THE CUBA REVIEW 



CUBAN COINAGE 



Cuba is in need of more of the new coinafio. 

 This h;is been made I)}' the I'nited States 

 mint in Philadelphia, and there have been 

 no recent shipments on aecmnt of the shortage 

 of metals. It is hoped that a speedy re- 

 sumption of the issue may be had in order 

 that Cuba may rereive the coins needed. 

 There have been practically no shi])inciits for 

 the last four months. 



HAVANA COLONIAL DEBTS 



The Municipality of Havana incurred, 

 previous to lf\£9, debts amounting to S'2,S;12,- 

 000. These deljts have not been rec<ignizcd 

 by the Cuban Government, but in .June last 

 the City Council of Havana approved the 

 pa3nnent of this sum by means of a bond 

 issue to the present holders of these claims. 

 President Menocal, however, decided that 

 such paj-ment would not be in accordance 

 with law, and the resolution of the City 

 Council was therefore vetoed. 



CUBAN CENSUS 



The Cul>an Coverinnent proposes to take 

 n complete census of the Island in the early 

 part of 1918, and instructions have been 

 sent to all the mayors of Cuba in order that 

 the municipal appropriations for the period 

 1917-1919 may include a credit sufficient to 

 pay the expenses of taking the census. 



LIGHTHOUSES 



The scarcity of lighthouses on the Cuban 

 coast has caused renewed agitation of this 

 matter, and it is understood that the Ameri- 

 can legation in Cuba has requested the Cuban 

 State Departnient for permission for the 

 United States to put signal lights at various 

 places on the Cuban coast, provided that the 

 property owners at the various points selected 

 make no o])jection. 



TRADE WITH CHILE 



The consideration of a commercial treaty' 

 between Cuba and Chile is again being con- 

 sidered. It is thought that each country has 

 manj' products in which the other would be 

 interested, and judging from Chilean news- 

 papers, there is a decided sentiment among 

 the biLsiness men of Chile to improve the 

 commercial relations between the two coun- 

 tries. 



NAVAL SCHOOL 



The naval school at Mariel is to be opened 

 during Xovomber. The first students of the 

 new naval school are to be the 20 midshii)men 

 of the School Ship Fnlrin. It is jjlanned that 

 all students of the school shall each year 

 spend May, June, July and the first half of 

 .\ugust aboard the I'nlrui, while during the 

 remainder of the year they shall follow a 

 course of study at the naval school. In this 

 way the two year course at the school will 

 include 200 days at sea, which are required 

 before the midshipmen can be graduated. 



Lieutenant Commander Carlton B. Kear, 

 retired, of the I'nited States Xavy, has been 

 engaged by the Cuban Government to in- 

 struct the students in the use of artillery and 

 torpedo practice. 



CUBAN CITIZENSHIP 



The Commissioner of Immigration, Dr. 

 Frank Menocal, is considering a jjlan whereby 

 immigrants that come into Cul)a claiming 

 Cul)an citizcnshii) will be .subjected to a more 

 rigid investigation than hitherto. It is stated 

 that many foreigners enter Cuba as Cuban 

 citizens using this means to evade the neces- 

 sarj' qualifications of admission. Dr. Meno- 

 cal's plan calls for steamshij) companies 

 kep])ing two lists of passengers, one 'ist for 

 Cuban citizens and another list for foreigners. 

 On arrival in Cuba, the Immigration Inspector, 

 if he has any doubt in r;'gard to those claim- 

 ing Cuban citizenship, shall require t rse in 

 question to take oath as to their citizenship 

 before being permitted to land, and if sub- 

 sequently it can be sho^\-n that they have 

 sworn falsely, they will be prosecuted by the 

 Immigr.ition authorities. 



LEPER HOSPITAL 



It is reported that Dr. ]\Ienocal, Secretary 

 of Sanitation, has decided that Juan Tomas 

 Key, Cabanas Bay, Province of Pinar del 

 Rio, will be the situation of the new leper 

 hospital. Juan Tomas Key has an area 

 of about 495 acres, and it is stated that the 

 soil is fertile ;.nd capable of cultivation. 

 The island is now unoccupied, and it is 

 understood that Dr. Menocal, after the 

 erection of the hospital, would permit the 

 lepers to have the freedom of the entire 

 island with permission to raise vegetables 

 and engage in whatever other work might be 

 possible. 



