Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
Chances for Americans.

I but you refer u men Oh large Cdpltdl,
Mr. President. What does Cuba offer to
him of small means?"
There are many chances here for men
who have but little money" said President
Palma. Take, for instance, raising fruits
and vegetables for the markets of the
United States. That business Is profitable.
and it is at its beginning. Indeed almost
any kind of farming can be carried on In
Cuba more comfortably and more profitably
than In your country. As to our chief in
dustres. such as tobacco and sugar they
pay far In excess of the money crops of
other countries. Sugar just now is making
the planters rich. They getting high
prices and their crop this year will amount
to more than 1,1Oo 600 tons. The tobacco
crop has also been good, and In fact every
one here is making money"
Don't Want Cuba Annexed.
DO you think Cuba will ever be an
nexed to the United States, Mr.. President?'
asked
Il should not like to see any such unon,''
replied Estrada Palma. II believe we
should be associated commercially and in
dustrially just closely as possible, but
not politically. 1 think each country should
keep It's political entity and work out it's
salvation along its own lines. Cuba, if it
is left alone, can do that. AS to CONNER
cial matters. however, Cuba and the
United States inter-dependent and they
must always be So
Has our trade benefited by the reciproc-
| ity treaty."
| greatly increased. The United States took
| So per cent of all that Cuba sold last year.
| and she furnished 421k per cent of what
| she bought"
But that. Mr.. President, shows that the
/ odds are altogether for Cuba. According
| to those figures we are buying twice as
much of you as you are buying OF u.s.
! That is true, now" replied the Presi-
an 10 lie nha incY
and your sales will greatly increase
under the new treaty. This country is in
| excellent condition. We all have money
| In our pockets and we shall buy more this
| year than ever before. Indeed, 1 expect a
| great increase in our imports, and a large
| part of that increase from the United
| States. Your people are Just beginning to
| appreciate this market. From now on you
| will study 1t, and push your goods more
| earnestly. Indeed, 1 anxious to see
| the trade between our country and yours
grow, and 1 have no doubt it will grow.
| The Future of Cuba.
| You speak of Cuba's good times. VIII
| these good times continue?"
| II no reason why not. This island
is phenomenally rich 1t raises some of the
| products which the world wants and must
| have. 1t raises many things better than
| any other country. There is no tobacco
| like Cuban tobacco, and there is spot
| on bOU green edTtH VIII raise ~
that compares with It. We can produce
| sugar at lower cost than any other peo-
| pie, and we are now making 1t more eco
| nomically than ever. Our planters believe
that sugar will never be low as it has
| been in the past, and that from now on
| there will always be profit in raising 1t.
! The Cuban fruit industry is at it's begin
| ming, and the same can be said of veg
| etables. Our wealth depends upon our
| soil. and this is of inexhaustible fertility.
| Indeed, our prospects are bright.
Clean and Healthy.
What is the sanitary condition of the
| lsland?"
| 1T is excellent We have been clean
! ing up our cities and they are today the
| cleanest In the world. We improving
| sanitary matters everywhere and have
| greatly bet.ered the national health. Take
| this city of Havana. In 1890 we had a
| death rate here of almost forty per thou
| sand. Yellow fever then caused 645 deaths
| and smallpox 446 During the American
| Intervention the death rate was cut down
| to twenty-five per thousand, and of these
| only eighteen were due to yellow fever
| with no smallpox. That was in 1901. In
| 1903 the mortality fell to little more than
! twenty per thousand with no yellow fever.
| Last year our death rate In Cuba was less
| than fifteen per thousand; on the other
! hand our birth rate was more than thirty
| four per thousand This means we are
| having twice as many births deaths. sc
| that our national increase alone will ad
| enormously to our population
immigration.
| How about your immigration"
That is also increasing. The good times
/ arc bringing many Spaniards from the
| northern part OF the peninsula, and we ex-
| peot them to come in steady stream from
| now on. These immigrants are very de-
| sirable They are thrifty workmen, and
| will aid much in building up the country.
| Just now there is a big demand for laborers
on the plantations. We need more people,
| and 1t may be that congress will aid immi-
| grafton In some way or other
Cuba's New Schools.
| What is the government doing along
| the line of education?
I'VE have established schools in all the
| towns and we expect to furnish educational
| facilities to every part Of the island. Our
| people are anxious that their children be
| educated, and we have little trouble in get
| ting the children to school. You must re-
| member, however, that during the last
| years Of the Spanish rule public instruction
| here was almost totally neglected. Only
| one-tenth of the children under ten years
| Of age went to school and the schools were
| poor and taught by poorly paid teachers.
| According to the census taken by the
| American government in 1889 we had about
| 800 600 children Of school age, and OF them
| only 10000 or about per cent. went to
| school, and only 1 per cent to the public
| schools At present We have more than
| 10000 children In the public schools. We
| have about 2OG0 such schools and about
| $500 school teachers. In the past the pri-
| vate schools were far superior to the pub
1 lie schools. The public schools are now
| better equipped than the private schools as
| to apparatus of all kinds, and their teach
| ers are more efficient.
| I'VE have now a number of high schools
| which include In their branches business
! schools, surveying schools and agricultural
| schools We have also here in Havana an
| excellent university which has faculties OF
1 letters and sciences, and of medicine phar-
| macy and the law. There are engineering
1 schools connected with the university ana
| also schools of architecture and agriculture.
| Last year this college had 173 graduates.
| Havana has also school intended to dis
/ seminate amongst the working classes
| knowledge which will better them in the
exercise of their arts and trades. Indeed.
i the educational facilities of the island are
steadily improving
| FRANK a. CARPENTER