8 THE 
Under the Platt amendment the consent 
of the United States is necessary to the 
proposed loan, and the most important 
matter remaining to be determined is that 
of the terms on which the U. 8. Department 
of State will agree to it. It is possible that 
some measure of fiscal supervision by repre- 
sentatives of the United States will be 
asked for. 
Application of the Torriente Laws 
In the opinion of Consul General Carlton 
Bailey Hurst, at Habana, Cuba, there has 
been considerable misapprehension among 
American business houses relative to the 
provisions of the so-called Torriente laws. 
These laws, according to the consul general, 
did not provide for an absolute extension of 
commercial credits, but, on the contrary, 
made it possible for Cuban business houses 
to file a petition with the proper court, as 
set forth in the act, giving certain data 
relative to their business affairs, and upon 
favorable action by the court, entitling the 
petitioner to a maximum extension of credit 
of 105 days from February 1, 1921, during 
which period outstanding obligations were 
to be liquidated in instalments. 
It is generally recognized that but a very 
small percentage of Cuban business houses, 
even among those finding themselves em- 
barrassed by outstanding accounts, sought 
the benefits conferred by the Torriente 
laws. Cuban business houses as a whole 
felt that under the present economic con- 
ditions existing the extension called for by 
the law would, in the majority of cases, be 
inadequate to liquidate outstanding obli- 
gations, and that their petition for its 
benefits would be regarded unfavorably 
by ereditors with whom they wished to 
arrange for an extension different from 
that provided for in the law. Prominent 
bankers and others believe that 10 per cent 
or less of Cuban business houses took the 
necessary steps to obtain the extension 
provided for in the Torriente laws, but 
that by far the greater part of Cuban houses 
have endeavored, and in most cases have 
succeeded, in making individual extension 
arrangements with their creditors. The 
last payment provided for in the case of 
commercial houses under the Torriente laws 
CUBA 
REVIEW 
should have been made on May 15, 1921, 
and the provisions of the law referring to 
commercial credits have therefore expired. 
The question of whether many failures 
would have resulted from an enforced com- 
pliance with the Torriente laws is difficult 
to answer in view of the fact that so small a 
percentage of business houses sought its 
protection. It is believed, however, that a 
large percentage of failures would have re- 
sulted in certain lines, particularly in the 
cases of dealers in textiles and footwear. 
Although a considerable number of failures 
have been reported, including some of con- 
siderable magnitude, and the present busi- 
ness situation is far from satisfactory, it is 
felt that the majority of American creditors 
have shown a disposition to grant reason- 
able extensions, and that because of this a 
relatively small percentage of failures will 
result. 
Cuban Delegate to Medical Congress 
of the World 
Dr. José A. Presno, Vice Director of 
the Centro Asturiano de la Habana, left 
for Strassburg on June 8th to represent 
Cuba officially at the Medical Congress 
of the World. 
Dr. Presno is a Professor of Surgery in 
the National University of Havana, and 
Vice Director of the Quinta de Covadonga. 
Besides going as an official representa- 
tive of the Cuban government, Dr. 
Presno has also been commissioned to 
visit all of the museums, clinics and larger 
colleges for the purpose of making arrange- 
ments for the establishment in Cuba of a 
medical museum for increasing the 
efficiency of the Faculty of Medicine and 
Pharmacy. 
Removal of Prohibition on the Importa- 
tion of Rice 
The Cuban prohibition against the im- 
portation of rice has been removed by a 
presidential decree. No increase was made 
in the retail price at which rice may be sold. 
The prohibition against the importation of 
rice has been in effect since Sept. 7, 1920. 
