I0 8o CUBA 



taken place since 1901. Whereas in that year the receipts from Customs dues amount- 

 ed to 289,000, in 1907 receipts from the same source had totalled 505,800; in 1908-09 

 there was a falling off to 442,500; between 1909-10, and again from 1910-11 an ad- 

 vance was shown in all branches of the government's receipts. Increases were marked 

 in the import trade of all countries except France, while the export trade increased 

 considerably with the United States, advancing from 58.73 per cent in 1909 to 60.22 per 

 cent in 1910. The reverse had been the case with Great Britain, the figures falling from 



36.02 per cent in 1909 to 35.32 per cent in 1910. 



A serious disaster visited the Republic in May 1910, when Cartago for the second 

 time in its history was destroyed by an earthquake, entailing great loss of life and 

 irreparable damage to many of the historical buildings, including the but recently com- 

 pleted Central American Court of Justice, which was to have been dedicated and opened 

 in the following month of June. The national disaster occasioned a disturbance in the 

 routine work of the government, and much activity was devoted to effacing, as far as 

 possible, the results of the earthquake, and in rebuilding what had been destroyed. 



The Pacific Railway was completed and opened to traffic on October 21, 1910, afford- 

 ing uninterrupted transportation from the Atlantic to the Pacific side of the Republic. 



The dispute between Costa Rica and Panama (dating from 1896) regarding the 

 boundary limitations continued to form the subject of diplomatic negotiations, various 

 proposals for arbitration being made but rejected by one side or the other. At last how- 

 ever the question was referred to the arbitral decision of the Chief Justice of the United 

 States, and the Commission returned to New York on October 29, 1912. 



In November 1911 a loan for 35,000,000 francs (1,400,000), at 5 per cent, with 

 amortisation in 40 years, was arranged in France, the price being 91^. 



For the twelve months ending December 30, 1911, the total trade amounted to 

 3,662,380, imports representing 1,825,830 and exports 1,836,550. The increases were 



12.3 per cent in the first instance, and 6.6 per cent in the second over the figures of 1910. 

 The share of imports secured by the United Kingdom and Colonies was 17.34; by the 

 United States 46.29, and by Germany 19.03 per cent. The figures for the United 

 Kingdom had steadily decreased during the past three years, while those of Germany 

 and the United States had correspondingly advanced. 



On June 21, 1912, an eruption of the volcano Poss took place, much damage being 

 occasioned and many lives being lost. 



In September 1912 a new banking institution the International Bank of Costa Rica 

 was formed by a group of English, Canadian, American and German financiers. 



CUBA 1 



Cuba has an area of 44,164 square miles, and the population according to the most 

 recent estimate is 2,161,662, giving an average of 46.2 inhabitants per square mile. Im- 

 ports were valued in 1911 at 22,653,399 ar >d exports at 24,627,275. Imports from 

 the United States in 1910-11 were valued at $60,709,062 (U.S. currency) and exports to 

 the United States at $110,309,468; in 1911-12, imports at $62,203,051 and exports at 

 $120,154,326. The revenue was estimated in the budget of 1912-13 at 7,588,040 

 and the expenditure at 6,794,829. The total public debt amounts to 19,400,000. 

 The total mileage of railways is 2186 and that of telegraph lines 5033. The army has 

 a strength of 4311 men and 212 officers. The navy comprises 1.3 vessels with a 

 personnel of 120. 



The Cuban Republic was inaugurated on January 28, 1909, for a second time after 

 the Spanish-American War, in complete independence of American supervision; and the 

 American troops which had been supporting the " provisional government " since 

 President Palma's resignation in 1906, left the island on April ist. Under General 

 Jose Miguel Gomez (leader of the Miguelista faction) as the new President, and Alfredo 

 Zayas (leader of the Zayista faction) as the new Vice-President, the administration 

 started well. In the words of a Times correspondent (May 27, 1912), it "preserved 



1 See E. B. vii, 605. 



