The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-11

these An ample water supply for flushing
all pipes into . proper outlet. With the
exception OF Havanas superior Vento
water works. installed long ago In Spanish
days, and Of sundry repairs In her dilapi-
dated sewer systems. Cuba Ia to-day little
improved Ia her real sanitation beyond
her condition In January, 1900. Streets
have been repaired. city parks have been
set In attractive order and important
improvements made in the processes Of
garbage collection and disposal. Large
sums Of money have been expended In this
work. The full returns for the sxpendi-
lures are not Immediately available, but
the following figures may be given and
accepted as approximately correct The
outlay for both 1899 and 1900 slightly OK
oeeded the sum Of 100000 for each year.
This was approximately 20 per cent Of the
total insular revenue. or the appropria-
ton Of 1892 the city Of Havana alone re-
oeived little more than 100000. II
Gen. Wood, then Military Governor Of San.
tiago Province, Is entitled to the credit for
the sanitary redemption Of Cuba, 1t Is quite
pertinent TO AJAX what on earth Gen. William
Ludlow did with all that money. But
those who saw Havana on Jan. 1, 1890.
and on the same date Of 1900 need no argu-
ment to convince them that 1t was Gen.
Ludlow who cleaned that city at least,
In the report for the fiscal period beginning
July 1, 1901, and terminating May 10, 1907,
at the close OF the American administration,
the entry for municipal sanitation L. given
as $2,2se, 4o7.sS. Other items properly be-
longing In this department, and included In
the above figures for previous periods,
would bring the entire sum to practically
the same ratio Of expenditure. namely
approximately 100000 year for three
and half years. or total Of about 3lo.-
5000 out OF a total revenue for the period
OF a little more than So, OOO, 900. This sum
scrubbed and whitewashed the island, but
that process cannot be called properly
sanitation.
The demonstration Of the second point
lies in long and greatly involved story
which would cover the experiences Of
Havana, Matanzas, Cieniuegos and other
cities individually. A review of them
would be much too long for any inclusion
here
In the development OF the mosquito
theory" in the stamping out Of yellow
fever. it is not generally realized or known
that the credit properly belongs to q Cuban
physician. DR.. Carlos Finlay had for many
years been conducting a series Of expert
ments upon the theory that certain species
OF mosquitoes were the active and mis-
chievous agents in the dissemination OF
the disease. DR.. Finlay's technical pres
entAtion Of this theory to Gen. Wood ap-
pealed to his earlier medical training, a. it
would not have done had the Military Gov
ernor been trained az a soldier, a politician
or statesman, He was impressed with
it's possibilities and appropriated a sum
from the Cuban treasury which he placed
in the hands Of an American army surgeon.
Dr. Reid for tho purpose Of conducting
more elaborate series Of experiments than
had been possible for DR.. Finay. The re-
suit of those admirable experiments, as ia
now we'll known, established the mosquito
as the pernicious agent. The general eradi-
cation OF the mosquito by the filling up Of
stagnant pools and by the uee OF coal oil,
aud the isolation Of all foci of Infection have
made it possible, this year, to let down the
bars of quarantine and for residents OF our
Southern coast cities to live without fear
of an epidemic OF yellow fever from Cuban
ports.
Much has been accomplished by the
Government OF Intervention that makes
for the physical well-being Of the Cuban
people. But II il desirable that the Amer
lean people know the facts as they are.
give due credit where It properly belongs,
and disabuse their minds Of the idea that
it has all been q work OF philant hropy in
which the United States had not even
contingent interest. Cuba will remain
right where II is The future relations
between the United States and the island
will grow more rather than lees intimate.
The clearer the understanding OF the basis
upon which those relations rest, the better
will II be for both countries