THL 

 CUBA RLVILW 



"ALL ABOUT CUBA" 



Copyright, 1914, by the Munson Steamship Line 



NEW VORK 



«UTA«fCAl 



ClAKiitoiN. 



Volume XII 



SEPTEMBER, 1914 



Number 10 



CUBAN GOVERNMENT MATTERS 



THE WAR'S EFFECTS ON CUBA'S COMMERCE— PRESIDENT ASKS FOR 

 SUGAR TAX AND NEW LOAN 



Pres. Menocal sent an official 



Cuba and message to the Senate on Aug. 

 the War 2S, asking that, in view of the 

 European war crisis, permis- 

 sion be given to increase from $10,000,000 to 

 $15,000,000 the loan recently arranged 

 for with J. P. Morgan & Co., the New York 

 bankers. The President also recommended 

 that Government employes receiving $100 or 

 more monthly be taxed from 5 to 10 per cent, 

 of their salaries, and that a special tax of 

 25 cents be placed on each bag of sugar 

 weighing 300 pounds which is sold for more 

 than 6J^ cents a pound. 



For the relief of the unemployed the Presi- 

 dent urges a loan of .$3,000,000, and also that 

 a part of the lotteiy funds be used for this 

 purpose. 



Four German boats and one Austrian ves- 

 sel are in Havana harbor unable to sail for 

 fear of capture by British or French cruisers. 

 Their crews have been discharged and will be 

 re-embarked for their port of enrollment if 

 they so desire. 



AH the ships have discharged their cargoes 

 and will remain in port indefinitelv. 



On August 18th the British Charge 

 d' Affaires at Havana notified the Cuban 

 Government that Great Britain would not 

 tolerate the provisioning of German warships 

 from Cuba's neutral ports. It has been 

 •charged that German merchantmen have 

 been taking on food and coal here and trans- 

 ferring their supplies at sea to German men- 

 of-war. 



A bill was recently presented to tlie Senate 

 recommending, because of the treasury deficit 

 and the needs of the unemployed, that all 

 railway and steamship companies, national 

 and foreign, should augment their rates of 

 fare and passage ten per cent, this ten per 

 ■cent to go to the government. 



The bill also provided for two cent revenue 



stamps to be placed on all documents, private 

 and public. 



In official circles it is thought there is a 

 scant prospect of Congress giving attention 

 to these recommendations. 



The presidential message taxing sugar as 

 one of the ways to make up the loss in the 

 customs receipts, was opposed b}' the sugar 

 manufacturers and they have framed resolu- 

 tions protesting against the measure and ob- 

 jecting to the three bills which have been pre- 

 sented by different congressmen relative to a 

 similar tax. 



The association declares that it has had 

 three bad sugar years and that the proposed 

 impost would make this year another loss to 

 them. 



The "Ports Company" mat- 

 The Ports ter will very likely come into 

 Company the i)ublic view, according to 

 talk in Havana in judicial 

 circles. It is annoimced that the court which 

 had this matter in hand is now about to pro- 

 ceed and return indictments against several- 

 prominent people connected with the enter- 

 prise. 



The courts have been inactive in the matter 

 owing to the fact that both the secret and 

 judicial police as well as a number of experts 

 were busy taking account of the work the 

 company claimed to have done and charged 

 the government for. 



There was a quorum in Con- 

 gress on August 31st for the 

 first time since the split of 

 the Albertistas from the Con- 

 servatives many weeks ago. 

 The first business was the election of a 

 speaker. Three more ballots were cast than 

 there were members present and the election 



Liberal 

 Elected 

 Speaker 



