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CUBA AND HER PEOPLE OF TO-DAY
Uniform with This Volume
Panama and the Canal $3.00
BY FORBES LINDSAY
Cuba and Her People of To-day 3.00
BY FORBES LINDSAY
Brazil and Her People of To-day 3.00
BY NEVIN O. WINTER
Guatemala and Her People of To-day 3.00
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BY PETER MACQUEEN
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
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[Illustration: A CUBAN COURTSHIP.
(_See page 92._)
]
CUBA AND HER
PEOPLE OF
TO-DAY
AN ACCOUNT OF THE
HISTORY AND PROGRESS OF THE ISLAND
PREVIOUS TO ITS INDEPENDENCE; A DESCRIPTION
OF ITS PHYSICAL FEATURES;
A STUDY OF ITS PEOPLE; AND, IN PARTICULAR,
AN EXAMINATION OF ITS PRESENT
POLITICAL CONDITIONS, ITS INDUSTRIES,
NATURAL RESOURCES, AND PROSPECTS;
TOGETHER WITH INFORMATION
AND SUGGESTIONS DESIGNED TO AID
THE PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR OR SETTLER
BY
FORBES LINDSAY
Author of “Panama and the Canal,” etc.
ILLUSTRATED FROM ORIGINAL AND SELECTED
PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR
[Illustration]
BOSTON L. C. PAGE
AND COMPANY MDCCCCXI
_Copyright, 1911_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
_All rights reserved_
First Impression, November, 1911
_Electrotyped and Printed by
THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._
TO
Henry M. Flagler, Esquire,
WHOSE INDOMITABLE ENERGY AND SPLENDID ENTERPRISE WILL
SHORTLY BRING CUBA INTO RAILROAD COMMUNICATION
WITH THE UNITED STATES, THIS VOLUME IS
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, AS A
SLIGHT TOKEN OF THE
ADMIRATION OF THE
AUTHOR.
PREFACE
So many volumes have been devoted to accounts of the history and
descriptions of the physical features of Cuba, that an adequate excuse
could hardly be found for an addition to them. On the other hand, the
more important considerations of the Island’s natural resources,
industrial development and present condition of its people, have had but
scanty attention at the hands of writers.
During the past decade there has been a great increase in American
emigration to Cuba and in the investment of American money there, with
the result that the interest of our people in the country, which was
formerly of an abstract character, has become practical and specific.
There exists in the United States a wide-spread desire for information
regarding the progress, prospects and present-day conditions of Cuba,
which it has been my chief design to supply.
In the following pages the history and geography of the country have
been sketched with special reference to their essential influence upon
its development. Aside from this necessary introduction to an
understanding of Cuban affairs, I have given my attention mainly to the
established and prospective industries of the Island and to the fields
offered by them to American capital and American settlers.
FORBES LINDSAY.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, _August, 1911_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE vii
I. THE ISLAND OF CUBA 1
II. THE HISTORY OF CUBA 22
III. THE HISTORY OF CUBA (_Continued_) 43
IV. CUBA IN TRANSITION 63
V. THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY 83
VI. THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY (_Continued_) 102
VII. THE CONDITION OF CUBA 120
VIII. THE FUTURE OF CUBA 147
IX. CUBA’S SUGAR INDUSTRY 166
X. CUBA’S TOBACCO INDUSTRY 185
XI. CUBA’S MINERAL RESOURCES 200
XII. LATENT AGRICULTURAL WEALTH 216
XIII. FUTURE FARMING IN CUBA 231
XIV. THE CAPITAL OF CUBA 249
XV. THE PROVINCES OF CUBA 263
APPENDICES 279
INDEX 325
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A CUBAN COURTSHIP (_See page 92_) _Frontispiece_
MAP OF CUBA 1
RIVER SCENE, ISLE OF PINES 2
THE FAMOUS PALMS OF CAMAGUEY 7
A STREET IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA 10
“OVER THIRTY SPECIES OF PALM ARE FOUND IN THE
ISLAND” 12
PRESIDENT’S PALACE, HABANA 18
BAYAMO 28
THE PRADO, HABANA 36
THE WATER-FRONT, HABANA 46
