The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-10-29
WOODS REPORT ON CUBA.
UNDER AMERICAN CONTROL
THE ISLAND IMPROVES.
Schools Established, Prison Horrors
Are No More, and Yellow Fever
Being Stamped Out.

report as governor general OF CUBA:
Under the head of hospitals and chari-
| ties il will be found that every town "a
consequence In he island has been pro-
y;tied with a hospital and equipped Win
all necessary supplies and appliances.
| 'Asvlums for orphan children have
been established wherever necessary. Inc
number of these institutions have been
greatly reduced during the past Few
! months owing to the great Improvement
/ i'm the general conditions existing in CuDa'
| children being taken back to their raml-
/ lies or their friends. 1t Is the purpose Oh
the insular government to establish Tour
| state institutions. two Tor boys ana wv
| for girls. two to be Industrial and aSri-
| cultural and two to be correctional and
/ industrial.
.'The prisons have been ovcrhauled ana
repaired from one end of the island to the
/ other and the sanitary conditions Vastly
improyed Courts have been stimulated
and urged to q prompt performance Oh
their duty, and tho result has been thot
p,anv prisons have been practically
empty and very great Improvement mas
| hcen made in the conduct of criminal
cases. A special inspector of prisons has
! been appointed for the double purpose OF
! insrring the proper conduct of the prisons
| and a Just and humane treatment OF the
! inmates and also to report Zoe case
where trial appears 20 be unduly delayed.
Judges who have been found derehc'
| have been summarily dismissed.
Correctional courts have been es'ao-
| lished throughout The larger cities wheio
the trial is oral and summary. as IN our
notice courts When, however. In the
opinion of the Judge the offense warrants
a sentence greater than SO or ten days
or both. "A jury of five is regularly IN
paneled These courts are limited 10 the
/ imposition Of sentences OF SIX months
| imprisonne nt or $3.50 fine. or both. Iher
success has been phenomenal. and, while
/ opposed at first, every town Is now ai'N-
| ious to have one, and orders already nave
been published establishing about thlry
more The writ of habeas corpus mas
| been pubis he'd, 10 take effect on Dsceh-
Der 1st of this year
Early In January Of the present year
a free school of stenography was estap-
| ished in Havana for the purpose or oo-
/ tanning a large number of good CUBAN
/ stenographers. and as soon as sufhclent
number are available. the present pro-
cedure Till be modified to the extent OF
! having all evidence in criminal cases.
other than those where the trial Is SUM
/ mary made matter of record.
During the present year over 5000 pup
tic schools have been established o,oVo
teachers are employed In them. and l0o'eoO
children are IN the schools. by the emu
of the present school year. 1t Is be4eNeu
that we shall have 250.OOo children III
school The largest number at school I'M
der the Spanish rule was between twenty .
six and thirty thousand.
THE United States troops have not been
used during the present year for the
maintenance Of order The police work
in the rural districts is done by the rural
guard, which amounts to about 100 men
for the entire island. These men ana
their officers are all Cubans.
Public buildings throughout the Island
have undergone expensive repairs. SAM
tarv work of great Importance has been
carried on from one end or cuba 10 the
other The two eastern provinces IN the
island of Cuba, for the first time, nave
passed through a summer without a case
of yellow fever. and. in general. there has
been a great Improvement IN heaith
throughout the island.
plans in detail are now ready for adj
vertisement for paving and sewering In
a thoroughly nrst-class and modern man
npr the city of Havana and its suburbs,
and there IS every reason to believe that
IN a few years yellow fever in Cuba can
be got under the Same control as now
exists I'm Jamaica. 1t is not matter of
one wear. but It IS a matter OF gradual
elimination.
THE city Of Santiago has been largely
paved with modern pavement. All the
larger cities have undergone extensive
street improvements. Travellers can go
from one end Of cuba to the other with
out being solicited by beggars. and hun
ger is absolutely a thing OF the past.
"A thoroughly efficient mail service has
been established, and is being conducted
with efficiency and economy. Between
six and seven hundred miles Of nrst-Class
roads have been built. and many hun
dreds of miles have been put In repair
and made passable. Bridges have been
rebuilt from one end Of the island to the
other and roads have been repaired and
reconstructed.
"Old lighthouses have been repaired,
new ones built and new ones contracted
for and a complete lighthouse establish
ment has been organized.
~ complete overland telegraph has
been established throughout the island
MANY notifications have been made
IN taxation. all with the purpose Of bene-
fitting the taxpayer and Fastening the
reconstruction of the country.
Immigration. especially from Spain,
Is heavy. Il is probable that GO,O00 will
have entered Cuba during the present
year. These people are all industrious
and good WOrkTen.
The financial condition of the country
is excellent The government is entirely
self supporting and the treasury has an
uninCumbered balance of 100000. Munic-
ipalitics are gradually assuming their
financial obligations and responsibilities
and relieving the state Of the care and
expense for police. sanitation. etc, which
will result In more money being available
for public works of general utility.
THE tobacco crop Of last year was an
immense one. This year the sugar crop
will be between $4,000 and G000 TONS
and, If the present prices continue, the
money obtained by the planters will equal
the amount received by the planters for
value of this years crop of sugar and
the coming tobacco crop will be CON
servativcly si00000O00.
THE condition OF the people of the Is
land. to the best of my knowledge and
belief is one of content They realize
and they feel. as a people. kindly toward
and have faith in the people of the
United States.
1.-TWO general elections have been held
throughout the island. and one on Sep
tember 18th for delegates to the consti-
tutional convention. Both elections were
conducted without American officials
either military or civil. being at n single
polling place I'm Cuba and without any
interference whatever on the part of the
American military or civil authorities.
There was not a single disturbance in
either election.
"a most efficient custom service has
been established, each port being sup
piled with beats and launches. reve-
nue. cutter service OF six ships. five of
them Of steel construction. has been es-
tablished. Each principal port has n cap
tain of the port and harbor police and
the uuarantine service is thoroughly
n rivi6lv pnFOrCp6 larCa