the women insane from the 

 last statement, although the number 

 of men has increased. 



The opening of the school of cavalry 

 instruction for the riders in the rural 

 guard and the permanent army will take 

 place this month. The school will be 

 under the direction of Captain Parker, 

 U. S. A. 



The governing committee of the In- 

 dianapolis Board of Trade August 3 de- 

 cided to send an invitation to Gen. Car- 

 los Garcia-Velez, minister to the United 

 States from Cuba, asking him to come 

 to Indianapolis following his visit to 

 Chicago, October 7, to address the busi- 

 ness men of the city in regard to open- 

 ing up trade between Indianapolis manu- 

 facturers and merchants with Cuban con- 

 sumers. 



On August 24 the President canceled 

 a number of contracts for public sup- 



plies which had been made without 

 public bidding. 



Arturo Betancourt, who on June 26 

 shot and killed his brother, the trolley 

 car magnate, at the Union Hotel in Cien- 

 fuegos, has been declared insane by phy- 

 sicians who examined him by order of 

 the court. 



The Havana City Council on August 7 

 considered the application of Rafael Tar- 

 afa for the exemption of tax to a new 

 industry established by him for the 

 manufacture of henequen bags. Under 

 the law new industries receive the bene- 

 fit of an exemption from tax for a fixed 

 period. 



The Department of Public Works in 

 Havana is placing a system of road 

 signs and directions throughout the high- 

 ways of the island, of which there are 

 now 1,400 kilometers. The signs not 

 only show where the road leads, but fur- 

 ther contain explanations for the bene- 

 fits of motorists and people unfamiliar 

 with the vicinity. 



The Civil Service law which went into 

 effect on July 1 last, is the cause of 

 many removals of government employees. 

 The commission is composed of two 

 Liberals and one Conservative. 



Howard Chandler Christy has gone to 

 Cuba for the purpose of painting the 

 battlefields of San Juan and Caney. Mr. 

 Christy will reproduce on canvas these 

 famous battlefields for Scribner's and 

 Harper's. — New Bedford (Mass.) Stand- 

 ard. 



Spanish clubs in Cuba are taking sub- 

 scriptions for a relief fund for the bene- 

 fit of the families of Spanish soldiers 

 killed in the fights with the Moors. The 

 officers of the various associations ex- 

 pect to secure $100,000 in this way. 



On August 24 President Gomez in- 

 augurated a series of personal confer- 

 ences with the editors of the newspa- 

 pers which had been recently attacking 

 the government, his purpose being to 

 establish a more friendly understanding. 

 Since then two prominent dailies have 

 been more moderate in their criticisms. 



