THL 

 CUBA RLVILW 



'ALL ABOUT CUBA" 



Copyright, 1914, hy the Munson Steamship Line 



Volume XII 



MAY, 1914 



Number 6 



CUBAN GOVERNMENT MATTERS 



PARCEL POST IN CUBA— RURAL GUARD TELEPHONES— CUBA'S NATIONAL 

 DEBT— AMONG THE LAWMAKERS 



Over two thousand Liberals 

 Political assembled in convention, 



Activities April 13th, at ]Matanzas, 

 proclaimed Dr. Alfredo Zayas, 

 of Havana, the logical Liberal candidate for 

 president in 1916. He was promised the 

 unqualified support of the Liberal party in 

 Matanzas province. 



Before the summer arrives, says La Lucha, 

 the Liberal party is to have no less than 

 twelve candidates for the presidency in the 

 field with danger of their number increasing. 

 This is a part of the list: Jose Miguel 

 Gomez, ex-president; Alfredo Zayas, ex- 

 vice-president; Gerardo Machado; General 

 "Pino" Guerra; General Eusebio Hernandez, 

 and Eugenio Lacoste of Oriente, colored, who 

 is to be nominated by the remaining hosts 

 of that army that was almost totally ex- 

 terminated during the summer of 1912 by 

 Generals Monteagudo and Mendieta. 



The Cuban Government 

 Parcel Post wants a parcel post treaty 

 needed with the United States simi- 

 lar to the American system, 

 wherebj' not only merchandise can be trans- 

 ported through the mails, but also cigars in 

 smaller quantities than lots of 3,000. 



Under the postal treaty of 1908, for the 

 exchange of mail between Cuba and the 

 L'nited States, only letters, printed matter 

 and merchandise samples without commer- 

 cial value, not to exceed twelve ounces in 

 weight, are not subject to customs duties. 

 However, a later revision has been made, 

 under the terms and securities of the parcel 

 post system for admission of dutiable mer- 

 chandise in packages not exceeding four 

 pounds in weight, "to the benefit of the mail- 

 ing country and only ex-pensive to the country 

 for destination." Thus Cuba derives but 

 little revenue under this system. The parcel 



post systems between Cuba and Germany 

 and France has been remarkably successful. 

 Through them, European countries have 

 developed a consequential Cuban trade. In 

 1913 Germany exported 63,000 parcels and 

 France 55,000 parcels to Cuba. 



The Government believes the inauguration 

 of the parcel post system between the United 

 States and Cuba would be the means of 

 opening up a vast trade for American products 

 not only in the interior but in the large towns 

 and cities. Havana itself would command an 

 enormous trade with handsome profits. And 

 in return Cuba asks only that her cigars be 

 granted the advantage of importation through 

 the mails, now prohibited by Section 340, 

 Revised Statutes of the United States. 



The Ports 



Company's 



Work 



The work of dredging, land 

 reclaiming, male con con- 

 structions and other improve- 

 ments carried out by the Port 

 Company of Cuba up to the 

 time the government annulled its concession 

 is stated to be worth but $2,500,000 against 

 the valuation of $5,000,000, given by officials 

 of the company, according to the report re- 

 cently filed with the Secretary of PubUc 

 Works by the special commission appointed 

 by the President to report on the matter. 



The commissioners have been for the last 

 six months visiting all the ports in the island 

 where the company reported work had been 

 performed. 



The report is an extensive one, detailing the 

 form in which the work was done. The con- 

 clusion reached in most of the cases by the 

 commissioners was that it was poorly or im- 

 perfectly done. 



The purpose of appointing this commission 

 was for the purpose of settling with the Port 

 Company and compensating it for the 



