New-York tribune., 1902-02-18
THE NEEDS OF CUBA.
SAVINGS BANKS AND CHEAPER TRANS
PORTATION WANTED-LABOR
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.

Havana. Feb 16 (SpeciaD.-The Havana pawn
shop is a delight TO the rummager but the ruin
Of the poor man. glance into the arcaded vistas
Of storeroom that open out behind the crowded
and Uttered little shops like the capacious nav of
some small mouthed animal, would incline one TO
believe that no pledge ever redeemed and
perhaps this is far from the fact. Despite the
legal limitation to Is per cent annual interest the
prevailing rates at the pawnbrokers are 10 per
cent a month, or 12O per cent year. During the
insurrection and the present period of business
depression thousands of articles Of clothing, house
hold furniture. household utensils, as well as jew
elry and other objects more commonly used as a
source Of temporary relief in the United States.
found their way weekly to the one hundred and
fifty pawnshops Of Havana.
There Is the senli-official pawnshop, loanins on
1ewelry and other articles of permanent value at
per cent year. The capital Of this institution
was originally derived from certain lotteries au-
thorized by the government for this purpose but
the funds were mismanaged in the confusion at
tending the blockade, and now do not suffice 10
meet a fraction of the demands made on thenl IL
has recently been proposed to reorganize this In
stituon, allowing it to accept small deposits from
workingmen, on which interest will be paid, and
to establish offices for deposit in the large factories
and public schools. Until the North American
Trust Company opened a savings department re-
Gently there was not place in Cuba where small
savings could be invested by the workingman, and
the So minimum for deposits established by the
latter institution confines it's patronage TO the lnore
highly paid wage earners. One occasionally planes
the poor people of Cuba for gambling and patron
izing lotteries. These were the only forms or IN
vestment ever placed within their means.
CUBAN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE.
The Cuban people have faith in their country and
on every hand one learns OF plans for industrial
and AGRICULTURAL enterprises to be carried out as
soon as things are settled" Puentes Grandes'
suburb near Havana. where there Is water power
sufficient to run several small mills. promises TO
-oFy IA aofIY
prIses-aU on a small scale, but affordins some
variety of employment and relieving TO some extent
the congested condition Of the labor market IN
Havana There are already a paper MILL employing
5ovinE If l POO hands. and two brick yards and lime
burning a e69p6ed ay with me machinery and the
foundations for a large building to be occupied
This rgdimentary attempt to build up manptaet-
uring town in Cuba is chiefly signlncant as lhe- S
What they cali industrial autonomy" Whether
this is dream m Pa9G 9F HTf onT op e
and furniture. aside from the already established
One o6casionaly finds annexationists IN unex-
pected places carter was volclng & ms 9Ploh t5 y,
said: II have been here since 1871 My son is
o9Tp iii death of know the cubans
worst cuba herself"
LABOR PROBLEM HARD TO SOLVE.
The question Of agricultural labor always a seri-
Gus one promises TO become more acute time
goes on unless there should be change in the
tastes Of the people the character OF immigra-
ton. There IS some indication. though. that the
former change viii take place Land owners say
that since the insurrecton there has been ten
dency among rural laborers to become tenants on
shares rather than hire fixed wages.
Especially IN the tobacco country, a worklngman
can at the same time earn more and be more inde-
pendent by doing this than when employed a
large estate. These small holdings. OF from two 20
fifteen acres would rot seem adapted TO cane rais-
ing. but II is possible that in the beet sugar
country, economical production may be found pos
facturer and raiser But unless there is d.
versned Agricultural thing difficult TO introduce
farmer would be at the mercy OF the mill owner.
Under Spanish rule the extension OF tenant farm
Ing was checked by the simple method or so ad-
the tax laws as to tax the small holder
out Of existence whenever II was in the interest OF
the large proprietor TO do AS all assessments
were made by board composed OF the largest tax
payers Of district this was an abuse difficult to
correct II may continue under Cuban rule.
Near Havana these small tenant farmers raise
& whh F i cut ton tn the and Sres @6a % oa
crops; each ayeraging ten tons to an acre can be
for this produce is limited.
HIGH TRANSPORTATION RATES.
Transportation remains OF the principal items
of cost to the Cuban producer This is true even
OF railway transportation. II costs more trans
port a barrel OF cement by rail a hundred miles
interior than II does TO get 1t from Chicago
to Havana. Forty per cent of the cost OF build
terals, such as American pine lumber and nails,
consists OF domestic transportation charges. 1t Is
rumOred that the Havana Electric Railway people
intend 10 extend their lines to suburban points A
sugar planter says that he has the promise OF a
occurs. He pays at present 20 cents a sack Trans
portaton facilities efficient and cheap those
OF the United States would be equivalent to a 20
per cent tariff reduction to the Cuban planter Of
the interior for they would lessen cost Of produc-
ton at every point as we'll as the cost of mar
keting the crop.