The newspaper., 1908-07-31
Interesting Letter.

is now in Cuba Will prove interesting
to our readers:
Manzanillo, July 6, 1908.
DEAR BROTHER:-I guess I've owed
YOU a letter for a good long time.
Work is Stacking up a bit this week
and 1 will try and make up. Person
ally l am well as usual and am not
working very hard today but am
feeling about as grOuchy as ever.
This country Is absolutely the rich
est and most prolific soil ever saw.
The crops raised here with no care
are astounding. There seems to be
no limit to the stuff that can be
raised on an acre of land and very
few acres are in cultivation. There
does not seem to be the required
snap in tho natives and also the
shipping facilities are very made
auate. In fact there is nothing to
warrant a setting out of a large crop
OF anything but cane. The people
here never saw fertilizer.
The condition of the government
is also very unstable. The Ameri-
cans are now In charge but the presi-
dent has publicly stated that the
island will again be turned over to
the natives on Feb. lst 1909. When
it's turned over you can bet I'll be
sailing on the next boat.
In the past two weeks two OF my
fellow employees have been summar-
lily discharged by orders from Ha-
wanna for no cause whatever but
that there was some politician who
desired a place for a friend. The first
one has now been re-instated and
the Jefe has gone to Santiago to see
what can be done about the other,
/ think this one will be reinstated
also by Magoon and then probably |
there will he no more OF that until
February. However it shows what |
can be expected.
However the longer l stay herc.the |
more / am inclined to the belief that |
the Americans will return in a year
or a few years and take the island
over, and when they do they won't
leave again and values will go up by |
leaps and bounds. Land that now
sells for $500 to $1,000 per acre ID
capable Of easily raising crops to the \
value OF 5000 to $4,000 net per acre
yearly. Grass frequently grows az
high as the horses they have here
higher than the backs Of the cattle |
and they have fine. big cattle here
and 1t grows all the year round.
Such land should he worth 80 to
$50 for pasture land. Cattle are a
very good price. but when a revolu- |
ton starts the live stock is the first |
to suffer, and for that reason people |
are afraid to go into 1t heavily. |
Land titles are also badly mixed up.
requires careful Investigation to be
sure your title IL good.
The people here are like children,
but not so trusting. They are one
hundred years behind the times. The
men are mostly small. wiry, strong
and tough too and the women fat
and good natured. The women are
so universally fieshy and the men
so universally thin that they would
almost seem seem to belong to a DIFF
ferent class. The girls and young
women are never allowed to see a
man without II third party present.
The children never wear clothes until
they are from six to seven years
old, only the girls wear ear rings and
hair ribbons. Men and women live
together by verbal agreement until
one or the other becomes dissatisfied
when they separate and try another.
OF course this is among the lower |
class, but some Of the wealthiest |
men keep up several households and |
seem to retain the respect of their
fellow citizens.
wouldn't want to live here for
any length Of time but nevertheless
taking everything into
there IL money to be made here. It
would be a nice place to spend a i
couple OF months In the winter, but
the heat is intense and the climate
.enervating II one has to work.
have been directly in charge of
construction work for some time.
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