THE CUBA REVIEW 



13 



ALL AROUND CUBA 



MOTOR OMNIBUSES IN MATANZAS 



It is now almost certain that Matanzas' 

 chief city in the province of that name, 

 will soon have a city and suburban car service 

 of which it has long been in need. It is 

 known that the company operating a motor 

 omnibus line in Havana has decided to 

 establish a similar service in Matanzas. 



That this had not been thought of before 

 was a surprise to many who believed that a 

 transportation service in Matanzas would 

 be profitable, and doubly so when the in- 

 stallation was unaccompanied by the expense 

 attaching to track laying, wires, electric 

 machinery, etc. 



It is believed that even without these 

 advantages a street car service in the city 

 would have been profitable, because apart 

 from the traffic of the cit}^ which is con- 

 siderable, there are a number of populous 

 towTis which would welcome and patronize 

 such a service. 



In the city itself are the Bellamar caves, 

 the "i'umuri \^aUey, the Monserrate Church, 

 the Playa along the harbor, all attractions 

 for the tourists who would, if the service was 

 in operation, gladly take occasion to visit 

 the picturesque outlying towns like Ceiba 

 Mocha, Guanabana, Linionar, Cidra, etc. 



It is said that should the Havana company 

 fail in securing the concession, that merchants 

 in the city are prepared to go into the enter- 

 prize themselves. 



A troUey system was long projected and 

 excavations were made on the road to the 

 Bellamar Caves for the tracks, but the con- 

 cession has expired without much having 

 been accomplished. Consequently the new 

 scheme is attractive. 



A HOTEL COMPANY FORMED 



A company to be known as the Compania 

 de Hoteles y Sports de San Diego de los 

 Banos was organized in Havana recently 

 with a capital of $200,000 to build an hotel 

 at San Diego de los Banos, in Pinar del Rio 

 province, where the famous sulphur baths 

 are located. 



BUBONIC PLAGUE IN SANTIAGO 



The eighth case of bubonic plague in San- 

 tiago de Cuba has been declared positive, 

 according to advices received at the depart- 

 ment of government on August 5th. It is 

 that of a child living in the suburb of Aceite. 



A notice has been given out in Havana 

 by the German minister instructing all 

 German citizens who are liable to military 

 service, to report everj' night at the German 

 club and to hold themselves in readiness to 

 sail. 



ROPE FROM WATER HYACINTH 



A French professor named Perrot has an- 

 nounced to the Chamber of Commerce at 

 Saigon the results of experiments he has 

 made wdth the water hyacinth {Eichornia 

 crassipes), as a fiber producer. He has 

 extracted the fiber from the stalk by means 

 of a Ducheman machine and finds that after 

 drying, preferably by gradual process, it 

 can be made into serviceable rope and twine 

 as well as coarse thread suitable for matting 

 and sailcloth, and its use in Indo-China 

 particularly is possible in bags for rice and 

 other grain exports in place of the jute bags 

 now imported. On a native loom it affords 

 a strong flexible cloth of about the same 

 quality as jute. The fiber takes dyes readily 

 and has high tenacity. Its weight is about 

 the same as that of jute, but can be reduced 

 by treatment with chrome alum, which makes 

 the product waterproof. By this process 

 followed and carried out by native workers 

 100 kilos (220 pounds aviordupois) of green 

 stems yields 4.5 kilos (9.9 pounds) of fiber, 

 as compared with from 3.5 to 4^0 of fiber 

 from si al. 



CUBAN STEAMSHIP COMPANY REPORT 



The report of the Cuban Steamship Com- 

 painy, Ltd., for the year ended May 31, 1914, 

 states that the profits reahzed amount to 

 £24,574. The directors have decided to 

 WTite off depreciation at the approximate 

 rate of 6% per annum on the original cost 

 of the company's steamers, £11,101; to 

 write off the survey accounts, amounting 

 to £2,646; and to reserve £3,000 to cover 

 No. 3 survey of the Cayo Bonito. There 

 then remains £7,827, to which has to be 

 added £7,153 brought forward, making to- 

 gether £14,930. The directors recommended 

 a final dividend of 5%, making 73^% for 

 the year, leaving a balance of £7,893 to be 

 carried forward. 



CIENFUEGOS SHIPPING AND POPULATION 



In 1912, 261 steamships and 29 sailing 

 vessels with a capacity of 518,344 tons net 

 coming from foreign ports entered Cienfuego's 

 harbor, and in 1913, 272 steamers and 27 

 saihng vessels, with a capacity of 534,787 

 tons net. Of these, in 1913, there were 18 

 steamers of 36,370 net tons and 9 saihng 

 vessels of 2,884 net tons flying the American 

 flag. — Consular Report. 



A bill appropriating the .sum of .$100,000 

 to be used by the government in aiding the 

 thousands of Cuban and foreign workmen 

 thrown out of work by the [)aralyzation of 

 the cigar industry has been submitted to 

 the House. 