MOUNTAIN ROAD IN THE PROVINCE OF ORIENTE 52
VIEW OF BAIRE, NEAR BAYAMO, FROM THE CUBAN
TRENCHES 66
STREET SCENE, SANTIAGO DE CUBA 75
MORRO CASTLE FROM CENTRAL PARK, HABANA 83
COUNTRY HOMES OF WEALTHY CUBANS 89
“HER WORLD IS CONTAINED IN THE TOWN OF WHICH SHE
IS RESIDENT” 96
YOUNG CANE-FIELD, WITH BANANA GROVE IN THE DISTANCE 100
A NARROW STREET, HABANA 109
A CUBAN MILKMAN 114
SUGAR-CANE READY FOR CUTTING 122
AN IDEAL ROAD FOR THE MOTORIST 124
AN AVENUE OF PALMS 128
STREET SCENE, HABANA 143
A GUAJIRO’S SHACK 150
GENERAL VIEW OF JIGUANI 158
HARVESTING THE CANE 166
CENTRAL PROVIDENCIA 170
TRANSFERRING CANE AND AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING IT 176
GRINDING SUGAR-CANE 183
WELL-DEVELOPED TOBACCO PLANTS 186
HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF TOBACCO UNDER COVER 194
A TOBACCO FIELD AFTER HARVESTING 198
SANTIAGO DE CUBA 208
A STREET IN JIGUANI 214
GATHERING COCOANUTS 224
PINEAPPLE FIELD 226
BREADFRUIT 229
HEMP FIELD ABOVE MATANZAS 230
ORANGE TREE 234
“A SUGAR PLANTATION OF FIFTEEN HUNDRED ACRES WILL
NEED ABOUT THREE HUNDRED OXEN” 237
HOTEL CAMAGUEY 240
A ROAD IN THE PROVINCE OF ORIENTE 246
MAP OF THE CITY OF HABANA 249
LA FUERZA, HABANA 250
OBISPO STREET, HABANA 255
THE CATHEDRAL, HABANA 259
FORT SAN SEVERINO, MATANZAS 268
PARLOR, HOTEL CAMAGUEY 271
MANZANILLO 273
THE DOCKS AND WAREHOUSES OF ANTILLA 275
[Illustration]
CUBA AND HER PEOPLE OF TO-DAY
CHAPTER I
THE ISLAND OF CUBA
If a line were drawn directly south from Pittsburg it would almost pass
through the middle of Cuba. The Island, which is the largest of the
Antillean group, lies about fifty miles distant from Santo Domingo and
somewhat more than eighty miles from Jamaica. Its western end nuzzles
into the opening between the peninsulas of Florida and Yucatan, Key West
being ninety miles from, and the nearest point of Campeche within one
hundred and thirty miles of Cape San Antonio. This situation gives to
Cuba a commanding position in relation to the Gulf of Mexico, the only
passages to that body of water lying on either side of the Island. The
strategic advantage of the location is highly important, but of less
consideration than the commercial advantage. Cuba lies directly in the
line of the trade routes converging upon the Tehuantepec Railroad and
the Panama Canal.
The Island is a narrow strip of land, little more than one hundred miles
across in its broadest portion and only about twenty miles at its
narrowest. From Cape Maisi to Cape San Antonio the length of the outer
coast line is seven hundred and thirty miles. In the absence of a
precise survey, figures are uncertain, and estimates vary, but it is
probable that the territory of the Republic, which includes the Isle of
Pines and a number of outlying _cayos_, is somewhat less than forty-five
thousand square miles in extent; an area slightly greater than that of
the State of Pennsylvania.
The upper side of the Island forms a broad converse curve, with a
northerly trend. It is broken by few marked irregularities. The southern
coast takes a corresponding curve and in general parallels the other
shore. It differs, however, in having several pronounced indentations,
the largest of which are the Golfo de Buena Esperanza and the Golfo de
la Broa. Along this periphery are found four or five of those peculiar
pouch-like harbors which,
[Illustration: RIVER SCENE, ISLE OF PINES.]
together with numerous coral reefs and islands of varying dimensions
that fringe the shore line, are the most notable features of the Cuban
coast. These _cayos_, or keys, fall into four distinct groups and number
about one thousand three hundred. The principal line of these low lying
islands extends from the Ensenado de Cardenas to the vicinity of
Nuevitas, and includes Cayo Romano, seventy-four miles in length. The
second line runs from Bahia Honda to Cape San Antonio. The third, which
is the most numerous, forms a scattered group between the Isle of Pines
and the mainland. The fourth, known as Cayos de las Doce Leguas, lies
off the coast of Camaguey.
