12 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



ALL AROUND CUBA 



BAD ROADS CAUSE OF STRIKES 



Coach drivers in Piiiar del Kio, and in other 

 cities of Cuba, have entered on a strike from 

 time to time as a protest against the execrable 

 conditions of the streets, which injure their 

 vehicles materially. 



In Pinar del Rio, the streets, says the Mayor, 

 are almost impassable and the coach drivers 

 have refused to pay the municipal tax, 

 claiming they spend more in broken carriage 

 springs than they can possibly earn. 



As in most cities the hu-ed carriage is the 

 only conveyance, a strike inflicts great incon- 

 venience on the residents and quickly brings 

 the officials to the point where something is 

 done to bring the roadways into better con- 

 dition. 



NEW HOME FOR CHINAMEN 



A home for aged and infirm Chinese was 

 opened late in November in Guanabacoa, 

 near Havana. 



There are three paviUons with a capacity of 

 sixty imnates each. There are also offices 

 and other outbuildings. The total cost was 

 $27,000. 



MORE CUBAN FISHING BOATS 



The Cuban fishing fleet was enlarged Dec- 

 emljer 16th by the purchase of five Gloucester 

 and Boston fishing vessels. Joseph Cereieo of 

 Havana negotiated the purchase. 



The vessels are to engage in snapper fishing 

 in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 



RACING BOAT FOR CUBA 



Lashed to the forward deck of the steamer 

 San Jose when she left Boston on November 

 12, for Havana was the racing sonderklass 

 boat Ninette, one of the fastest of her type 

 afloat. The yacht has been purchased by a 

 Cuban who will race her in tropical waters this 

 winter. 



AMERICAN CLUB OFFICERS 



At the annual election on December 7th, of 

 the American Club in Havana, the following 

 officers were chosen: President, Howard 

 Trumbo; Vice-President, L. S. Houston; 

 Treasurer, R. E. Ulbricht; Secretary, Charles 

 P. WiUiams; Board of Governors, R. W. For- 

 rester, L. E. Brownson, S. S. Friedlein, Chas. 

 H. Thi-all, John Z. Horter. 



HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS 



There is now a regulation in the city of 

 Havana limiting the height of buildings to 

 one and one-half times the width of the 

 thoroughfare on which the edifices are to be 

 erected. 



EARTHQUAKE IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA 



A severe shock occurred in Santiago on 

 Christmas night, causing more or less damage 

 to the city and greatly alarming the inhabi- 

 tants. The recently built club house of the 

 San Carlos Club was injured, the walls being 

 cracked as far as the third floor. The jail 

 also suffered some damage as well as private 

 houses. The force of the earth's tremlaling 

 was sufficient to displace the electric light 

 wires from their poles, which further added 

 to the alarm of the citizens. The Christmas 

 festivities were under way, and the quake 

 somewhat dampened the enthusiasm. 



Persons who have lived a long time in San- 

 tiago state that this was the most violent 

 earthquake that they could remember in their 

 experience. The effects of the earth's dis- 

 turbance were also felt as far as Cauto Niq- 

 uero, Santa Cruz del Sur, Bayamo, Palma 

 Soriano and Campechuela. 



KEY WEST-HAVANA FERRY 



In reference to the estabhshment of a new 

 ferry boat service between Key West and 

 Havana, it seems that this plan has caused a 

 certain discontent among the working poeple 

 of Havana. It is probable that the Steve- 

 dores' Union and other working men's associa- 

 tions are going to exert then- influence to pre- 

 vent the establishment of this service, which, 

 if their plans succeed, would paralyze the 

 entire traffic of the City of Havana, and 

 would cause at least an embarrassing delay 

 to the success of the new project. It is 

 fm-ther recorded that the working men of 

 other parts in Cuba have been appealed to 

 with the result that a committee of four repre- 

 sentatives propose to go to the United States 

 and appeal to the American trades unions for 

 assistance. The contention of the working 

 men is that the inauguration of the ferry ser- 

 vice will throw many men out of work. 



HEAVY EMIGRATION TO CUBA 



Owing to agricultural depression here and 

 to published reports of prosperity in the sugar 

 districts of Cuba, emigration to that island 

 has again assvmied large proportions. The 

 Compaiiia Trasatlantica is now running two 

 steamers per month instead of one to Habana, 

 having transferred some of its Buenos Aires 

 vessels in order to take care of the traffic. 

 There are five steamers monthly from the 

 Canaries to Habana, and all are leaving now 

 with fuU hsts of steerage passengers on every 

 trip. 



A hail storm at Consolacion del Norte, on 

 the north coast of Pinar del Rio Province on 

 December 5th, did considerable damage to 

 the extensive tobacco plantings in this section. 

 The hail lasted about fifteen minutes. 



