28 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



GENERAL NOTES 



GO AFTER FOREIGN BUSINESS 



In his address to the Los Angeles (Cal.) 

 Chamber of Commerce recently VV. C. Red- 

 field, secretary of commerce, urged Amer- 

 ican manufacturers to immediately cultivate 

 the foreign business field. His advice, 

 which applies to conditions in Cuba as else- 

 where, is as follows : 



"The foreign field is not a dumping 

 ground. Do not offer the foreign buyer 

 what you want to get rid of, but what he 

 wants to buy. 



".Agents on the ground should study the 

 foreigners' needs. 



"Faith, courage and patience are needed 

 to get foreign business. 



"It is useless to go into the export trade 

 as a 'flier.' It mu«t be a permanent part of 

 the business. 



"It is not so necessary to give low prices 

 as it is to establish a market based on 

 quality." 



NEW RAILROAD PROJECTED 



A project for a railroad from Casilda to 

 Placetas del Sur in Santa Clara Province 

 has been favorably reported by the com- 

 mittee on public works and will probably 

 be approved by the Senate. Casilda is the 

 port of Trinidad on the south coast and 

 Placetas del Sur is on the main line of the 

 Cuba Railroad. The names of those seek- 

 ing the concession is not given. 



HAVANA ELECTRIC RAILWAY, LIGHT & 

 POWER COMPANY DIVIDEND 



A semi-annual dividend of $3.00 per 

 share on the Preferred Stock and a divi- 

 dend of $2.50 per share on the Common 

 Stock to be paid on Alay 16, 1914. was de- 

 clared by this company to stockholders of 

 record at the close of business on April IS. 



NATIONAL BANK ELECTION 



At the annual election of officers of the 

 National Bank of Cuba, held in February, 

 William A. Merchant was unanimously 

 elected president for the ensuing year and 

 Messrs. Pedro Gomez Mena Jose Lopez 

 Rodriguez and H. Olavarria vice-presidents. 



The board of directors consists of the 

 following well known business men : W. 

 A. Merchant, Pedro Gomez Mena, Jose 

 Lopez Rodriguez, H. Olavarria, Edmund 

 G. Vaughan, Ignacio Nazabal, J. M. Berriz, 

 A. W. Preston, Ernest Gaye, Oscar Fonts, 

 Elias Miro, W. M. Talbott, Angel Barros. 



EARNINGS OF THE SANTIAGO ELECTRIC 

 LIGHT & TRACTION COMPANY 



1914 1913 



Februarv gross $36,184 $37,051 



February net 18,604 17,563 



First two months' gross. 73,685 76,419 



First two months' net... 36,416 34,818 



CUBAN CENTRAL RAILWAY EARNINGS 



For the week ending March 21st the earn- 

 ings of the Cuba Central Railways com- 

 pare as follows : 



1914 1913 



i2:?,103 il7,201 



Havana Schools in Bad Shape 



The public schools of Havana are estab- 

 lished in private houses, says La Lucha, and 

 the rooms were originally used as dining 

 rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and most every- 

 thing else except school rooms. Ventila- 

 tion is lacking and generally there are no 

 conveniences required in a school. We cite 

 one case of a kitchen converted into a class 

 room. The blackboard was placed over 

 the cooking stove and the children, in order 

 to use the board, had to climb the great 

 water jars, tinajones, which collect the rain 

 water. To-day schools require to be more 

 than a mere circle of scholars and teachers. 

 The modern school demands scrupulous 

 medical examinations, and a better under- 

 standing between the medical inspectors and 

 the parents of the children, to the end that 

 the spread of contagious diseases may be 

 prevented. Medical examinations are al- 



ready insisted upon in the schools, although 

 not in all. But we have no playgrounds or 

 gymnasiums, no individual slates and books 

 and. more than all. no proper buildings and 

 furniture. To construct suitable houses is 

 not an easy task nor can it be done in a day. 

 But now as the hot season is near much 

 can be done to provide the schools with 

 clean furniture and school accessories and 

 conveniences. Also to establish the school 

 rooms in houses which will admit a free 

 circulation of air. These improvements will 

 not entail any new expense 1)ut would add 

 largely to the physical welfare of the chil- 

 dren. 



A proposition is before Congress to estab- 

 lish a school in Havana for deaf and dumb 

 and blind children. There are no statistics 

 available as to the number of children thus 

 afflicted. 



