THE CUBA REVIEW. 



17 



ISLE OF PINES. 



Some News Notes of American Activities. 



At the municipal elections to be held on 

 August 1 a mayor and nine councilmen will 

 be elected for this island. The present 

 mayor, Sr. Benito Ortiz, has been very 

 active in pushinar all public improvements 

 in his charge, and in securing la due share 

 of attention for his district from the de- 

 partments at Havana. He has devoted his 

 whole official salary and made other con- 

 tributions to the expense of such improve- 

 ments, and the progressive people of the 

 island want no other candidate. 



A post office has been established at 

 McKinley. It is a registry office, and ar- 

 raneements for issuing and paying money 

 orders will be made later. 



The three new government roads now 

 under construction from Nueva Gerona to 

 McKinley, from Jucaro through Columbia 

 to join the road between Santa Fe and 

 Nueva Gerona, and from Santa Fe to La 

 Ceiba, are well advanced and all will prob- 

 ab^-- be completed by September. The 11- 

 mile road connecting Nueva Gerona and 

 Santa Fe, built during the first American 

 occuoation, is being repaired. 



The capture by a revenue cutter of sev- 

 eral schooners engaged in illegal fishing 

 for turtles along the shore of the Isle 

 of Pines has called attention to the im- 



portance of the turtle fishery in the waters 

 of this island. The gathering of sponges 

 along the north shore is another important 

 industry, both sponges and turtles being 

 landed at Batabano for export. 



The annual crop of parrots has been 

 gathered this year as usual. Bernard 

 Mayer, of Philadelphia, has been here every 

 spring for so many years that he is known 

 on the island as the Parrot Man. With 

 the aid of country people, who get the 

 younp^ birds from the nests, he takes away 

 many thousands of them each season. 



There are now three transportation lines 

 in operation to the Isle of Pines — The Isle 

 of Pine Steamship Co., operating the 

 Cristobal Colon, which carries the mails, 

 the Vuelta Abajo Steamship Co., operating 

 the Veguero, and the Isle of Pines Trans- 

 portation & S'upply Co., running a schooner 

 from Mobile, Ak., which carries freight 

 only. 



The mineral spring waters of the island, 

 chief of which is the magnesia water, 

 very beneficial in disorders of the diges- 

 tive organs, have long been known to 

 the old residents of Havana and the 

 American residents are now learning 

 their value. A chalybeate water is also 

 obtained here. 



The beginning of an American home in Cuba. The first buildings at Magnolia on the Jatibonico 

 del Norte River, in Camaguey Province. 



