12 THE CUBA RE VI E W 



HAVANA VEHICLES: Figures recently published by the City of Havana give 

 the following data regarding the number of vehicles operated here: 



AUTOMOBILES 



Private 1,932 



Professional 206 



To rent 3,007 



Trucks up to 2 tons 909 



Trucks over 2 tons 434 



Autobuses 33 



Motorcycles SI 



Automobiles free from taxes 220 



(This includes machines pertaining to the national and city governments, various 

 diplomatic corps, etc.). 



OTHER VEHICLES 



Private coaches 318 



Private coaches ( free of taxes i 18 



Livery coaches . . . 160 



"Park coaches" 144 



Public coaches 60 



Omnibuses • • ■ ■. 40 



Hand carts 1.471 



It will be noted that the number of the public coaches, of which there were literally 

 hundreds in former times, has now dwindled down to only 00, this being clue mainly 

 to the competition of the large number of Ford cars, which operate on a 20-cent fare 

 basis, forcing the coaches to reduce their fares from 20 cents to 10 cents, which latter 

 figure is practically unremunerative. 



THE ANGLO-SAXON REALTY CO.: An organization bearing this name has 

 been formed for the purpose of establishing a hospital for the English-speaking resi- 

 dents of Havana, by which this company shall acquire a site and then erect the neces- 

 sary buildings for the hospital and afterwards take charge of the administration of 

 same. The officers of this company are as follows: President, J. Z. Horter ; Vice- 

 President, Dr. D. T. Laine ; Secretary and Treasurer, W. M. Whitner. The estimated 

 cost of this hospital will be .$850,000, which it is proposed to raise by issuing a series 

 of mortgage bonds. 



BANCO MERCANTIL AMERICANO DE CUBA: This institution, which is 

 backed by powerful banking interests in the United States and opened for business 

 in temporary quarters at Amargura 27, Havana, January 1st. now announces that 

 on September 1st they will move to their permanent location in the new Barraque 

 Building, corner of Cuba and Amargura Streets, the ground floor of which has been 

 especially fifterl up for this purpose. 



ANNUAL BOAT RACES: It has been the custom to hold the annual rowing 

 races oi' llio different Havana clubs at a bathing beach known as Varadero, near 

 Cardenas, some ninety miles east of Havana. 



The event this year was held on August 24th. The winners were the crew of the 

 "Asociacion de Dependientes," the second place falling to the Varadero crew and the 

 third place to the Vedado Tennis Club, the remaining contestants, the Havana Yacht 

 Club and the Cuba Athletic Club, finishing in the order named. 



OIL WELLS: There have been no new developments in this connection, al- 

 though work is still being carried on by various of the companies and a very small 

 amount of oil is being produced by some of them. 



LOCAL IMPROVEMENTS: Work continues without any apparent let-up in the 

 development of new subdivisions around Havana, while the extension of the present 

 Gulf Avenue is steadily proceeding and will shortly reach the Almendares River, its 



