THE CUBA REVIEW And Bulletin. 



15 



GOOD ROADS FOR CUBA. 



Governor Magoon has approved a plan 

 for the expenditure of $4,500,000 for the 

 construction of roads greatly needed 

 throughout the island during the coming 

 year. It will put money into circulation 

 and give employment to thousands of 

 negroes. The entire scheme as prepared 

 by Col. Black, supervisor of the Depart- 

 ment of Public Works, involves the ex- 

 penditure of $i3,ooo,ooo', but it will take 

 several years to carry out the plan. Gov- 

 ernor Magoon will only authorize the ex- 

 penditure for the first year's work. 



Oriente and Camaguey provinces will 

 not benefit so much by the governor's 

 road scheme as other more thickly popu- 

 lated sections, also the fact that at pres- 

 ent there is not sufficient skilled help to 

 simultaneously carry out the various im- 

 provements will delay matters some- 

 what. This difficulty, however, will be 

 overcome by employing the U. £'. Engi- 

 needs. Among the first roads to be com- 

 pleted is that from Bahia Honda to Ca- 

 banas, 25 kilometers, for which $231,000 

 has been appropriated. Guane is to have 

 a road to Luis Lazo, 26]/^ kilometers, 

 which will cost $258,000, and work has 

 begun. There are thriving American 

 settlements at both of these places, also 

 from Paso Real to San Diego, 5 kilo- 

 meters. 



CONTRACTS FOR NEW ROADS. 



Contracts will soon be made for the 

 construction of a road from Bahia Honda 

 to Cabafias and another in Pinar del Rio. 

 The whole system of new roads will be 

 laid out with regard to their military and 

 strategical value. When the system is 

 complete it will not be difficult to rush 

 troops anywhere. At present the lack of 

 ro'ads, particularly in the rainy season, 

 prevents rapid military movements. 



Cart roads from Cojimar to Casa 

 Blanca will soon be begun. Cojimar 

 will soon be supplied with water from 

 the Vento aqueduct. 



A cart road between Managua and Bat- 

 abano will be completed soon and the 

 sum of $84,000 is to be devoted to this 

 work. 



A branch of the Marianao & Habana 

 Railway runs from the town of Mari- 

 anoa to the beach of the same name, 

 which is the only resort of this char- 

 acter near Havana, and excellent surf- 

 bathing may be enjoyed there summer 

 and winter. 



It appears very likely that the United 

 Railroads of Habana, Cardenas and Ma- 

 tanzas will install a great number of their 

 workshops in Matanzas. 



A petition has been submitted to Gov- 

 ernor Magoon signed by merchants of 

 Viiiales a'^king for the dredging of the 

 port of San Cayetano, to facilitate the 

 anchorage of coasting steamers on the 

 south of Cuba. 



HAVANA RAILWAY CONSOLIDATION. 



The United Railways of the Havana and 

 Regla Warehouses, Ltd., having purchased 

 a majority of the outstanding capital stock 

 and certain of the first mortgage 5 per 

 cent, bonds of the Havana Central Railroad 

 Company, have submitted to' the holders of 

 these securities a proposal for their ex- 

 change into those of the former company. 



The United Co. offers in exchange for 

 each $100 share of the Central Co. the 

 equivalent of $35 in deferred ordinary stock 

 of the United Co. and for each $1,000 bond 

 carrying the May i, 1907, coupon the equiv- 

 alent par value in 4 per cent, debentures of 

 the United Company. 



The May first coupon on Havana Central 

 bonds was not paid, but the United Co. has 

 announced its willingness to pay interest 

 for the six months at the rate of 4 per cent, 

 per annum on all deposited bonds. The 

 oft'er of exchange expires on May 31. It is 

 believed that the greater number of bonds 

 and shares will be deposited for exchange 

 under this offer, which is generally con- 

 sidered fair. The United Railway Co. now 

 controls virtually all the railway mileage 

 of the western half of the island of Cuba 

 and now has no competition. Valuable ter- 

 minal property in the City of Havana which 

 has been owned by the Havana Central 

 Co. will afford the United Co. a much de- 

 sired entrance into the heart of the city. 



The new 4 per cent, debentures will be 

 secured upon the Havana Central bonds 

 and shares exchanged. Their interest will 

 be payable January i and July i, 1907, and 

 they will be dated July i, 1907. It is fig- 

 ured that these debentures in the present 

 condition of the world's securities market 

 should be worth about 76/78. All of the 

 United Railways issues are traded in on the 

 London Exchange and the company enjoys 

 good credit. 



The Cuban Central Railways, Limited, 

 has asked the city council of Cienfuegos 

 for the right to put a double line parallel 

 with the one now in that city, from the 

 station as far as the bridge over the 

 stream El Ingles, traversing the follow- 

 ing streets: San Carlos, Paseo de Arango, 

 Santa Cruz, Casales, Santa Elena, Vel- 

 azco, Boullon, Castillo, San Luis, Santa 

 Isabel, Declouet, Hourruitiner, Colon and 

 several others. 



The Engineer Humberto Lamar has 

 been studying the conditions in Con- 

 solacion del Sur with the purpose of 

 building an aqueduct. It appears that 

 the water of the Salto de la Culebra is 

 very abundant and may easily be brought 

 to the town although at some distance 

 away. 



Colonel Black has ordered the public 

 roads in Pinar del Rio now being built 

 to be finished as soon as possible in 

 advance of the rainy season. 



A close study will soon be made of the 

 rivers Carrascal and Asiento Viejo to 

 ascertain whether they may supply water 

 enough for the city of Santa Clara. 



