THE CUBA REVIEW 



Cuban Budget 



In an extraordinary number of the 

 Official Gazette the budget for the year 

 1923-24 was published. The new budget 

 represents an expense of $61,762,169.28, 

 which is an increase of $6,820,067.17 over 

 last year's budget. 



Cuban Congress 



The House of Representatives has passed 

 the new budget for 1923-24. The new 

 budget increases the expenses of the Repub- 

 lic to sixty-four million dollars and gives 

 President Zayas an assignment of $360,000 

 for the presidential palace expenses. The 

 House also approved the Senate law re- 

 establishing the old wages received by the 

 public employes in 1921. As a whole, the 

 sessions were very lively and several excit- 

 ing incidents took place among the Repre- 

 sentatives in favor and against the budget. 

 It is not known how long the House will 

 continue in session, but it is expected that 

 the legislative period will continue until 

 such urgent laws as the railroaders retire- 

 ment law, the bill elevating the Cuban 

 legation in Washington to an embassy and 

 several other important laws are passed. 



Embargo on Potatoes 



Owing to the existence of the '"potato 

 wart" in a number of countries, and in an 

 effort to meet the requirements of the 

 United States quarantine regulations so 

 that no objections may be raised against 

 the importation of Cuban potatoes into the 

 United States, the Cuban department of 

 agriculture, commerce and labor has just 

 drawn up a decree, published in the 

 Gazeta Oficial, of Habana, on May 25, 

 prohibiting the importation of potatoes from 

 Newfoundland, the islands of St. Pierre and 

 Miquelon, the United Kingdom, Belgium, 

 Germany, Austria-Hungary and Mexico. 



Potatoes may be imported from Canada, 

 the Bermudas and the Canary Islands if 

 accompanied by a sanitary certificate. Im- 

 ports of potatoes grown in the United 

 States, when shipped direct to Cuba, are 

 not affected in any way by the decree. — Act- 

 ing Commercial Attache Paul L. Edwards, 

 Habana. 



Retaliatory Duties 



A measure introduced in the lower house 

 of the Cuban Congress provides for the 

 introduction of a maximum schedule of 

 import duties 30 per cent, above the pres- 

 ent general Cuban tariff, which is designed 

 to secure a more favorable position with 

 those countries which at present dis- 

 criminate against Cuban products. 



By the terms of this bill the tariff now 

 in effect will constitute the general or mini- 

 mum tariff, and will continue to be the 

 rates of duty applicable to goods from 

 countries (other than the United States) 

 which do not discriminate against Cuban 

 products. The maximum tariff provides for 

 a 30 per cent, increase over the general, 

 and will apply to all countries maintaining 

 a multiple tariff schedule, which do not 

 give Cuba most-favored-nation treatment. 

 A period of six months after promulgation 

 of the law will be allowed for these coun- 

 tries to concede most-favored-nation treat- 

 ment to Cuban products, but if this has 

 not been done by the end of the period, the 

 maximum tariff automatically goes into 

 effect against importations from those 

 countries. 



The provisions of the treaty of reci- 

 procity of 1903 will not be affected by the 

 proposed law, and reductions to the United 

 States will continue to be based on the 

 general tariff. — Assistant Trade Commis- 

 sioner C. A. Livengood, Habana. 



Free Importation of Cattle, Hogs 

 and Sheep 



A bill just introduced into the Cuban 

 Congress provides for the free importation 

 into Cuba of cattle, hogs and sheep, with 

 the declared object of reducing the price 

 of meat consumed in Cuba. — Acting Com- 

 mercial Attache Paul L. Edwards, Habana. 



[The present duties on hogs and rams from 

 the United States are SI per head, and from 

 other countries, SI. 25; cattle for slaughter are 

 Si. 755 per 100 kilos from the United States, 

 and S2.925 from other countries; sheep from all 

 sources are free.] 



Supreme Court 



Dr. Tomas Bordenave has been appointed 

 judge of the Supreme Court by President 

 Zavas. 