The Isle of Pines is distant sixty miles from Batabano, which is the
point of communication with the mainland. Its area is about twelve
hundred square miles. The northern shores of Cuba are generally
characterized by rocky bluffs, which frequently rise to a height of
several hundred feet. The littoral of the western bend is low, and this
feature prevails along the south to Cape Cruz, with the exception of a
rugged stretch of about fifty miles to the east of Cienfuegos. Save for
this strip, the shore from Cape San Antonio to the mouth of the Cauto
is lined with marsh of varying depth. The protuberant piece of land
between the bight of the Broa and Bahia de Cochinos is entirely occupied
by the great Zapata swamp, which has an area of more than two hundred
square miles. It is an almost impenetrable tropical jungle of the
densest vegetation, teeming with animal life. This wilderness has often
afforded a safe refuge to defeated and harassed bands of insurrectos.
Along the eastern butt of the island the coast is mountainous.
Topographically, the territory of Cuba comprises five distinct
divisions, three of them distinctly mountainous, and two in which the
surface is low, or of moderate relief. The easternmost of these
divisions coincides closely to the boundaries of the Province of Oriente
and is for the greater part mountainous. The second, corresponding
approximately with the Province of Camaguey, is made up of plains or
open rolling country, relieved by occasional hills. The third division
includes the mountainous and hilly sections of Santa Clara. The fourth
consists of a long stretch of flat or undulating country, accentuated
here and there by elevations of several hundred feet; it includes the
western portion of Santa Clara Province and the whole of the Provinces
of Matanzas and Habana, as well as about one-fourth of the Province of
Pinar del Rio at its eastern end. The fifth division takes in the
greater part of the last-named Province, and is characterized by a well
defined mountain range, with numerous detached hills and mesas. A
clearer conception of the surface conformation of Cuba may be gained by
a more detailed survey of its mountains and plains, without regard to
the natural topographic divisions described.
The Province of Oriente contains a greater mountainous area than is to
be found in all the rest of the Island. The system consists of several
groups having diverse constructures, but more or less closely connected
with one another. Here many peaks exceed five thousand feet and one,
Pico Turquino, rises to an altitude of over eight thousand feet. The
principal range is the Sierra Maestra, extending from Cape Cruz to
Guantanamo Bay. Along its western end, this chain rises abruptly out of
the seas, but as it approaches Santiago, recedes somewhat from the
shore, leaving a narrow coastal plain. East of Guantanamo there is a
range, much less unbroken and uniform than the Sierra Madre, which
continues to Cape Maisi and thence along the north coast until it meets
the rugged Cuchillas at Baracoa. Extending westward from this mountain
mass are strings of high plateaus and mesas, forming the northern wall
of the great amphitheatre which drains into Guantanamo Bay. In this
northern section the most prominent feature of the system is the range
comprising the Sierras Cristal and Nipe, whose general trend is east and
west. To the south is a country having the character of a deeply
dissected plateau. The broad, flat topped summits of so many elevations
in the eastern part of Cuba lead to the belief that all the mountains in
this section have been carved from a huge lofty plateau. Considered as a
whole, therefore, the mountains of Oriente form two marginal ranges
which merge at the east end of the Province and diverge toward the west.
Between these divergent ranges lies the broad, undulating expanse famous
as the valley of the Cauto, which widens as it stretches westward and
ultimately merges with the more extensive plains of Camaguey.
The central mountainous region of Cuba is situated in the Province of
Santa Clara. This system consists of four groups having a general
direction toward north and south and at
[Illustration: THE FAMOUS PALMS OF CAMAGUEY.]
points reaching both coasts. In the area between Cienfuegos, Trinidad
and Sancti Spiritus is an extensive cluster of rounded hills, dominated
by Potrerillo, nearly three thousand feet high, and interspersed with
the most beautiful and fertile valleys.
The Cordillera de los Organos, or Organ Mountains, run almost along the
middle line of the Province of Pinar del Rio, paralleling the northern
coast. The range commences about twenty miles to the west of the
boundary of Habana Province and extends to the estuary of the Colorado,
thus traversing three-fourths of Pinar del Rio.
The greater part of the Province of Camaguey is free from hills. The
principal elevations are found in the north-eastern portion, where the
Sierra de Cubitas is situated.
