The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-06-14


The average number of rainy days in the
year is 102 coming mainly within the
rainy season. The average rainfall for
| North Carolina is inches.
Among the agricultural products
sugar and tobacco are by far the most
| important The central plain of Cuba.
except where broken by hills, and until
| the present insurrection began, was one
vast, continuous field of cane. The yield
of this crop in 1928 was something
more than 100000 tons and was valued
| at SS0.000.000. The sugar plantations
vary in extent from 100 to 1000 acres.
and employ an average of one man to
! two acres. The cane requires to be plant
ed only once in seven years.
Tobacco. while secondary to sugar rs
said to be far more profitable in proper
ton to the acreage. 1t grows well in all
parts of the island, but the finest tobac-
| co is said to be raised along the south
ern slopes of the mountains in the west
ern province of Pinar del Rio. Coffee
was once extensively cultivated, but the
| coffee plantations have largely given
place to sugar. which is considered
more profitable crop. Doubtless, how
ever, in the future coffee will become one
OF the principal crops grown for export
alton. In number of provinces the
cattle industry was at one time large
and flourishing one, but this, like the
other industries of Cuba, was largely
destroyed during the past few years.
In 1895 there was said to be in Cuba
over 100000 farms valued at $4,000,
900.
In mineral products Cuba has not been
found to be very rich. But little gold
and silver has been discovered. Iron
mines a few miles east of Santiago were
worked on large scale until the pres
ent instruction began. In 1890 the out
put from the Santiago mines was $780,
900 tons which constituted about one
fourth of the total importation of iron
ore to the United States during that
year. Some deposits of asphaltum, copper
and manganese have been found and
worked to limited extent.
There are about 1000 miles of ~
way in Cuba, located mainly in the
western portion connecting Havana with
the neighboring towns. There are nearly
3. 900 miles of telegraph lines and nearly
/ 1000 miles of cable which. until recent
ly cut, connected the cities of south
Cuba with the adjacent islands. In 1894
the tonnage of Havana and the eight
other principal ports amounted to about
100000 tons, carried by $1,000 YES
sells
Cuba is rich in good harbors, among
the best being those at Havana and Ma
tanzas on the north, Cienfuegos and
Santiago on the south. In addition to
these there are many small harbors on
both the north and the south coast.
Nearly all of these harbors have COM
paratively small entrance, and widen
inland pouch-like, SO as to make safe
shipping in the case of storms, and are
easily defended by Notifications. There
are only few short wagon roads i'll
Cuba deserving of the name, and this
fact illustrates as we'll as any other the
utter Indifference of the Spaniards to
such public improvements as have to do
with the welfare of the common peO-
ple. On the neighboring islands of Ja-
maica, which is under the control of the
English. and which is only one-tenth
the size of Cuba, there are over two
thousand miles of superb roads, which
make easy overland communication be-
tween all parts of the island.
Much interest is manifested at
the present time in the popula-
ton Of Cuba, but unfortunately
accurate data are not Obtainable.
The most reliable statistics accessible
are those published in the census Of
1887. These give the total population
Of the island at 1851 ,6S7, of which l.
III 1903 are white and 520,3S4 cOlored.
the percentage of colored population be-
ing 81. This includes both the pure
black and the mulatto population. In
North Carolina the percentage of col
ored population is nearly 80; in South
Carolina there are 227,0 900 more colored
people than white people hence it will
be seen that there has been lately a
great deal of meaningless and erroneous
talk in the United States about Amcri-
can Intervention to set free lot of
Cuban negroes. OF this total population
in Cuba there are about 10000 Chinese
Iaborers: and not including the present
army of invasion there are not 10000
Spanish-born residents, and not exceed
ing 10000 other Caucasian foreigners.
Excepting the Chinese this foreign
population is engaged principally in Of
fice-holding, in trade and shipping, and
is largely confined to the cities which
contain about one-third the total popu-
lation of the island. 1t is this foreign
population which nowadays is doing all
the talking and which falsely claims to
be the true representative Oh All Indl II
worth having in Cuba. 1t is this ele-
ment which represents Autonomy. or
Spanish rule, and wealth for itself even
| if this means death and destruction to
everything else on the island. 1t is this
element that, it is to be devoutly hoped,
when the American flag floats over the
| Cuban soil, will leave the island in the
possession of it's real owners, the native
white Cubans.
| And who are these native white Gu
| bans? They constitute - per cent. of
the native population of the island out
| side Havana, which is the center of the
| present unwelcome foreign despotism
and not at all representative of true
Cuban life and character What are
left of the true Cubans are now mostly
found in the provinces and provincial
cities. They are mostly of Spanish de-
| scent, but are said to be quite different
| from the native Spanish of to-day.
Thousands of the better class of Cubans
| have settled in the United States, in
Paris, in London, in Mexico and Other
West Indies, and many Of them hold
honorable positions in these countries.
The term "creole' as applied to the Gu