THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN GOVERNMENT MATTERS 



PRESIDENT MENOCAL LIBELLED 



Sr. Enrique Mazas, editor of La Tribuna 

 who achieved notoriety some years ago by 

 assaulting the Secretary of the United States 

 Legation to Havana, has been arrested charged 

 with writing a libelous article in regard to 

 President Alenocal. For his assault against 

 the Secretary of the United States Legation, 

 Mazas was sentenced to several years in 

 prison, and recently President Menocal par- 

 doned him for the offence. 



CUBAN DIPLOMAT PROMOTED 



Senor Manuel de la Vega y Calderon, since 

 1902 Secretary of the Cuban Legation at 

 Washington, has been promoted and will in due 

 course take up his duties as Cuban ^Minister 

 to Norwav. 



PANAMA QUARANTINE 



On account quarantine of Panama against 

 Cuba passengers and crew on l^oard steamers 

 calling at Havana enroute to Panama and 

 other Central American coimtries are not 

 permitted to land at Havana while the steam- 

 er is lying at that part. 



JAI ALAI 



Vigorous efforts have been made in the 

 Cuban Congress to have a bill passed author- 

 izing the playing of jai alai, which has been 

 prohibited for a number of years. There is 

 every prospect that the bill may pass 

 Congress, but it is expected that President 

 Menocal will veto it. Jai alai is an interest- 

 ing game to watch, but unfortunately pro- 

 duces great encouragement for gambling. 



NEW CUSTOM HOUSE RULE WANTEDJ 



A number of importers have formed a com- 

 mittee to endeavor to obtain some change 

 in the present Custom House rule, whereby 

 the importer has to pay the Custom House 

 duty before he oi?ens the package containing 

 his merchandise. Should the goods be dam- 

 aged in any way, it is not possible for the im- 

 porter to obtain a refund for the duty paid 

 on the damaged goods. The importers want 

 the privilege of being permitted to open the 

 packages and examine the goods before pay- 

 ing duty. 



PRISON REFORM 



A bill will shortly be presented to the Cuban 

 Congress which will recommend the abolition 

 of the present prison system, and under the 

 new plan the prisoners will be permitted to 

 work. The form of work would be the culti- 

 vation of land. The idea is that the prisoner 

 would have an opportunity to acquire a prac- 

 tical agricultural education and consequently 

 when he should be discharged would have a 

 chance to prove himself a useful citizen. 



NEW CUBAN CONSULATES 



The Cuban Government has established a 

 Consulate of the second class at Bayonne, 

 France. It has also a Consulate of the first 

 class at Biarritz, France. The Consulate at 

 Biarritz also includes the district of the lower 

 Pvrenees. 



NEW PORT^OF ENTRY 



]\Iariel, in the Province of Pinar del Rio, 

 has been declared a port of entry, and a 

 Custom House will be established there in 

 due course. 



PALACE OF JUSTICE,FOR SANTAICLARA 



The Cuban Government has appropriated 

 •$150,000 for the construction of a new Palace 

 of Justice at Santa Clara. 



EL CANEY^PROTESTS 



The citizens of El Caney have sent a peti- 

 tion to the Cuban Government at Havana 

 stating that the Municipal Government of EI 

 Caney is not satisfactory to them, and 

 furthermore, they ask that two inspectors be 

 sent to investigate the conditions at El Caney. 



CUBAN TOBACCO LABEL FORGED 



Evidence has been received that tobacco 

 has been sold in Spain, the packages bearing 

 a counterfeit Cuban stamp. This is con- 

 sidered very injurious to the sale of Cuban 

 tobacco in Spain, and Cuba has requested her 

 consuls to take vigorous_action to stop such 

 forgeries. 



