12 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



President Gomez on June 



i910-ll 30th was forced to sign a 



Budget decree imder the law of the 



in Force departments, providing that 



the budget approved by 



Congress for the fiscal year of 1910-11 shall 



be applied to the revenues and expenses 



for the present fiscal vear, which l^egan 



July 1. 



This action of the president was forced 

 because of the failure of Congress to ap- 

 prove the budget law recommended in the 

 regular message sent to Congress last No- 

 vember. 



Under the constitution it is the duty of 

 Congress to approve a new budget for each 

 fiscal year, but in order to prevent abnormal 

 conditions the law of the departments au- 

 thorizes the president to put the old budget 

 into force when Congress fails to approve 

 them. B}' leaving the old budget in force 

 all the expenses, including English instruc- 

 tion at the public schools, which the House 

 had cut out, will be allowed to continue for 

 another year. 



Rene Betancourt, superintendent of the 

 Cuba railroad, died June 25th in Camaguey 

 as a result of the bullet wounds inflicted 

 by Santiago Beltram during an encounter in 

 the telegraph office of the railroad com- 

 pany in that city. 



Santiago Beltram, the alleged slayer, 

 Avas employed as station master of the 

 Cuba railroad at Alto Cedro. He was 

 released later under $2,000 bail. 



Some years ago a brother of Betancourt 

 Avas killed in Cienfuegos as a result of an 

 altercation following some business tran- 

 saction. Alfredo Betancourt, a brother, 

 who resides in New York, is now in Cuba. 



Important changes occurred Julj^ 2 in the 

 staff of the banking house of H. Upmann 

 & Co. 



Felipe Boland, desiring to return to Ger- 

 many, relinquished his power of attorney. 

 This has been conferred on Friedrich Tide- 

 mann. Theodor Garbade has entered the 

 firm as an associate member. 



The commission appointed by President 

 Gomez to examine into the disease which 

 is killing the cocoanut palms, especially in 

 Oriente Province, has begun its labors, 

 having left Havana for Baracoa a few 

 weeks ago. 



Jose Rodriguez IMarin has been con- 

 demned to sufifer one hundred and twenty 

 days' imprisonment by the court of Santa 

 Clara Province for having written things 

 against President Gomez. He appealed 

 to the supreme court and the latter 

 promptly confirmed the ruling of the lower 

 court. 



Decision has been handed 

 Not down by the supreme court 



Properly of Cuba in the appeal 

 Presented against the Ports Improve- 

 ment Company, on the 

 ground that their concession is unconsti- 

 tutional. 



The decision does not, however, afiirm 

 or deny the unconstitutionality alleged, be- 

 ing based simply on the ground that the 

 case was not properly presented, the ap- 

 pelant having failed to accompany his 

 presentation with the documentary evi- 

 dence of the facts alleged. 



Another suit, brought by the Chaparra 

 Sugar Company alleging the unconstitu- 

 tionality of the concession, on the ground 

 that it is retroactive, is still to be argued 

 before the same tribunal. 



Louis Balbin Alfonso 



Goz'ernnient from London to Paris. 

 Consular Antonio Barber Martin 



Changes from Amberes to Tampico. 

 Jose Robleda Conill ap- 

 pointed to Coruna. 



Gustavo Navarrete from Paris to Lon- 

 don. 



Crescendo Sacerio from Barcelona to 

 Amberes. 



Enrique Rodriguez y Fernandez from 

 Tampico to Rio Janeiro. 



General Carlos Garcia Velez appointed 

 envoy also to Uruguay and Paruguay. He 

 is now minister to Argentine. 



Antonio Zembrana appointed envoy ex- 

 traordinary to Columbia. 



Francis Porto y Castillo appointed to 

 San Jose in Costa Rica. 



F. M. Pierra appointed to Quito, Ec- 

 uador. 



Rafael Cervino promoted to be consul 

 at New Orleans. 



J. Nelson Polhamus transferred from 

 New Orleans to La Paz, Bolivia. 



Rafael Gutierrezi Alcalde from Santa 

 Domingo to Panama. 



Jose Cuellar del Rio promoted to be 

 vice-consul at Barcelona. 



Jose R. Rivers appointed to Madrid. 



Cesar L. Pinto appointed envoy to Vene- 

 zuela. 



Jose M. Solano appointed secretary to 

 the legation at Montevideo. 



Francisco Zayas Alfonso promoted from 

 resident minister at Brussels to envoy ex- 

 traordinary at Belgium. 



Amceto Valdura from Norway to Brazil. 



Manuel Marquez Sterling from Brazil 

 to Lima, Peru. 



Inauguration of a part of Cuba's long 

 distance telephone service between Havana 

 and Cienfuegos took place on July 16th. 

 The local service in the latter city is also 

 readv. 



