Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-06

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF 1HE
CURRENCY. -----.--.-.--
The following interesting article
descriptive of Cuba is taken rom the
Detroit Nesrs.
City Counselor J.W. McGrith has
returned home after an absence Of
several weeks in Cuba. whittier. he
went in company with NJ. II. Cham
berlain ard Marvin Preston The
latter had decided to extend his
whit to Vera Cruz, Mexico, while
Mr.. Chamberlain fingered in Flori-
da in the expectation OF going on n
succes s.ul fishing expedition
Soon after the return Of Mr.. Nc
Grath an EeeniR0 AeIcs reporter
asked him for the general impres-
sions Of the trip and he ObliyiBgly
talked Of it as follows:
1T was a very enjoyable and
beneficial trip. We lelt New York
March Is, landed at Santiago March
20, intending to remain only few
hours, but were so interested in this,
the oldest city on the western hem
isphere, in its quaint architecture,
its beautiful eolorings, its people,
that We remained there for ten
days.
"FrOm this point We made seN eral
excursions into the interior TO see
the immense sugar plantations, and
along the coast 10 Guanta nimo, and
thence 10 the Isabel and Saledao
sugar estates operated by Brooks d
Co, Of New York. The largest es-
tates. however, are at Cienfuegos.
we witnessed the harvesting and the
crushing Of the sugar cane, and saw
the sugar in its original state before
the .refinsr' at our seeboard mixes
il with glucose. We do not eat pure
sugar. Our policy practically pro-
hibits the importation Of clarified
sugar.
s.Sugar can he produced in Cuba
at a profit n. two cents per pound.
Each sugar mill produces from 3,
0O0, 900 TO o, OO0, 600 pounds Of sugar
annually. Ii costs anywhere from
S50O, OO0 to 81 ,0j0, 900 TO erecta sug-
ar plant. Each mill owner Guilt
Yates from 500 TO 500 acres OF cane
and lakes the cane produced by
smaller sugar farmers.
1.-The products Of Cuba are sugar
and tobacco, although the noun
tains are filed with irOn, copper
and manganese. But one mint Is
being operated by u Philadelphia
company who are shipping from 3d.
900 to 40, 600 tons Of iron each month
to Philadelphia. IL is said that the
ore can be shipped from Santiago de
Cuba to Philadelphia cheaper than
il can lie carried from Lake Superior
TO Cleveland.
ssThe hest Cuban cigars are ex-
ported 10 Europe, not TO the United
States. We buy their products
largely, Tut sell them scarcely any
thing.
They get their shoes, clothing,
dry goods, furniture, hardware, etc,
principally from Great Britain ana
France, although Havana Is but %
hours from Tampa, Fla. They need
the products Of our manufacturers.
our furniture, our agricultural im-
plements, our shoes, our clothing,
etc.
'srhe sugar estates are largely
operated by free labor, mostly color
ed. Lar.e numbe Of Chinese are
employed in and about the sugar
mills. The women earn from 50 TO
90 cents per day, the men from 81
10 81 % per DAY. In the fields they
work l. hours, but in the mills
about 10 hours.
We went from Santiago along
the southern COST, stop! ing M
Santa Cruz, Trinidad anu Ciehfue-
gus to Batabanos, and thence by rail
10 Havana, where we remained sew
erai days. From Havana We visited
Maiauzls, the Eir-famed NumuH
Valley. the cave Of Ballamar, the
Quinta de Delicios, etc.
sTGe Cuban Valleys are most
beautiful and fertile. Sugarhas been
raised upon one piece OF land for
sixty consecutive Years without re-
planting. cultivation. or fertiliZa-
lion. The machinery in the sugar
mills il, in many instances, OF the
latest and most approved patterns,
but the wagons, plCws, etc., are
those in use in the middle ages.
Cuba reels, most Of all, = ell
siderate government The leoi.it
are restless and dissatisfied. The
revolutionary spirit exists every
where. They are taxed 10 death.
The Spanish government: U2Ir,-
about SIS, Oe0,0J0 annually aGd
gives back military dcsi oli>nI, =
Spanish local police, SlaLi,h gov
ernors, ossessOrs ami t1xgaihcneIs,
and state church system, The rites
of which but few ChstTve, not
withstanuipg they are Vi that
faith.
81 was told that the taxation
AMOUNTS 10 SIS for each cultivated
acre of land. a COW can be bought
for $40, but If you wish TO slaughter
the animal you must pay SIS to the
SPANISH government for the privi-
Iege Of doing il.
"Cuba has population OF / ,5O0,-
ODO. of whom $4,000 are negroes,
80. 600 are Spaniaris and T5J,
natives or Cubans. Ninety-seyen
per cent of the people would vote
Tor annexation to the United States
il they had the opportunity. The
soldier aud the Spanish
Policeman are omnipresent, and one
or more Spanish gunboats can be
seen in every harbor. The harbors
of Havana, at Guantanamo, at Mat
ana, at Santiago, and generally
along the coast are the finest in the
world.
ssThe general condition Of the
negro is bad, and not different from
that in the United States. One Of
the greatest difficulties experienced
by the sugar makers Is TO get the ne
gro 10 WORK Mt all. Hence the es-
tates are not operated as well as they
might be were the negro more
willing to labor. They were liber-
sted I'm the seventies There are
not a great many Chinese on the
island. There are about 1000 in
Havana. The Chinese do not work
in the fields, but in the sugar mills.
They handle the cane into the
crushers, direct into the rollers, anu
handle il back when not perfectly
crushed.
"AIthough the Cubans are rest
les and dissatisfied with the Span
ish government there are no
Of an uprising. They
have no arms and no vessel can
carry load OF arms or advance into
a Cuhan port without a special per-
init from the governor. They do
not allow an American vessel to
land at dock in Cuba. Our vessel
anchored outside while the Spanish
vessels were moorei nc the toc;ks.
They are very vigorous in their
surveillance. They viii allow no
foreign vessel TO enter any harbor
after nightfaIl. Possibly they adj
nit a vessel under stress Of weather,
but not otherwise, save in daylight.
There are many Americans on