THE CUBA R E \' I E W 



A bill introduced in the 



To End House on April 2Sth by 



the Speaker Orestes Ferrara 



Lottery has for its aim the end of 



the lottery after 1914, with 



tile exception of the Christmas drawing. 



The bill was referred. 



La Disciisioti, an influential nevspaper 

 of Cuba, lauds this bill, and editorially ex- 

 ]iresses its opinion regarding the lottery in 

 \ igorous language. It says in part : 



"It appears that at last the voice of reason is 

 to be heard, or is it the clamor of conscience? 



"It is impossible that any dignified person, 

 possessed of a neart and human sentiments, can 

 conti ue thinking well of an institution as iniqui- 

 tous as the lottery. 



"As a tax it is easily collected, wheedled from 

 the people. But at what a price, and what a 

 manner of collecting tribute? The lottery is a 

 snare, a robbery, a crime, and a great crime. 



"It impoverishes, it debases, it robs the people 

 iniquitously, doing so in the knowledge that it 

 deceives them miserably, when what it really 

 brings is anguish and misery, and opens to them 

 the pathway to luin and dishonor. 



"The lottery in Cviba is bringing disaster to the 

 poorer classes, suffering and privation to their 

 families, nakedness to their children, prostitution 

 to their daughters, desperation to the men, and 

 ruin to the young. 



"Impoverisnment of the country is resulting 

 from the lottery, the ruin of its commerce, and 

 the economic anemia of whole localities. The 

 number of barefoot children is increasing in a 

 truly alarming manner. 



"Formerly savings accounts had been opened 

 in the banks, where savings drew interests. These 

 in the aggregate reached a respectable total. On 

 the establishment of the lottery the accounts 

 ceased to grow, funds previously deposited were 

 withdrawn to be devoured in turn, and the pawn- 

 shops now take the place of the initiative and 

 good work which was begun. 



"One more effort in the name of all that is 

 noble and pious in the individual conscience and 

 the conscience of Cuba, one step more and let 

 us tear from our country this iniquitous institu- 

 tion which vilifies and stains whoever utilizes it, 

 which annihilates its devotees and brings dis- 

 honor alike to tnose who enjoy and exploit it." 



Five men who killed An- 

 To Abolish dreas Barbon in Baracoa 

 the on March 2d last were on 



Garrote April 18th sentenced to 

 death for the crime. 

 The men may escape death, as there is 

 now a tendenc-"' to avoid inflicting the 

 death penalty. During the Magoon ad- 

 ministration, and more lately under the 

 Gomez administration, none of those sen- 

 tenced to death have been garroted. 



There is also a movement on foot to 

 abolish the garrote. Representative Julian 

 Betancourt of Havana Province will soon 

 introduce a law. In its place to carry 

 out the death penalty he recommends 

 chloroform as a medium much more hu- 

 mane and civilized than the great screw. 

 He is also opposed to the use of the 

 electric chair. 



Tile c|uestion has i.riscn as 



^"2.'). 000 to wiiether or not the 



(// Compafiia de Puertos, 



Stake holders of the dredging 



concession, are to pay the 



incorporation^ tax of $2."j.0{)0 fixed by the 



Zona Fiscal of Havana on the increase 



of capital made by the company for the 



issuance of $9,900,000 bonJs. 



Secretary of the Treasury Martinez Or- 

 tiz i)elieves the company is exempt from 

 tax by virtue of the conditions of the con- 

 cession from the government. 



The collector of internal revenue takes 

 a contrary view. The matter has been 

 submitted to the secretary of justice. 



Location notices of mines 



. Mining filed by mine prospectors 



Law are to be prohibited in 



Amendments Cuba, according to a bill 



introduced in the Senate. 



Under the present mining laws of the 



republic any person discovering a mine on 



anv property has a right to file a location 



claim, called "denuncias," and forthwith 



he becomes the owner of the mineral 



wealth in the subsoil wherever it may be 



located. 



Senator Aleman holds that mine loca- 

 tions thus become encumbrances on rural 

 property. The bill amends the mining 

 law, and authorizes the department -f 

 agriculture to refuse the entering of any 

 claim for mine locations filed by persons 

 not owners of the soil upon which the 

 mine is located. 



Cuba will collect a tax on 

 Foreign all insurance risks placed 

 Insurance with foreign companies 

 Taxable either directly or through 



their agenis in the island. 

 Such insurance must be reported to the 

 department of the treasury within three 

 days, according to the gist of a bill intro- 

 duced in the congress, stating the amount 

 paid in premiums. Insurance has been 

 sought in foreign companies because of 

 lower rates, but the bill will add a tax. 



Failure to report such insurance will 

 result in a fin^. of four times the amount 

 of the tax collectable, for the non-paym/nt 

 of which no excuse will be allowed. 



Should the narties fined appeal to the 

 courts, the amount imposed as fine must 

 be paid in before the proceedings can 

 continue. 



Miguel Mariano Gomez, the president's 

 son, will accompany General Carlos Gar- 

 cia Velez to the coronation of George V, 

 as special ambassador for Cuba. 



A money order department has been 

 added to the post oflfi'.e at Manague and 

 Arroyo Arenas, Havana Province ; at 

 Sabanica. Camaguey Province, and at 

 Guamb in Oriente Province. 



A money order department has been in- 

 stituted ill the post office at San Agustin, 

 Camaguey Provin^ . 



