The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-26
THE NEW CUBA.
The sanitation Of Havana.

State Department In Washington sent q
ccnm,i nication to the Cuban Government
calling its attention to the fact that an
American company holds contract Tor
sewering and paving the city OF Havana ana
intimating, with some direcness, the de-
STABILITY Of early action in tho prosecution
of the work. This is a matter which, sooner
or later, must be brought to focus, but the
road to its determination will be neither
smooth nor straight.
The Government OF Intervention spent
three years Of time and large number OF
Cuban dollars In revising plans which Span
ish officials had approved and accepted for
the sewering and paving Of Havana and IN
closing a contract, OF most doubtful valid
ity, for the execution Of the work. The hold
ers Of that contract are now urging the
State Department to prod the Cuban Gov
eminent into action on their case. The
Department may prod, but it is rather more
than probable that the process will bring to
the surface a collection Of awkward facts
and incidents.
Article v. Of the Piatt Amendment pro-
vides that the Government Of Cuba will
execute, and as far az necessary extend, the,
plans already devised or other plans to be
mutually agreed upon for the sanitation
Of the cities Of the island This presumes
that municipal sanitation in Cuba Is funo-
ton OF the national Government. But the
Government Of Intervention established
Cuba's municipalities as self-governing
bodies subject to such modified control as 1t
seemed necessary under the circumstances
to reserve to the central power. The Con-
stitution Of Cuba erected them into auton-
omous institutions. The contract awarded
by Gen. Wood to the McGivney -Rokely
Company for the sanitation Of the city was
made Ia the name Of the city. II the State
Department sees fit to insist that the In
sular Government proceed with the work
Of sanitation, under the terms Of tho Plat
Amendment, the holders Of the contract
would appear to have no standing inasmuoh
as they hold no contract with that Govern
ment. Insistence that the insular Govern
ment compel the City of Havana to proceed,
without further loss Of time, to borrow
Sl2, 900 900 or so and sewer and pave It's
streets would open up highly interesting
series Of complications.
As the years 20 by and as the fruit OF his
acts begins to ripen there appears an ever
increasing ground for belief that Gen.
Leonard Woods administrative abilities
were OF the tin horn and tnsel variety. 1t
Is already known that the sanitation OF
Santiago, on which his reputation so largely
rests, consisted in the installation OF sys-
tenn Of still unused sewer pipes-unused and
useless through lack OF water system.
1t now appears that In awarding contract
for the sanitation Of Havana he disregarded,
If he did not fatty violate. an existing law
OF the island, definitely recognized by his
superiors in Washington, which declares
that no contract for municipal work shall be
made until due provision has been made
for its payments. Moreover, beyond q
statement that the contractors shall begin
their operations within n specified term
after notification by the city that the means
of payment has been provided, no time
is set by the contract for the beginning Of
the work. The city is not Immediately in
position to borrow the necessary funds, and
there appears to be no lawful way to COM
pei it to act until 1t Is fairly able to do So
At this stage of the affair there appears
a second somewhat moldy complication.
While the matter of the award Of the contract
was active, during the Wood administration.
an American banking firm secured an in
complete option for loan to the city of a
sum which would supply the money for the
sanitation contract and refund the out
standing debts of the city. The amount
thus involved was SIS 900 900 But the OPP
ton was made subject to certain definite
conditions such, for example, as Govern
ment appropriation Of $500 900 year toward
the interest fund. Under the terms Of the
then existing law Of municipal contracts, to
which reference has already been made, the
failure of the Military Governor to give
effect and validity to this option also stands
as a bar to the validity of the Mckinney
Rokely contract. The terms proposed by
the American bankers were accepted by
the Ayuntamiento Of Havana with the
express proviso that they receive the off,
cal approval and Endorsement Of the Mill
tary Governor. This official approval was
never given.
An effort is now being made by members
OF the Moderate party, with which President
Palma is affiliated. to drag the matter Of
sewering and paving Havana into national
politics. The olty council OF Havana, elected
by the vote Of the people, Is composed
entirely of members OF the Liberal party.
short time ago President Palma seriously
COn5lQereu tne removal OF INNS DOuy, T"
toto, and Of the Mayor as we'll. and the in
stallation OF members Of his own party in
the places thus vacated. A warning sounded
by Gen. Maxine Gomez induced him to
change his mind. The motive for this
preposterous proposal is said to have been
the desire Of the Moderates to control, for
political purposes, the patronage which
would follow the Inauguration Of the work
OF sanitation. Failure to control the situa-
ton through that channel has led to propo-
sitions that the enterprise be carried out by
the national Government by means OF q
national loan made for the purpose.
The right and reasonable solution OF this
matter would leave 1t In the hands Of the
municipality OF Havana. This evidently
was the ground taken by the American au-
thorities Gen. Ludlow, as Military Gov
ernor Of the city, proposed to do the work
as a municipal enterprise. Gen. Wood fol-
lowed tho same course and at all times re-
earded the matter as belonging to the
municipality. He gave his approval to a
contract made In the name OF the city. Two
points appear to demand careful oonsid-
Grafton. One is the question Of the validity
- tha MoGiyney-Rokely contract Tho