14 THE CUBA KEV LEW 
HAVANA CORRESPONDENCE 
February 26, 1921. 
PORT CONGESTION: The Port of Havana today presents a striking contrast to 
what it was six months ago and the great majority of the credit for the good work 
done properly belongs to Col. Manuel Despaigne, working under a special appointment 
from President Menocal with instructions to clear up the congestion. The General 
Wharves (property of the Government) were first attacked and the progress made 
was fast and the work well done. Thousands of tons of merchandise of all kinds were 
removed to yacant places throughout the city. Merchants gave the relief in other 
instances, and in still other cases tons and tons of perishable merchandise was towed 
to sea and dumped overboard when it had remained on the wharves long enough to 
have become spoiled. 
There are still many vessels in the Bay of Havana, but the majority of them 
are awaiting orders to proceed to other ports for loading cargoes for the North, There 
are but very few awaiting their discharge and the terrible congestion which prevailed 
during the greater part of 1920 can be considered as relieved, although it is pointed 
out by Col. Despaigne—and we believe with very good judgment—that unless the 
consignees continue to give the prompt removal of their merchandise the closest atten- 
tion and keep continually after the removal of cargo once it has been discharged on 
the wharves, the congested condition will return and Havana will again be a port 
shunned by all shipping interests. 
Although this splendid relief has been noted on the General Wharves, the tendency 
on the privately-owned wharves is toward a renewal of the congestion, since the 
steamship lines operating into Cuba find themselves powerless to bring the same 
relative pressure to bear on the merchants as was brought to bear by Col. Despaigne, 
who is employed by the Cuban Government. Whereas the Government could authorize 
its agent to remove merchandise from wharves, private companies had to take into 
consideration the fact that the merchants would be antagonized should pressure be 
brought to bear on them, which would result in the loss of business. As a conse- 
quence, we find that without exception the privately-owned wharves are finding it 
necessary to keep continually behind consignees to have them remove freight as 
promptly as possible after the ships are discharged, in an effort to continue to operate 
their vessels on a regular schedule. 
A condition that undoubtedly helped to bring on this relieved condition is the 
financial crisis that befell Cuba during last October. Immediately the situation 
became strained, many cancellations were effected and, naturally, smaller amounts 
of cargo were brought to Cuba. However, today it is pleasant to note the renewal 
of business generally and our optimistic predictions seem to have been well founded, 
if the revival of business can be taken as meaning that confidence has been renewed 
in the solvency of the Island of Cuba. 
SUGAR: Many new developments have come to pass during the past month and 
we are led to believe that the growers and manufacturers of sugar are, after all, to 
obtain something ef the relief that has been so sorely needed since the commencement 
of the present grinding. For one thing, the Government has passed legislation which 
is materially assisting the Cuban banks in their endeavor to weather the financial 
storm that has heen pending since last October—and was temporarily assisted by the 
Presidential decree calling into force a moratorium— by the enactment of the Torriente 
Law, which extended the time for liquidation of all outstanding accounts to May 30, 
1921. Another feature that has materially assisted the great majority of the pro- 
ducers of sugar is the.recently formed commission for the control of the sale of 
sugars. In order to form this commission it was necessary to obtain the approval 
