12 T II E C U B A K E V I E W 



toiinection witli the AveiiUla (lt> la IiulepeiuliMJcia, foniuTly called Carlos III Avenue, 

 this will tiieii make a iimeh loii;rer circuit of lioulevanls and take in a great part of 

 the city, witlicut havini: to retrace any part of tlie route, as is at present done. 



BATTLE OF FI.OWEHS: The National Tourists' Association is planning to 

 hold a battle of ilowt is to siii»plenient the Carnival, which will he held early in Aitril. 

 IMcparations are now being made. 



AIKI'IjAXE FLIGHTS: We have mentioned in previous letters the agitation 

 going on ill coiineclion with the estal»lishment of airidane service between the United 

 Slates and Cuba. Companies have been formed here for that purpose. Several 

 flights with passengers have lately been made between Miami, Key West and Havana, 

 but no regular route has as yet been establislie<l, although it is uiidniihtcdly nicrcly 

 a question of time until some such service will be put into effect. 



WINTER R.ACE MEET: The annual season of horse racing conducted by the 

 Cuban-American .Tockey Club at Marianao conies to a close on March 2Sth. The 

 weather during the meet has been most favorable and this seascm has been a very 

 successful one. As we have previously advised, the luauagenient of this racing asso- 

 ciation recently changed hands, and its new owners have already taken steps to 

 improve the present i»lant and will undoubtedly increase the iiopiilarity of this form 

 of sport in the future. The purses for the different special races have been increased 

 each year and the racing lias been conducted in such a manner as to ensure a con- 

 stantly increasing attendance. Visitors to the Marianao race Ii'iiek are unaniinous 

 in stating that this is one of the finest plants of its kind in tlie world. 



AUTOMOBILE RACES: After the conclusion of the liorse races at Oriental 

 Park, Marianao. it is the intention to hold professional autonioliiie ract's on this same 

 track, for which purpose some of the most prominent driver.s, such as Ralph de Palma, 

 Louis Chevrolet, etc., are to be brought here. Havana has always been very en- 

 thusiastic over these races and they will undoubtedly draw large crowds. 



BRANCH OP BOSTON UNIVERSITY: The College of Business Administration 

 of Boston University has sent its Dean to Havana with an offer, providing sufficient 

 funds are raised to carry on the work, to establish in Havana a branch for the purpose 

 of giving Cuban students llieir coiiise of Imsiness Mdniiiiist riHioii. I'resent indications 

 are that it will lie ojiened lu-re. 



NEW BUILDIN(iS: Xotw il bsiaiiding the prices of building materials (tf nil 

 kinds have increased greatly, as well as the wages of carpenters, brick ma.sons, etc., 

 there is apparently very little let-up in building now going on both in Havana and 

 its suburbs. Most of the new business edifices going up are office buildings, but they 

 are rented as fa.st as completed. In the residential portion of town, as we have indi- 

 cated in the past, private residences are being erected in the vast ma.iority, which, of 

 course, does not remedy the situatiou fif the renter. Houses to rent are very scarce 

 and correspondingly high. 



lUmiors are still in evidence regarding a liranch store to be opened in Havana by 

 John Wanamaker of New York and rhiladelphia, the latest reports l)eing that he 

 has purchased two prominent adjoining locations on the Prado for the purpose of 

 erecting a store thereon. 



The Chamber of Commerce is going ahead with the erection of its new building 

 on the site of the f()rnier Santo Domingo church. The former building of the Royal 

 Bank of Canada is being remodeled in its interior to suit the purposes of the Havana 

 Stock Exchange, who purchased the edifice. The Banco del Coniercio, a newly or- 

 ganizetl institution, has taken over the private lianking business of R. Arguelles e 

 Hijo and will remodel their present building into one more suitable. Also the Canadian 

 Bank of Commerce has opened a branch in Havana and is located in temporary quar- 

 ters at present. 



