T H E C U B A R E V I E W 15 



CUBAN CENTRAL NORTHERN EXTENSION RAILWAY 



WORK ON THE NEW RAILROAD FROM CAIBARIEN TO NUEVITAS 



CUBAN central's EFFORTS TO SECURE A CONCESSION 



At the 14th general meeting of the Cuban Central Railways, Ltd., held in London on 

 October 30th, the chairman Sir W. Lawrence Young Bart, gave the following account 

 of a very interesting matter, namely the history of the concession given the North Coast 

 Railway and their own prior attempts to sedure a similar concession for the same purpose 

 to build a railroad from Caibarien to Nuevitas, both ports on the north coast of Cuba. 



Sir W. Young's address is as follows : 



"I mentioned to you at our general meeting last year, with the object of still extending 

 the scope of our operations we applied to the Cuban government for a concession of 

 $5,000 per kilometer for a proposed railway from Caibarien to Nuevitas — a port on the 

 north coast of Cuba. The government of Cuba had put this concession up for public 

 tender, and you will recollect that I told you that a local company, called the North 

 Coast Railway Company, was awarded the concession in spite of the fact that they asked 

 $6,000 per kilometer subvention for construction. We had carefully studied the route to 

 Nuevitas via the north of what are called the Bamburanao Hills and also an alternative 

 route to the south of those hills via Zulueta. All reports seemed to show that the 

 better route was the northern one and also the easier to construct, but at the same time 

 the government called for the southern route, and we therefore put in our tender for 

 this route and also an alternative route from Caibarien via Zulueta free of subsidy. All 

 our plans and profiles for both routes had been submitted to the Railway Commission, 

 who approved same and accepted our guarantee. On October 5, 1912. the President signed 

 a decree granting to the North Coast Railway Company the concession 1 mentioned. 

 Senor Torriente. our lawyer at that time, was of the opinion that this decision was illegal, 

 and, that being the case, the Foreign Office was approached on the matter, formal proFest 

 being made by the British ^Minister in Havana against the injustice which had been in- 

 flicted upon this company. I went to Washington, and, with the support of the British 

 Embassy, a strong protest was made to the government there. The Foreign Office has 

 given us every possible help, and in the House of Commons on April 14, 1913, the sec- 

 retary of foreign affairs stated that the attitude of His Majesty's government towards 

 the concession granted to the North Coast Railway Company was that it was considered 

 by them to be ultra vires, and they had on two separate occasions addressed urgent repre- 

 sentations to the Cuban government against the con-ession and in favor of the tender of 

 the Cuban Central Railways. 



"Up to just lately the North Coast Railway Company has not been able to raise any 

 capital, but I understand that possibly they may be able to do something in the future. 



''With a view to this and to protect our interests we have formed a company of our 

 own with the object of proceeding as quickly as we can by the northern route as far as 

 Maron. which we think will be a remunerative piece of line and also of great value 

 strategically. We on our account have already built some 15 kilometers to Dolores, and 

 we have the earthworks finished as far as Yaguajay, and from there onwards we propose 

 to go to Moron. Later on, if circumstances are favorable, we shall proceed slowly towards 

 our goal. We have also appropriated land at Nuevitas for our necessary terminals. The 

 new company to which I have just now referred has been registered under the title of 

 the Cuban Central Northern Extension Railway, with which it is proposed that the 

 company should enter into an agreement, which was later authorized. The company has 

 been registered with a capital of £500,000 in 50,000 shares of ilO each, all of one class." 



CUBAN TELEPHONE COMPANY service with Havana. Most of the Icad- 



ing towns in Oriente Province arc now in 



The October earnmgs compare as fol- telephone connection with Santiago and the 



'o^'s: same holds true in Camaguey Province. 



1913 1912 Cibara, Puerto Padre. Santa Lucia and 



$83,823.46 $60,413.32 Banes are in touch with Hnlguin and the 



Tu u -1 i ri i. 1 n-i i 1 rest nf tlie island. 

 I he subscribers to Octolier 31st numlier 



l.'J.aiO. 



During the torrential rains of early No- A iu-\v railroad station is l)cing l)uilt by 



vember in the province of Pinar del Rio, tlu- Cul)a Railroad at I'.ayamo, Oriente 



the wires were jtut to a severe test but in Province, a station on the new through line 



no case was there any interruptifin to the from Havana to Santiago by way of Marti. 



