THE 

 CUBA REVIEW 



"ALL ABOUT CUBA." 



Copyright, 1909, by the Munson Steamship Line, 



LIBRARY 

 NEW YORK 

 BOTANICAL 



GARDEN. 



Volume VIL 



NOVEMBER, 1909. 



NUMBER 12. 



CUBAN GOVERNMENT MATTERS. 



The President's Message Optimistic — New Treaty with Spain — Conservatives 

 Hostile to Administration — Public School Education Plans. 



The Cuban Congress re- 

 Prcsident convened November i, the 

 Gomez's sessions of both houses be- 

 Message. ing devoted to a reading of 

 the President's message. It 

 was long, but hopeful in sentiment, and 

 closely reviewecl conditions, making 

 many important recommendations. He 

 said in part that the economic condition 

 of the country could not be more flat- 

 tering at the close of the greatest sugar 

 crop, in Cuba's history, with the promise 

 that the coming crop would be even 

 greater. Life and property everywhere 

 were secure, and the government was re- 

 ceiving the support of its political op- 

 ponents and the entire press. He re- 

 ferred also to important railroad exten- 

 sions in Oriente Province, details of 

 which will be found on another page, and 

 the opening up of large districts for cul- 

 tivation, the increasing demand for labor, 

 recommending that Congress should sup- 

 port this movement by encouraging im- 

 migration and establishing agricultural 

 loan institutions. 



The condition of the National Treasury 

 he found satisfactory as compared with 

 its condition at the beginning of the pres- 

 ent government. The last eight months 

 showed increased receipts amounting to 

 $1,570,303 over the corresponding period 

 of last year. When the Treasury was 

 turned over to the government, January 

 28, 1909, it contained $2,685,228, with ob- 

 ligations amounting to $8,404,956. The 

 receipts since then amounted to $25,- 

 439,426, making a total of $28,124,554. 



The expenditures reached $27,089,353, 

 leaving in the Treasury on September 30 

 a balance of $1,035,301. 



By pursuing a course of severe econ- 

 omy, the President said, the country 

 would soon wipe out the obligations left 

 over by the government of intervention. 



The President also called attention to 

 the discrimination against Cuban prod- 

 ucts by several European countries, not- 

 ably France, which was contemplating 

 an increase in duty of 30 per cent, on 

 Cuban tobacco, and made another rec- 

 ommendation that Congress reform the 

 tariff, fixing maximum and minimum 

 rates at the discretion of the Executive, 

 which would place in his hands a for- 

 midable weapon of economic defence. 

 He also urged an appropriation to keep 

 up the great system of highways recent- 

 ly completed. The health of the island 

 was said to be excellent, sanitary meas- 

 ures having been carried on with vigor 

 and skill. It was pointed out that the 

 only epidemic this year was a slight out- 

 break of diphtheria in Pinar del Rio 

 Province, which was promptly checked. 

 The presentation of the budget to Con- 

 gress will be made November 15. 



That Spain and Cuba will 

 soon reach an agreement 

 on a treaty of commerce is 

 the interesting prognostica- 

 tion made in a special cable 

 dispatch to the New York Herald, No- 

 vember 2. A renewal of important and 

 more cordial trade relations between the 



Nezv 



Treaty 



With Spain. 



