THE CUBA R E V I E W 



27 



FINANCIAL AND RAILROADS 



CUBA S ANNUAL EXPENSES 



"Cuba's annual budget calls for some 

 $35,000,000. This," says the New York 

 Sun, "is easily $10,000,000 more than the 

 island ought to spend, and is $12,000,000 

 to $15,000,000 more than was spent under 

 the Palma regime. At a recent meeting 

 of the Conservative Party leaders that or- 

 ganization was pledged to conduct the gov- 

 ernment for $20,000,000 a year if it should 

 meet with success in the campaign of 1912. 

 It is doubtful if that sum would be suf- 

 ficient for a proper administration of af- 

 fairs, but it is certain that nearly one-third 

 of the present expenditure is extravagance 

 and waste." For which however it does 

 not hold the island's government entirely 

 responsible, for "an important part of Cu- 

 ba's present heavy expenditure must be 

 charged to legacies bequeathed by those 

 who controlled the affairs of the island 

 from the closing months of 1906 to the 

 opening month of 1909. Much must be 

 charged to those who spent for public 

 works millions of dollars more than the 

 islanders could afford to pay, who wrote 

 on Cuba's statute books a law creating an 

 army for which Cuba has no proper use, 

 and who instituted a system of pensions to 

 veterans of the revolution and to widows 

 and children of veterans. For much that 

 so unfortunately exists in Cuba to-day a 

 large measure of responsibility rests on 

 those who in more than five years of con- 

 trol of the island taught its people little 

 or nothing of political honesty and adminis- 

 trative economy. 



The Santiago Traction Company is 

 authorized to extend its line to connecting 

 points with the lines to Cobre and other 

 suburban places. 



The Havana Central Railroad has se- 

 cured the concession to extend their Gua- 

 najay line to Artemisa. 



Recent Washouts on the lines of the 

 Cuban Eastern Railway near San Luis, in 

 Oriente Province, delayed the traffic. 

 Large extensions of the tracks have been 

 carried away by the heavy rains. 



Spanish employees of the Cuban Central 

 Railway went on strike May 13th, demand- 

 ing the discharge of all the English and 

 American workers. 



The populace of Sagua La Grande 

 showed such active sympathy with the 

 strikers that they attacked the troops that 

 had been sent to preserve order. The sol- 



diers replied with a volley, which killed 

 three and wounded eleven of the demon- 

 strants. 



The British minister called at the pal- 

 ace and demanded protection for the prop- 

 erties of the companies and the lives of 

 British employees. 



A MATANZAS RAILROAD 



Ihe Matanzas Terminal Railroad Com- 

 pany, which has filed a certificate of or- 

 ganization at the department of state bears 

 the evidence in some of its provisions that 

 it is designed to promote a commercial 

 improvement in the Cuban city. It was 

 organized at Kittery, Me., but its principal 

 office is to be at Havana, Cuba. Its pur- 

 pose is to build and operate a railroad 

 "commencing at the intersection of Am- 

 brosio Street to the end thereof, at the bay 

 front, a distance of one and one-half kilo- 

 meters, more or less, and also to con- 

 struct and acquire, own and operate a line 

 of railroad or leasehold interest therein, 

 commencing at the intersection of Refu- 

 gio and San Diego streets in Matanzas 

 and extending along the west side of the 

 bay across the rivers. San Juan and Yu- 

 muri to the fort of San Severino, and 

 thence through land owned by the Cuba 

 Distilling Company to the water front, a 

 distance of four kilometers, more or less." 



The capital stock is $50,000, of which 

 $2,000 is paid in. The officers are, Presi- 

 dent, Horace Mitchell of Kittery, treas- 

 urer, C. E. Smothers of Portsmouth, N. 

 H. The certificate was filed May 13, 1911. 

 — WaterviUe {Me.) Sentinel. 



ANOTHER COMPANY FORMED 



Another story is that Congressman 

 William B. McKinley of Illinois, who is 

 at the head of large traction and Hghting 

 interests in his home state, and interests 

 with which he is associated have recently 

 secured in Matanzas a franchise for the 

 construction of an electric street railway. 



Postal officials and directors of the 

 Cuba Railroad Company are discussing 

 plans for the utilization by the public of 

 the telegraph stations at different points 

 along the line of the railway where the 

 public is without such service. 



This arrangement will bring many small 

 towns which at present have no telegraph 

 service in touch with the outside world. 



According to a statement made by the 

 Treasury Department the total revenues 

 for the past ten months amount to 

 $29,880,316.99, which represents an increase 

 of nearly $2,000,000. 



