10 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



There are now fourteen 



Averse to murderers in Principe pen- 



Capital itentiary, Havana, but as 



Punishment President Gomez has scru- 

 ples against capital punish- 

 ment there have been no executions under 

 his administration, for he_ refuses to set 

 a date when they are to die. 



If present plans are carried out Cuba 

 will lead the United States and others of 

 the more civilized nations by abolishing 

 capital punishment. Dr. Manuel Secades, 

 consulting attorney of the Interior Depart- 

 ment of Cuba, was in the United States 

 studying the modern prisons in this 

 country. He has no thought of recoin- 

 mending the substitution of the electric 

 chair for the garrote. 



"We want no capital punishment at all," 

 he said while in New York. "The most 

 enlightened people of the community are 

 oDposed to it. We believe in reforming 

 convicts. That's why we are going to 

 build a modern prison. Those now in use 

 are for the most part old Spanish castles. 

 Ihere men, women and children are herded 

 together. There are no cells, but the un- 



fortunate ones congregate in the long 

 halls, the worst with the best. 



"We want a separate place of detention 

 for the women and children. In addition, 

 we are going to provide labor for the con- 

 victs. Shops are to be built so mechanics 

 may work at their trade. We have already 

 introduced this scheme in a small way and 

 have established a few cigar and cigarette 

 factories. The prisoners enjoy the work 

 and, I'm sure, leave their place of con- 

 finement when their sentence is up better 

 men." 



The Perez bill was passed 

 Government unanimously by the House 

 to July 3d. This measure 



Control was introduced in the Sen- 

 ate some months ago and 

 approved by that body. It provides that 

 all public services referring to water 

 supply, street cleaning, garbage removing 

 and other health services shall be carried 

 out by the government. 



The bill also effectively kills the Heydrich 

 project to obtain a lease for a number of 

 years of the water supply of Havana. 



The milk peddler's outfit in service in Cuba frbm earliest times to supply milk to the residents of 

 Havana and other cities. The Board of Health has now forbidden this custom, deeming it unsani- 

 tary, and has ordered the substitution of more modern receptacles for carrying the milk. 



