THE CUBA REVIEW 



17 



Benefits of American Methods 



"Take a census of the great centrals 

 Boston, Chaparra, Jatibonico and Stewart," 

 says El Tieiiipo of Havana. "Compare 

 these to other plantations of like magnitude 

 in Cuba, and it will be plain how much 

 more the 'natives' have btcn benefitted on 

 these foreign-owned estates, called exotic, 

 than on the estates of their own country- 

 men. 



"Alas, for the poor Cuban landowners 

 if the Americans should cease to contribute 

 their capital to the country's development, 

 and they should find no purchasers save 

 their local landowners. 



"Take a piece of land," it observes 

 further, "which to a Cuban, a Spaniard or 

 a Frenchman means only a poultry farm 

 or truck garden — nothing more ; but, which 

 to an American means a valuable develop- 

 ment proposition, for which he is willing 

 to pay a good price. He turns to and laj^s 

 out the ground in town lots, with streets 

 and sidewalks, and sells the lots to all com- 

 ers on easy terms of payment, without re- 

 gard to the nationality of the purchasers — • 

 and thus a great number of Cubans be- 

 come owners of their own homes, who 

 never otherwise w"ould." 



"It is officially stated," says W. W. Rasor 

 in the Pan-American Magazine, that "onty 

 5 per cent of the Cuban people own any 

 property, and the reason of his not owning 

 is of course readil}^ apparent — the Cuban 

 has not been free from Spain long enough 

 to enter into commerce ; he has never 

 possessed capital, whilst the large negro 

 element onty emerged from slavery in 1886 

 and has had little chance to own anything 

 but his hut and vegetable patch." 



Aero Club Organized 



On January 21st the Aero Club of Cuba 

 held its first meeting in Havana for the 

 purpose of organization, the necessary' pa- 

 pers having been filed with the provincial 

 government eight days ago. 



The following officers and directors were 

 elected, pending the final adoption of the 

 constitution and by-laws, which w"ill be in 

 conformity with those of the Aero Club 

 of America : Regino Truffin, president ; Ri- 

 cardo Dolz, vice-president; Manuel Maria 

 Coronado, secretar}^ ; Joaquin Gelats, treas- 

 urer ; Dionisio Velasco, consulting engin- 

 eer, and the other members of the directory 

 are: Colonel Orestes Ferrara, Enrique Co- 

 nill, Evilio Cuervo, IMarco A. Carvajal and 

 Ramon G. ]\Iendoza. 



^Medical Congress in Havana 



The president on February 9th gave his 

 approval to the bill passed by congress 

 granting an appropriation of $6,000 for the 

 second national medical congress to be held 

 in Havana. 



The First Fhghts in Cuba 



J. A. D. AlcCurdy attempted to fly in his 

 aeroplane from Key West to Havana on 

 January 30th, but dropped into the ocean 

 while still ten miles away from the shore. 

 He was rescued with his machine, both un- 

 harmed, by a United States torpedo boat. 

 He received the Havana Post prize of 

 $5,000 and the $3,000 oft'ered by the city 

 council. 



J. A. D. McCurdy, after his historic 

 flight from Key West, made a magnificent 

 flight on January 31st in a Curtis biplane 

 and performed some daring evolutions that 

 aroused the enthusiasm of the thousands 

 of Americans and Cubans who were pres- 

 ent at the aviation meet. 



The loud noise made by the whirr of the 

 twentj-ave horsepower motor, the frail 

 construction of the aeroplane, and above 

 all, the nonchalant manner in which aviator 

 McCurdy sailed oft' the ground excited the 

 wonderment of the Cubans. They crowded 

 around him after each flight to shower 

 praise on him. 



In his account of his flight from Key 

 West to Havana I\Ir. ]\IcCurdy indicated 

 a new- use for the aeroplane, namely, that 

 of locating submarines. He said: 



"I occupied as much time as the occa- 

 sional gusts permitted, endeavoring to see 

 to what extent it is possible to peer into the 

 sea. I estimated that I could define an 

 object at approximately one hundred feet 

 below- the surface." 



With the aid of the w-ireless s^-stem, war 

 vessels could easily be notified of the sub- 

 marine's approach. 



At the annual dinner of the Roj^al Aero 

 Club in London, on January 31st, Admiral 

 Sir Edward Seymour referred to AlcCurdy's 

 flight over the Strait of Florida as a note- 

 worthy and striking achievement. 



— .liJE' ^^ii^^^^a^S:: 



Dc Cayo Hueso a la Habana. 



Liberia: No me gusfa ni nn poqnito esa 

 itegromaiicia de la .aviacidn, no^ sea que el 

 Tio se embulle y quiera vciiir a Cuba en el 

 acyol<lano de la tercera intcrvencion. — La Po- 

 litica Coinica, Habana. 



(The aeroplane is marked: "Third Intervention.") 

 Liborio: I do not like a little bit this necromancy 

 of aviation. Who knows but what Uncle may get 

 gay and may wish to come to Cuba in the aeroplane 

 of' the "Third Intervention." 