Aside from the mountains and hills described, the general surface of
Cuba is a low, gently undulating plain. The elevations of some of the
principal interior cities are as follows: Pinar del Rio, one hundred and
three feet above sea level; Cuevitas, ninety-eight feet; Camaguey, three
hundred and twenty-four feet; Santa Clara, three hundred and forty
feet.
Except in the southeast corner of Oriente, the streams of Cuba all
follow a normal course to the coast. Owing to the shape of the Island,
therefore, none of them has any considerable length or volume, nor are
any navigable with the exception of the Cauto, which permits of the
passage of light draft boats to a distance of fifty miles from its
mouth.
Cuba is noted for its spacious land-locked harbors. Their extraordinary
lake-like formation has been the subject of many more or less fanciful
explanations. The following statement of Dr. C. W. Hayes, of the U. S.
Geological Survey, seems to fully account for the phenomenon:
“The depressions occupied by the water forming these harbors appear to
be due to erosion by streams flowing into the sea during a recent
geologic period when the land stood somewhat higher than now. In other
words, drowned drainage basins. Their peculiar shape, a narrow seaward
channel and a broad landward expansion, is due to the relation of hard
and soft rocks which generally prevail along the coast. Wherever the
conditions are favorable for the growth of corals, a fringing reef is
built upon whatever rocks happen to be at sea level, and as the land
rises or sinks this rock reef forms a veneer of varying thickness upon
the seaward land surface. The rocks on which this veneer rests are
generally limestones and marls, much softer and more easily eroded than
coral rock. Hence several small streams, instead of each flowing
directly to the sea by its own channel, are diverted to a single narrow
channel through the hard coral rock, while they excavate a basin of
greater or less extent in the softer rocks back from the coast.
“The fact that the land has recently stood at a sufficiently higher
level to enable the streams to excavate such basins is proven by the
sandfilled channel in the Habana harbor entrance and by borings made
near the mouth of the Rio San Juan at Santiago, showing that the present
rock floor lies below the level of the sea. Doubtless similar filled
channels would be discovered in the other harbors of this class if they
were properly sounded.
“It is interesting to note that along the Cuban coast precisely similar
basins are now being excavated which would form pouch-shaped harbors if
the land should be slightly depressed. Several such basins were observed
eastward from Santiago. If the coast at Matanzas were to sink thirty
feet or more, a portion of the Yumuri valley would be flooded, forming a
broad basin connected with the sea by a narrow entrance, the present
Yumuri Gorge.”
The chief harbors of the type in question are those of Habana,
Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. Other important harbors, more or less
of the same formation, are Bahia Honda, Nuevitas, Gibara, Nipe Bay and
Baracoa. Matanzas and Cardenas are exceptions. By far the greater number
of good harbors are on the north coast. On the south, aside from those
which have already been mentioned, Guantanamo Bay is the only one of
consequence. Other harbors on this side of the Island, such as
Manzanillo and Batabano are merely open roadsteads, generally lacking in
depth, and securing more or less shelter from outlying keys and reefs.
Cuba was reclaimed from the sea by a great mountain-making movement in
late tertiary time. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs the
Island underwent a series of subsidences and elevations which affected
the coastal borders, and the margin of elevated rock-reef which borders
the coast in parts, as
[Illustration: A STREET IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA.]
in the vicinities of Habana and Baracoa. So far as its geologic history
is known, the Island was never connected with the American mainland,
although the contrary assertion has frequently been made.
No thorough geological survey of Cuba has ever been made, but there is
every evidence of its containing rich deposits of minerals, including
gold, silver, copper, iron, manganese, and asphalt. Traces of minerals
are found extensively throughout the Island. Oriente Province is the
first in mineral wealth, followed by Camaguey. In Santa Clara,
indications of copper are seen on every hand. The ore is commonly turned
up by the plow upon the hillsides. Asphalt is found in widely scattered
localities all over the Island. The northern coast of the Province of
Matanzas appears to be entirely underlaid with it, and the Bay of
Cardenas is bottomed by a deposit which used to be worked by vessels
anchored over it. The Cuban asphalt is of a high grade, a considerable
proportion of it containing as much as seventy per cent. bitumen.
Grahamite, a mineral of the same species as asphalt, but classed as pure
bitumen, is found in Habana Province and other parts of the Island. The
only mineral resource that is at all adequately exploited is iron. The
mines of Oriente, which are famous, will be referred to more extensively
in a later portion of the book.
