Evening star., 1899-01-31

development 1 can only add paragraph or
two supp'ementing what has been written
in previous letters. One of the men with
capital who has been making pretty heavy
investments in the island told me that the
reeuperatlon would be most rapid along the
southern coast. Havana, Cienfuegos ana
Santiago. he declared, were the three cltles
which offered the best prospect. Therefore
:he country which IS tributary 10 them is
the one which will first become productive
Ii is two or three centuries since Havana
was on the southern coast 1t was planted
at what is now known Batafano. The
Spanish settlers, for very good reasons,
moved il across the island to the nOftn
coast. Yet considered commercially and
aecriCu turalIy the Havana of the present
day iS as much a south-cOast as north
coast city. 1t is only forty miles across
and the railroads make the intervening
and easy of access.
Cienfuegos used to be known as the Amer
lean city Of Cuba. 1t is likely to be Amer
icanized in greater degree in the future:
Ii suffered less than any place in the island
during the insurection. The sugar planta-
lions in that neighborhCo1, owned by Amer
leans Englshmen and Cubans, respect
lively. were able to grind steadily. They
all have a large area of cane for this years
grinding Cienfuegos has suffered a little
because 1t was the point chosen by the
Spanish authorities for the final embarka-
tion of their troops. That was simply
temporary setback. The Spanish soldiers
and Cienfuegos may have a little boom of
its own. The boom is not of consequence.
The town has prospects of a steady and
healthy growth. The conditions in Santi-
ago, both political and commercial, have
been so fully described in all the details
during the last few months there is moth
ing 10 add to them
Advantage Not Permanent.
The advantage which the south coast has
over the north coast is not a permanent
one 1t is simply that the conditions are
more favorable for early development. At
Baracoa on the north coast, the fruit
trade Is already reviying. Many of the
prospectors who have been looking into the
forests Of the interior also declare that
when the lumber is taken Uut most of 1t
will go to the ports on the north coast.
Within another season Sagua Ia Grande.
Cartienas and MatanZaS will have some
thing like q normal sugar crop to handle.
When they do their day of prosperity will
be in sight. Their present depression was
inevitable. 1t is the common opinion of
business men that as the coaSting trade
of Cuba develops these towns along the
north coast will enjoy large degree of
prosperity.
l do not know how many persons in the
United States are thinking of establishing
banks in Cuba, but their number must be
considerable Some OF them have the no.
ton that the thing to do is to get out Il
charter for Il national bank under the laws
of the United States and wait for annexa-
tion. They may have long wait. For
them the information which a Cuban who
has been 4 thorough student of the eco
nomic conditions of the island gave me
will not have much interest. For others
who were thinking Of establishing banks
before a Canadian Scotchman employed
Sheir surplus capital in that manner It
| may be worth noting. Agricultural
Cuba this man said. can pay s per cent
on farm loans for ten or twelve years to
come. After that 1t can pay per cent To
speak consery8ttvely, / would say that
American banking capital can count on q
net return of : per cent from the time it
comes TO Cuba 1t might get 10 per cent for
L q while. Our people are desperately poor