T HE CUBA R E V I E W 11 



Mention is ;iis<. made thai all communications t.. this association should be un- 

 dressed to Mr. Elgin F. Curry, Director, Association National del Turismo en Cuba, 

 P. O. Box L225, Havana, Cuba. 



NEW AMERICAN MINISTER: Bavana is awaiting the arrival of Boaz W. 

 Lon«, who succeeds Wm. B. Gonzales as American Minister to Cuba, the appointment 

 of tin> latter having been confirmed as tirst !'. s. Ambassador to Peru. Reference to 

 this change was made In our last communication. 



NEW POLICE STATION: The Third Police Station, which is now located oppo- 

 site the new presidential palace, will soon be moved to a new building being erected 

 for them at Xulueta and Dragones Streets. The old building, as well as the city 

 morgue nearby, will he torn down to make way for a park in connection with plans 

 for beautifying the surroundings of the new palace. 



PRICE REGULATIONS: In an endeavor to reduce the high cost of living, on 

 August 1st President Menocal issued a decree to the effect that all merchants, either 

 wholesale or retail, selling the following articles, would be required to place in their 

 stores a list showing the prices at which same would be sold for the following 15 

 days : 



"Oil, garlic, onions, alcohol, rice, brooms, sugar (refined or granulated!, codfish, 

 coffee, charcoal, all kinds of beans, garbanzos, gasoline, washing soap, hour and corn- 

 flour, eggs, milk from the cow, evaporated or condensed, lard, ham, Lima beans, bread, 

 potatoes, fish, petroleum, salt jerked beef, fresh meat, salted meats, bacon and alt 

 kinds of vegetables, as well as clothes and gowns containing cotton for ladies, gentle- 

 men and children ; drugs and patent medicines, and shoes." 



The decree states the basis for fixing these prices will he the sworn declaration 

 of the importers to the Custom House of the cost of the goods to them plus the freight, 

 on which amount they will be allowed a profit up to 10% and the retailer 15% over 

 the latter price. 



Cuban manufacturers or producers, with the exception of sugar, the price of 

 which is already regulated, will be authorized to make a maximum profit of 10% 

 over the cost of production. These lists of prices shall apply from the 1st to the 15th 

 of the month and from the 16th to the end of the month. The exportation of articles 

 embodied in these lists, with the exception of sugar, vegetables and alcohol, is pro- 

 hibited. The Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor will be responsible for 

 the carrying out of this decree. 



Since then the Secretary of Agriculture has been visited by many delegations of 

 merchants in an endeavor to secure exceptions to the decree, but he appears to be 

 standing firm, and effective August 18th, all dealers are putting up the required lists 

 of prices and Government inspectors are making the rounds to see that they comply 

 with the law in this respect. 



NEW HOTELS: In our last letter we referred to the great need of additional 

 hotel accommodations here and mentioned that the subject was being given considera- 

 tion by representatives of hotel interests in the North. 



The first definite step in this direction is an announcement made in the daily 

 papers a few days ago that the well-known real estate firm of Mendoza & Co. has 

 now under way in their suburb called Barreto, located a short distance from the 

 Playa de Marlanao, a three-story hotel to cost in the neighborhood of $500,000, which 

 they hope to have ready by the first of December to enable them to take advantage of 

 the coming tourist season. 



It is also stated that the "Compania National de Seguros, La Cubana," owners 

 of the former Hotel Sevilla, which is at present used as an office building, have given 

 an option on this property to American hotel interests. 



New York papers mention that the Bowman-Woods circuit of hotels, controlling 

 several of the principal hotels in that city, are also arranging to put up a large hotel 

 in Havana. 



