THE CUBA REVIEW 



11 



In a report issued by Gen- 

 Calls It eral Rivas, Havana's chief 

 ail of police, is the statement 



Exaggeration that idleness and mendi- 

 cancy prevail to a degree as 

 to warrant corrective steps. 



Gen. Rivas finds an increasing and most 

 alarming indisposition to perform any use- 

 ful labor, which results largely from the 

 prevailing passion for office hunting which 

 affects Cubans of all classes. These office- 

 seekers, the general says, throng the en- 

 trances of all governmental departments, 

 pestering the chiefs for appointments of 

 any kind without the slightest reference to 

 competency, but merely in the guise of 

 politicians demanding recognition for ser- 

 vices either allegede to have been rendered, 

 or to be given at the coming election. 



While this rush for offices is going on. 

 General Rivas says, there is a constant 

 unsatisfied demand for skilled workmen 

 and for labor of all kinds in city and coun- 

 try. Worse than this, the general finds a 

 rapidly decreasing number of young Cu- 

 bans employed in factories and in the va- 

 rious trades, so that the indications, he 

 savs, are that ere long Cubans will be di- 



vided into two classes — beggars and office 

 holders. 



Which leads the Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch 

 to say that such a pessimistic view '"must 

 be, if correctly reported, a purposely exag- 

 gerated review of the facts." It says, "it 

 is impossible to conceive that there are so 

 few Cubans engaged in industry, agricul- 

 ture and business as to justify such a 

 sweeping indictment. If that were even ap- 

 proximately true, where could the govern- 

 ment find means of maintenance, to say 

 nothing of the people themselves? Yet 

 Cuba's commercial progress has not been 

 reported so impaired as to indicate any- 

 thing of the kind." 



Railzi'av 



Mail' 



Service 



There was established on 

 October 6th a train mail 

 service between Santiago 

 de Cuba and Bayamo, using 

 the new line established be- 

 tween Santiago, Palma Soriano and Ba- 

 yamo. By this daily and fast mail service 

 the mounted routes are eliminated. 



The first train between Ba}^amo and 

 Palma Soriano, on regular schedule, ar- 

 rived at the latter town October 4th. 



The source of Santiago's water supply. There has been much complaint regarding the quality and 

 quantity of the water, and the government has been petitioned for an investigation. 



