Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-08

it will not insist upon a second failure
before the United States fullfils Its oblfga-
tons under the treaty of Paris. The situ-
alton of Cuba and its commercial relations
with the United States are SO different
from those Of other nations, and our de-
tendency upon you is SO complete. that
recognize the justice. but the necessity. Of
prompt and thorough action on the part of
your government"
The financial situation in Cuba is by no
means satisfactory, and cannot be until
some definite plan Of government Is
adopted. All financial interests here are
exceedingly dmid and distrustful: no new
enterprises will be undertaken, and much
Of the capital now invested here viii be
Withdrawn whenever the administration ais
turned over to the leaders of the liberal
party. In the meantime development Is
practically arrested.
Currency Reform Needed.
The currency system should be reformed
at once. There are three kinds Of money
here-Spanish silver, French gold and
American paper. and the difference in ex-
change is not only perplexing and compli-
Gates bookkeeping, but causes considerable
loss. particularly in the retail trade. Some
merchants will not take anything but
American money; others charge the same
price In American money for the same
article that they sell to Cubans and Span
iards for Spanish money. which is at
discount of 121k per cent at the banks. The
hotels make out their bills in American
money to all strangers; to natives they
same is true in the restaurants The
bills of fare and wine lists are in
Spanish money for residents. who under
stand the trick but strangers are required
to pay American money at Spanish prices.
The street car conductors are required to
collect their fares in American money.
If they accept Spanish money they do so
at their own risk and charge enough more
fn ma 10 nf mr.
than l cent upon every passenger.
The value Of silver is fixed in Spain. and
quotations are telegraphed from Madrid
every day. All transactions with Spain
are conducted in Spanish money and a
great deal of silver coin is shipped back and
forth. The other day the manager of one
of the banks showed me several kegs OF
silver pesetas which he had shipped to
Spain several months ago and which were
shipped back to him in settlement Of an
other transaction, without having been
opened
President Palma appointed a commission
to revise the currency and to provide for a
national issue of notes like those Of the
United StatesS and upon the same basis.
| but. as was the case in nearly all projects
of permanent value, nothing whatever was
| done. The officials were SO busy looking
after politics that they had no time to de-
vote to the public welfare. In the mean
time the use of American money is becom-
Ing more and more general throughout the
country. and the wisest financial author
tiles. who realize the great temptations Of
fered In an Issue of notes, think It would
be prudent to draw upon our currency for
| permanent circulating medium, and avoid
all possible danger of repeating the finan-
cial experience of most of the Latin
American countries.
AT the same time. there Is a determined
resistance to any change on the part of
planters. manufacturers and other large
employers OF labor who are trying to keep
wages on the old Spanish basis. long
m, IN fhn frNho fon
tories because the trust refuses to pay the
cigar makers in American money, which
would make difference of 121k per cent in
the total of its pay rolls. Spanish money
1s still used in the calculation and payment
OF wages throughout the entire islam, and
the laboring element would never consent
to reduction Of the amount even If the
value is the same.
Oppressive Monopolies.
Many reforms are needed in other direc-
TONS Several oppressive monopolies have
been abolished. but others remain. In Span
ish times monopolies were customary. The
government at Madrid or the captain-ge
eral at Havana would grant special privi-
leges to favorites or to influential families
and corporations at the expense of the pub
lie. Some of them were perpetuated under
the republic. The army quartermasters
have recently had struggle with the trust
which controls the lighterage in the habor
and has the exclusive right to load and un-
load vessels.-No shipowner Is able to han
die his own cargoes. The lighterage trust
must load and unload every ship or 1t can
not be done at all. Mr. c. w. Morse. who
has recently bought up and consolidated
nearly all the steamship lines Of the At
lantic coast Of the United States, Is said to
be preparing for fight with this monopoly.
which Is controlled by some Of the old
Spanish citizens of Havana. It charges q
dollar a ton for handling cargoes, which Is
more than three times as much as the rate
York city. When business is dull. however,
1t has made contracts for 70 cents. No
steamer Is allowed to go to dock. All
passengers and freight must be landed and
trying to buy property along the harbor
front. where he proposes to erect several
large piers for the use of the Ward Line
and handle his own cargoes. But he will
not carry out that plan without meeting
serious objections. The provisional gov
eminent has been appealed to repeatedly
but Secretary Taft and Gov. Magoon do not
consider It expedient to interfere with these
local business ARRANGEMENTS, although 1t
costs more to carry package of mer-
chandise from a ship In the harbor to shore
than to bring 1t from Barcelona, Hamburg,
Liverpool or Marselles.
Transports Excepted.
This monopoly has been abolished, how
ever, 20 far as the United States govern
ment III concerned When the army trans
ports came here during the military occu-
patton from 1893 to 1902 they were COM
PEELED to pay the lighterage trust tax on
every pound of supplies, and on every SOL
dier and passenger they carried. 1t cost
from $500 to $500 to unload a ship. Now
1t Is done by our own men at a cost of from
$500 to $I5O. Col. Black. acting minister of
public works. built two fine docks and sew
eral large warehouses on the front Of tho
bay in the grounds Of the old Spanish ar
senal aQd dredged a channel twenty-four
feet deep to them. The first vessel to arrive
after the channel was completed was the
transport Fitzpatrick. 1t dropped anchor
on January g. 1907. and Capt Butt depot
quartermaster. requested the captain OF the
port to have 1t sent to the government
dock. That official was very sorry the re-
quest could not be complied with. He re-
GREETED that the channel was too shallow.
He said the water was only twenty-one feet
deep, while the Fitzpatrick drew twenty-five
feet. Capt Butt asked that a man be sent
for to take soundings, and borrowed an
American who was handy with the lead
from Col. Black. He insisted that the cap
tain of the port should go out with him In
the boat and they measured their way
through the channel. which showed twenty
four feet of water the entire distance The
captain Of the port had nothing more to