THL 

 CUBA RLVILW 



"ALL ABOUT CUBA" 



Copyright, 1917, hy the Munson Steamship Line 



Volume XV 



OCTOBER, 1917 



Number 11 



CUBAN GOVERNMENT MATTERS 



NATIONAL DEFENSE 



Details of President Menocal's plans for in- 

 creasing the war resources of Cuba, follow-ing 

 his appointment of a Cuban Council of Xa- 

 tional Defense, show that the island Republic 

 will establish at once a system of "war 

 farms" and agricultural zones, supervised by 

 the Council, wherein the cultivation of needed 

 foodstuffs will be supervised by the Cuban 

 Government. This step, the first of its kind 

 to be taken in Latin-America, is expected to 

 solve Cuba's food situation, and to release 

 steamers for the transportation of the sugar 

 crop, which is expected to be the largest in 

 the world's history. The text of General 

 Menocal's decree, creating the Cuban Defense 

 Council, shows Ukewise that it is a possibility 

 that armed Cuban forces, both military and 

 naval, for service in the war, will be provided 

 in the near future, under the Council's direc- 

 tion. A fund of .S200,000 from the Cuban 

 treasury has been placed at the council's dis- 

 posal for expenses, and branches will be es- 

 tablished throughout the Republic, under the 

 leadership of the provincial governors and 

 the mayors. 



In addition to the quick mobilization of 

 Cuban troops and war vessels, the Council 

 will take a census of all aliens, and will make 

 it impossible for any aUen enemy to enter the 

 land. The importation and export of all 

 foodstuffs is placed in the hands of the Cuban 

 Government, as well as trade in petroleum 

 and its products, coal, sugar bags, and other 

 necessities. 



.Members of the Council, so far announced, 

 are General .Jose .Marti, Secretary of War and 

 Xavy; Sr. .Juan Montalvo, Secretary of the 

 Interior, and Dr. Eugenie Sanchez Agramonte, 

 Secretary of Agriculture, Commerce'^and 

 Labor. Legal and technical advisers, with a 

 staff of expert assistants, will be appointed to 

 work with the Council. Labor conditions will 

 be studied, and action taken to stabilize the 

 labor market and to maintain equitable work- 

 ing and wage conditions. 



In adchtion to enforcing diversified agri- 

 culture, President .Menocal intends to see to it 

 that the Cuban planters are provided with all 

 the fertilizer they need to install, the new sys- 

 tem of "war farms" throughout the Republic. 

 "First consideration shall be given to the 

 products of the soil of the republic," says 

 President Menocal in his decree, "and to 

 industries which assist in domestic and foreign 

 production." Betterment of transportation 

 facilities, and communications, and freight 

 economies by railways and steamship Unes, 

 are other matters which the Cuban Defense 

 Council will enforce. The work of the Coun- 

 cil will begin immediately, it is announced 

 from Havana, with the aim of mobilizing aU 

 the resources of the Cuban Government under 

 the direction of experts, to aid Cuba's allies 

 in the war. 



DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE 

 Senor Paez has just been appointed Direc- 

 tor of Commerce to assist General Agramonte, 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, Commerce*and 

 Work. 



