THE CUBA REVIEW 



15 



GENERAL NOTES 



RETURN OF EX-PRESIDENT GOMEZ 



On January 4th Gen. Jose ^Miguel 

 Gomez, ex-President of Cuba, returned to 

 Havana on the steamer Espagne of the 

 French line from an extended tour in 

 Europe. A great demonstration of wel- 

 come had been arranged and a tremendous 

 crowd rushed to take him on their shoul- 

 ders so that they might march with him 

 through the streets. But Gen. Gomez 

 sought refuge in La Fuerza Castle, the 

 gates of which were closed. Soldiers with 

 drawn bayonets kept back the people. 



Later, when the enthusiasm had abated, 

 he went in an automobile with friends to 

 his home in the suburban town of Cala- 

 bazar, cheered as he rode through the 

 streets. 



JOY FOR HAVANA S CHILDREN 



Under auspices of the Band of Mercy 

 twenty thousand children gathered on 

 Christmas day in Central Park, Havana, 

 and received gifts of toys, clothing, candy 

 and fruits — the Christmas contribution of 

 the Havana merchants. President Menocal 

 and Sefiora ]\Ienocal took part in the dis- 

 tribution. The military and marine bands 

 fiirnished music and later the children were 

 given an automobile ride. 



RAILROAD EXPERT FOR CUBA 



President Menocal intends to obtain the 

 services of an American railroad expert to 

 assist Cuba's Railroad Commission in pre- 

 paring a general adjustment of freight 

 rates along the lines recently followed in 

 the United States. The expert is summoned 

 in order to prevent injustice to the rail- 

 roads. 



Railroad officials are understood to have 

 demonstrated to President Menocal that he 

 did not have among his advisers a single 

 individual with sufficient experience to be 

 a judge of what is wrong or right in rail- 

 road matters, and it is that argument that 

 caused the president to obtain the services 

 of an American railroad expert. 



BRICK MAKING PLANT 



The first kiln of brick burned at the new 

 brick and tile works in San Francisco 

 Heights, Isle of Pines, consisted of 10,000 

 bricks which were sold at the yard at $15 

 per 1,000, a price from $7 to $10 less per 

 1,000 than has been paid heretofore for 

 Cuban brick delivered at the steamship 

 dock. 



NATURAL GAS WELL DISCOVERED 



A deposit of natural gas was found on 

 the grounds of the Tropical brewery in 

 Havana about a month ago when borings 

 were being made for an artesian well for 

 the brewery. At a depth of about TOO 

 feet natural gas was discovered. 



The brewery owners have filed their 

 mineral claim to the property and so like- 

 wise has the engineering company which 

 had the contract of boring the we'll. The 

 latter company immediately denounced or 

 claimed 4,500 hectares of ground around 

 the well. 



The Governor of Havana refused to ad- 

 mit the claim of the brewery company be- 

 cause not made out in the legal form pre- 

 scribed by the law. The law states that the 

 request must be accompanied by a descrip- 

 tion of the property and the boundaries 

 must be described, which apparently was 

 not given. 



It is the first time that natural gas has 

 been discovered in Cuba and it appears to 

 be in such quantities as to be extremely 

 valuable. 



CUBAN CONSUL TRANSFERRED 



Seiior Crescencia de Varona, Cuban con- 

 sul, has been unexpectedly transferred to 

 Mexico after a service in Chicago of one 

 and a half years. His new post will be at 

 ]\Ierida, Yucatan, and also Progreso. 



Senor Crescenda, who for some years 

 held a commission in the Cuban army, is a 

 nephew of the Vice-President of the Re- 

 public of Cuba. 



CRATE MAKING AT LA GLORIA 



The secretary of agriculture is investi- 

 gating the importance of a new industry at 

 La Gloria where wooden crates are being 

 manufactured for the shipping of fruits to 

 the United States. The wood of the Jabo 

 trees is used for the crates. 



THE MANATI ROAD 



The branch railroad which will unite cen- 

 tral "Manati" on the north coast of Oriente, 

 Province with Victoria de las Tunas, a city 

 some distance inland on the Cuba Railrcjad, 

 is progressing rapidly. 



SOAP MAKING IN SANTIAGO 



A soap making factory has been estab- 

 lished in Santiago. It began operation De- 

 cember If'th. 