Vegetation is superlatively abundant in Cuba. The flora includes three
thousand three hundred and fifty native plants, not to mention the
considerable number that have been naturalized. The trees embrace a
variety of hardwoods. Over thirty species of palm are found in the
Island, and the pine of the temperate zone grows in proximity to the
mahogany of the tropics. The forest has been recklessly exploited or
destroyed, but it is estimated that thirteen million acres of it remain.
Practically all the fruits and vegetables of the tropics flourish in the
Island and many of those characteristic of the temperate regions.
Various kinds of fodder grasses grow throughout the valley lands.
The only distinctive animal of Cuba is the _jutia_, a black animal
having the appearance of a large rat. It grows to a length of eighteen
inches, including the tail. The country people eat this creature, as
they do all other animals and reptiles that come in their way.
Deer and rabbits are abundant wherever
[Illustration: “OVER THIRTY SPECIES OF PALM ARE FOUND IN THE ISLAND.”]
cover exists. Swine, dogs and cats have become wild and are numerous in
that condition. There is a variety of game birds, some migratory, but
most permanent denizens of the Island. The principal kinds are wild fowl
of different species, pheasants, quail, snipe, turkey, _perdiz_,
_tijasas_, _rabiches_, and _quanaros_. The native birds include many of
the most beautiful plumage, but songsters are rare among them.
In swampy localities crocodiles and alligators are found. Diminutive
silurians, such as chameleons and small lizards, swarm everywhere, and
occasionally iguanas and the larger lizards are seen. It is frequently
claimed that no poisonous reptiles or insects exist in Cuba, but this
statement admits of some qualifications. There is no doubt that certain
scorpions and spiders, as well probably as a few other insects, are
venomous. The snakes, of which there are but few varieties, appear to be
harmless to mankind. One of these, the _maja_, which grows to about
twelve feet, is almost tame and frequents small villages and farmhouses,
its favorite dwelling place being the palm-thatch roofs of abandoned
buildings. The climate of Cuba is chiefly characterized by great
humidity, abundant rainfall, and comparative uniformity of temperature.
The range between the mean of the hottest month and that of the coolest
is from 82 degrees to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. While this statement
applies precisely to Habana it is approximately true of other parts of
the Island. It is a little warmer along the south coast than upon the
north, which is swept by the trade winds throughout the year. The mean
humidity is 75 degrees and is nearly uniform throughout the year. This
makes the climate enervating, especially to foreigners. There is no
great difference between the “summer” and the “winter” seasons, but
during the latter, which embraces the six months following the first of
November, the weather is delightful and the heat seldom oppressive. The
mean annual rainfall upon the northern coast is fifty-two inches. Inland
and through the southern portion of the Island it is somewhat less.
About two-thirds of the precipitation occurs between May and October.
During this season intermittent showers fall from about ten o’clock
until sunset. The nights are usually cool and clear at all times of the
year.
In strict meteorological sense Cuba is not within the hurricane zone,
which lies somewhat to the east of it. Nevertheless, the Island has been
not infrequently visited by such storms and some of them have occasioned
great damage. The worst visitation of this sort happened in 1846, when
more than one-fourth of the city of Habana was destroyed and upwards of
one thousand persons killed or severely injured. Although in a region
subject to severe earthquakes, and itself not infrequently visited by
shocks of alarming violence, the Island has never been seriously damaged
by seismic disturbances. In winter, when the trades take a southerly
sweep, “northers,” bred in the great storms of the United States, are
apt to strike the Island, sometimes lowering the temperature suddenly to
50 degrees, or thereabouts. The result is keen, if brief, suffering, for
the people make little provision in their clothing or surroundings for
such low temperature.
Immense improvement has been made in the health of the cities since the
beginning of the American occupation. Yellow fever, at one time endemic,
has been eradicated and can never occur again, except in the form of a
sporadic outbreak due to importation of the virus. Malaria has been
measurably reduced, but much more might be done toward stamping it out,
or minimizing it.
The mortality in Habana is 18.80 per thousand, and that of the Island in
general, 12.69. The former is considerably lower than the prevalent
rates of the large cities of the United States. Of all the countries of
the world, Australia is the only one whose death rate (12.60) is lower
than that of Cuba. It may be of interest to add the figures of some of
the other leading nations; Uruguay 13.40; United States 15.00; Belgium
15.20; Norway and Sweden 15.85; Denmark 16.40; England 17.70; Germany
17.80; Switzerland 18.20; France 20.60; Austria 24.40; Japan 28.80;
Italy 29.20; Spain 29.70.
