The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-14
81 FREpERIe j. haskln.

HERE is doubtless no country in which Ameri-
cans have greater interest than Cuba because
We started this little island in business for Itself
we nave almost paternal solietude IN its welfare
because, without Instrumentation its present era
OF independence would have been Impossible The
political life of Cuba may be reckoned by three peri
DDS namely: The colonial, the American occupation.
and the present. republic A review Of conditions as
revealed by the vital statistics. offers that is
That the health of the people of the island con-
dnues to improve is cause for much eongFatulation
In the city of Havana the death rate is now fifteen
to the thousand which Is a most excellent showing
when i IS considered that in 1880 under the old re-
sime, the mortality forty 70 the thousand In
1880 over LOO people died in Havana from yellow
fever and smallpox, while last year there not
single death during the twelve Taonths from either
disease It Is rumOTed that Saa5iago was in a bad
sanitary condition but this is the one city the ISL
ana ~here all the streets are well drained cid NS>d
with asphalt All thoroughfares have an ablnPt -
cline toward the sea- hence the tropical rains helm -
prevent unSanitaTy accumulation if nothing else
sanitary crusade, which was inaugurated in Cuba by
the Americans. makes the outlook for Panama seem
hopeful
SCHOOL WORK IN CUBA
There does not seem to be any great increase in
the school system 1T is practically where Amer
leans left it. General Wood provided for about Is per
cent of the public revenues to be appropriated for
public instruction, which something like 81 Geo.
600 annually. The latest reports show that about "a
per cent OF the revenues are being utilized fo edu-
eaona purposes and that SO per cent of this is for
the primary and grammar schools. There was not
a Spanish stenographer or typewriter on the island
when the Americans took possession, but now there
are numbers of both Several classes In short
hand and typewriting have recently graduated from
the schools.
Expert telegraph operators are also being turned
cut by the schools. The telegraph lines of the re-
public belong to the government. There are ninety
stations connecting the six provinces year
about 100000 messages were sent the lines at
average price of forty-three cents per telegram
Cuba now has telegraphie communication with the
United States, Mexico, Central and South America
and the Antilles.
The law passed in January of this year authoriz-
ing the president to dispose of the public forests
caused considerable activity among the lumbeFmen
There are millions of acres of wooded lands in Cuba
most OF which Unexplored forests, containing
building timber of all kinds, well used for
tanning, rope making, resin, etc, also indigenous
fruit trees that produce seeds from which oil
ufactuTed portion of these lands has been rented
and the forests exploited The lessees taking out
mahogany cedar frewOOd. charcoal, etc. The value
OF Cuban timber may be better understood when it
is stated that in remodeling old prison Havana
some door and window frames removed which
had been put in something over 800 years ago. yet
which were as sound as when first cut
GROWTH OF FRUIT INDUSTRIES.
The fruit industry is growing in Importance
There is fortune in the culture of pneapples Some
few of the planters pending the revival Of the
sugar industry have turned their attention this
luscious fruit Over 100000 plants be set in a
single acre When the growth is established eulti-
walton is unnecessary because the spny points mo-
nOpOlze the ground TO the exclusion of weeds and
animals can no more commit depredations than in a
cactus field Ninety per cent of the plants viii bear
IN twelve to eighteen months and rule five crops
cut from planting, told by several deal
pineapples the demand always exceeding the supply
The orange crop in Cuba this year may reach
100000 boxes The Cuban orange never has an acid
taste, and its favor is unusually fine Grapes raised