The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-09-14
WHY THE spAN1ARp DELAYS.

 Custom House Plckings the Chief
 Cause of Friction With Present Au-
 thorities at Havana.
 Custom house pickings are said to be the chief cause of the friction with the spanish authorities at Havana, The action of this government inpaying du- ties on the food supplies on the Comal, While correct in international law be- cause the Spanish flag is still flying in that part of Cuba, is nevertheless a concession that was made with regret. It IS now the clear purpose of the spanish officials to keep control of the custom house up to the last minute. If the receipts were used to pay the eX- penses Of the government that is main talned there under Spanish authority, there might be less cause of complaint. Private advices. however, are to the ef- feet that this is not being done. Since the protocol was signed and the block ade raised the customs receipts have been larger than in peace times. This was due to the lare amount of goods which had been waiting chance of shipment to the port.
 Nobody connected with the govern ment in Havana had been paid for months, except the higher officials, who were able to provide for themselves AS the present customs officers and oth
 CT officials know that their tenure is very short, they will make the most of 1t. Instead of the employees being paid they are still kept on promises. When the United States takes control it will probably be asked to pay the arrear- ages of hundreds of late employees of the Spanish government, who will be entirely without means, and if some aid is not given them will be objects of charity. This is the situation as it is explained in letters recently received from Havana. Further than this, the Havana officials were insulting in their refusal to permit the landing of the supplies without the payment of duties. It was in the power of Captain General Blanco or of the Autonomist Cabinet, which is still nominally in authority, to have remitted the duties Instead they refused and are putting every obstacle in the way of distributing the food. It is understood that the commander of the Comal wanted to bring the supplies back to the United States rather than pay the duties, but he was overruled in Washington
 The plan of having Havana the last place to be evacuated by the Spanish troops is not looked upon with favor, though it is in a measure the only feas- ible method. The troops in the central part of the island can all be mobilized at Cienfuegos, on the south ca st. It INoc Ir,Ao T,1I points where there are Spanish garri- sons In peace times a line of vessels also ran directly between Cienfuegos and Spanish ports. 1t was here that the Spanish steamer Monserat brought her cargo of arms and supplies for Cap tain-General Blanco after hostilties broke out. It was thought that the vessel would try and run the Havana blockade, but 1t got into Cienfuegos be- fore patrol was established on the south coast. Several ships which had available for transport services from the south coast of Cuba.
 There is a feeling that in order to get the benefits which still accrue from the control of part of the island the Spanish authorities will interpret the under standing as to immediate evacuation in their usual manner, and will want till spring to get sixty or seventy thou sand troops back to Spain. It is hardly probable that the American Military commission will tolerate the delay. While lack of facilities may be claimed, it will be found on investigation that there are plenty of ships which can be utilized for transport service. A line between Havana and Barcelona, which, though managed under the Spanish flag, was owned by English capitalists, has number of vessels available. The
 French lines are also in position to fur nish transports.-Wa Star.