The population of Cuba is a trifle in excess of two millions, giving
about forty-five inhabitants to the square mile, a density much greater
than that enjoyed by any other Latin-American country. Even though the
population should remain chiefly agrarian, as at present, the extent and
resources of the country are ample to support three times the existing
number of inhabitants in comfort and prosperity. If manufacturing
centres of magnitude should grow up in response to conditions favorable
to their development, Cuba will easily afford homes and occupation to
ten millions of people.
Seventy per cent. of the population live in the country or in centres of
fewer than eight thousand inhabitants. The sexes are almost equally
divided and, according to the census, the colored race represents no
more than one-third of the whole. The national government of the
Republic of Cuba is patterned on that of the United States, as is the
case in most countries of Latin-America. It is divided into three
coördinate branches, the legislative, the executive and judicial. The
legislative power is vested in the Congress, consisting of two branches,
the House of Representatives and the Senate. The former consists of
sixty-four members--one for every twenty-five thousand inhabitants, or
fractions thereof--who are elected for four years. The latter is
composed of four senators from each province, elected for a period of
four years by a board of electors, chosen by popular vote. The Congress
has two regular sessions annually, one convening on the first Monday of
April and the other on the first Monday of November.
The executive power is vested in the President, who is elected by
electors and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The Chief
Executive is assisted by a cabinet, consisting of six members, who are
known as the secretaries of the following departments: State; Justice;
Public Instruction; Agriculture; Industry and Commerce; and Public
Works. These positions are subject to appointment by the President.
There is also a Vice-President elected in the same manner and for a like
period as the President.
The judicial power is exercised by a supreme court; six superior courts,
one for each province; seven courts of the first instance, devoted to
civil cases; six courts of instruction, presided over by criminal
judges; twenty-six judges of the first instance and instruction; who
have a combined jurisdiction; six correctional courts, in which minor
civil suits and misdemeanors are tried. There is in each province a
governor and a provisional council, elected by direct suffrage. The
provinces are divided into municipal districts, each presided over by a
mayor, assisted by a council.
The commercial code in force is that of Spain, with some modifications
that were effected by the provisional government during the intervention
of the United States. The
[Illustration: PRESIDENT’S PALACE, HABANA.]
laws concerning contracts, debts, and other matters of general business,
are full and explicit, and give all necessary protection to foreigners
dealing with natives of the country. Those relating to land, titles, and
taxes, will be more fully noticed elsewhere in this volume.
The regular army of Cuba, known as the “Ejercito Permanente,” consists
of three thousand two hundred enlisted men and one hundred and
seventy-two commissioned officers. This force comprises infantry, coast
artillery, field artillery, and a machine gun corps. Its general
headquarters is at Camp Columbia, near Habana.
The maintenance of law and order in the country districts, and safety on
the public highways, is entrusted to an exceptionally fine body of
mounted police, called the “Rural Guard,” numbering five thousand two
hundred and ninety-five men and officers. These men constantly patrol
their respective districts and render excellent service.
The so-called Cuban “Navy” consists of a few vessels of revenue cutter
type. It must be many years before the Republic can afford even the
smallest fleet of war-ships. Without such protection it is difficult to
see the value of her army, unless it be in the suppression of
revolution and, perhaps, the repression of popular will.
The mail system of the Island is fairly good, the distribution being
effected by railroad, coastwise steamers, automobiles and, in remote
districts, by horses. In Habana, motor cars are employed in making
collections. Deliveries are made by carriers in the same manner as in
the cities of the United States. Cuba has postal conventions with the
United States, Mexico, the Panama Canal Zone, Hawaii, and the
Philippines. The letter rate between Cuba and any one of these countries
is two cents and package postage the same as in the States. The Republic
has parcel-post treaties with France and Germany only, but it extends to
the United States the privileges enjoyed by those countries under their
formal agreements.
The Government maintains and operates the telegraph system, which
extends throughout its territory. The rates are twenty cents for all
messages of ten words or less which traverse no more than three
provinces, and two cents for each additional word, the address and
signature being charged for. If four provinces are touched in the
transmission, the rate is thirty cents, and three cents for each
additional word; if five provinces, it is forty cents, and four cents
for excess words; and if the telegram is sent from one end of the Island
to the other, or enters the limits of the six provinces, the rate is
fifty cents, and five cents for each additional word.