8 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



be retired from proceeds of the present 

 bond sale. Pledge of customs receipts and 

 other revenues for the present loan is 

 subject to similar charges created by agree- 

 ments in respect to the loans of r.»04 and 

 l'.i09. 



Pursuant to the so-called "Piatt amend- 

 ment" of 1901, the United States govern- 

 ment has formally acquiesced in the crea- 

 tion by the republic of Cuba of the public 

 debt represented by these bonds. 



Demand on the part of investors for the 

 Cuban bonds was so great that most allot- 

 ments had to be scaled down to ten per 

 cent of the applications, said the i^ eiv 

 York Herald. 



Three millions was J. P. Morgan & Co.'s 

 first remission to Havana on February 13th 

 of list loan of $10,000,000 to Cuba. 



The money arrived from Key West in an 

 ordinary registered mail sack. 



The renewal every two 

 Premature years of the House of Rep- 

 Elcction resentatives and the provin- 

 Activity cial and city councils ex- 

 plains why there is hardly 

 any truce in Cuba's political agitation. 



On this account aspirations are inces- 

 santly fermenting and long before the 

 electoral campaign is fairly started candi- 

 dates begin to work. 



At present just past the beginning of the 

 new year, political activity is the chief 

 cause of the unrest and lack of confidence 

 which besets the industrial elements of the 

 country. There are even activities of a 

 presidential campaign which started shortly 

 after the inauguration of President Me- 

 nocal. 



On this important sujjec'i 

 The which is a vital one tor 



Deforestation Cuba to consider inasmuch 

 of Cuba as it is claimed that cutting 

 of valuable timber like ma- 

 hoganj'. ebony, cedar and rosewood is con- 

 stantly going on especially in remote sec- 

 tions of the island. Mr. Pablo Ortega, Cu- 

 ban director of forestry, had the following 

 to say to an American representative : 



"While I am not prepared to admit that 

 the department has any knowledge of 

 wholesale deforestation of any large timber 

 area, it is true that many reports have 

 come in about the cutting of timber under 

 licenses issued by the "delegados de 

 marina" or rangers appointed as deputy 

 forestry, commissioners under present 

 rules. 



"In remote districts at considerable dis- 

 tance from government offices or 'alcaldias 

 de barrio' it is necessary to depute the riglit 

 of issuing licenses or permits for the cut- 

 ting of timber on public lands to these 

 langers. 



"Under this system there is the possibility 

 of the original intent of the law and of its 

 authority being exceeded by mercenary or 

 unscrupulous deputies over whom super- 

 vision is difficult under present conditions. 



"It has even been reported that in some 

 cases the rangers have been agents of the 

 parties interested in the cutting with the 

 result that licenses are overfreely issued, 

 and the work of deforestation goes on un- 

 cliecked. 



"I have talked with several congressmen 

 on this important subject, and they all 

 seem to agree upon the necessity of imme- 

 diate legislation." 



President Menccal late in 

 Highway January directed Secretary 

 Graft of Pulilic Works Villalon, 



Sca)ida! by decree, to investigate the 

 work of the contractors 

 who are laying down pavements and sewers 

 in Havana, and some 2()0 samples taken 

 from the various asphalted streets show 

 that the contractors forgot to put any ce- 

 ment in the concrete base and that the 

 asphalt top is on an average only one and 

 one-half inches thick instead of three 

 inches as called for in the contract. Miles 

 of this pavement have been laid. 



The contractors, according to the Nezu 

 York Sun, explained that they used too 

 much water in mixing the concrete and 

 that the cement all ran out. The local 

 manufacturers who sold the cement com- 

 plained in the Court of First Instance some 

 months ago that the cement was put on the 

 market l)y local dealers at a price less than 

 tlie cost of manufacture. 



The sewering and paving of Havana was 

 insisted upon by the Piatt amendment to 

 (lie Cuban Constitution to the end that Ha- 

 vana should cease to be a menace to health. 

 Plans were prepared and a contract for the, 

 work let during the first military occupa- 

 tion to Samuel P. McGivney and Ralph T. 

 Rokeby on a unit price liasis, the total of 

 which was about $9,000,000. 



The Troy (X. Y.) Record, commenting 

 on the reasons given by the contractors for 

 the lack of cement, says that "for bland- 

 ness Bret Harte's 'heatlicn Chinee' fades 

 into the background in comparison with 

 this type of contractor." 



TO LOWER CUBAN TARIFF 



A l)ill lowering the duties on foodstuffs 

 imported into Cuba, and increasing those on 

 luxuries, was introduced into Congress on 

 Fobruarv 13th. 



Theatres for men only are Ijeing barred 

 m Cuba. Despite the fact that such exhi- 

 bitions have been prohibited by decree •'>02 

 of July 7, 1912, they have lieen going on. 



