10 THECUBAREVIEW 



HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE 



Havana, Juno 1, 1918. 



The Cuban Congress continues in session, but there are no new developments in con- 

 nection with the passage of the obligatory military service bill although the Presitlent has not 

 receded from his firm stand that, it must be put through, and it seems to be generally thought 

 that such will be the final result although it is still meeting strong oi>position on the part of 

 certain congressmen. The food bill, however, which was also held U]) for a time, was passed by 

 both branches of Congress on May 8th, there being emboilied in same various disi>ositions hi 

 connection with the conservation of food as well as j>ro\'isions for increased ])ro(lu<'tiou and 

 making compulsory truck farming on the part of the land owners in the country. 



The l(Jth anniversary of the Cuban indejiendence was celebrated on May 20th by a large 

 military parade, reviewed by the President and other officials, anil by other approi)riate 

 ceremonies. 



In our letter for February we referred to the concession having been giva^n to Francisco 

 Mestre to establish autobus lines in this city. This service was inaugurated in May 20th with 

 two routes running from the outskirts of the city to the water front. The (jompany is called 

 the Compania deAuto-' )niuibus"La Habanera." and it is expected that the present service will 

 soon be increased in otherdirections. The automobiles used are naturally of American manufac- 

 ture, with a capacity of about ten passengers and operate on a fi'equent schedule. The 

 fare between terminals is 5c., the same as the street cars charge, but each route is divided up 

 into zones about half a mile apart, the fare from zone to zone being 3c., thus giving a service 

 cheaper than that of the street cars for passengers going a short distance only. 



In our April letter we referred to the fact that coal importations from the United States had 

 largely increased over the previous months of this year, when there was a great shortage of this 

 article. Shipments have been increasingly heavy since then, the local importers being warned 

 by the War Trade Board representatives here to lay in their supplies now while coal was not 

 being heavily consiuned in the North, as imdoubtedly later on there would be a r(>i)etition of the 

 shortage they had experienced. 



The only other imported commodity, the handling of which the American and Cuban Gov- 

 ernments have considered it necessary to take over, is wheat flour, as there was a good deai of 

 profiteering and manipulation going on in the sale of same. We previoxisly mentioned that it 

 had been arranged that all flour should come consigned to the Food Commissioner here, who 

 would then arrange for its distribution. At the present time flour shipments are handled as 

 follows: all wheat flom- from the United States is shii)i>eil in the name of the United States Food 

 Administration drain Corporation and consigned to the Council of National Defense, who 

 deliver same to the mayors of the different towns and they in turn make distribution to the 

 bakers, from whom it finally reaches the consumer, the flour merchants not appearing in the 

 transaction. The first lot arriving under this new order consisted of some 5,000 sacks via 

 Mobile, which was destined to supply the needs of the three provinces of Pinar de Rio, Havana 

 and Matanzas, and was divided i)roportionally between the towns located therein according to 

 tlieir need, although the .\meric:in Fooil Administration representative here was also given a 

 part to be forwarded by him to the sugar mills. As stated in former letters, there is {)ractic;Uly 

 no baking of wheat floiu- bread in Havana, one of the reasons claimed benigthat heretofore a 

 great deal of the floiu- that came into this market was retaiknl by the grocers to the public at 

 exorbitant prices instead of being sold by the flour importers to the bakers, as was the intention. 

 It is also proposed to reduce the price of flour to the baker under this new arrangement, who 

 in turn has to reduce his price, he being allowed to manufacture any shape and weight of loaf, 

 as formerlv, instead of continuing to make only the small two-ounce size as at piesent, the 

 price for same to be lowered from 16 to r2c. j)ei lb. An item of interest in connection with 

 flour consimiption is that a lot of 5,000 sacks from Argentina was recently imported by the 

 cracker manufacturers here. This was transhi]>])ed at New York by si)ecial i)ermission of 

 the American Covernment. 



Since our last rei)ort the President has a]))ioiiited Conunander .\rmando Andre as Food 



