The Washington herald., 1909-01-22
THE REPUBLIC OFCUBA
K-BUILDING GOOD ROADS.
By FREDERIC HASKIN
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

one viii get fairly good arithmeacaI
idea Of how bad a Cuban road can be.
Imagine mud-holes through which the
bulls must pull with the muck and mire
up 10 their shoulders Imagine such
mud-holes az frequent intervals with ths
road between them cut into ruts IN which
a man uzy stand and be entirely hidden
from the waist down Imagine miles and
miles OF such roads. and the entire ab-
seIce OF any other kind OF roads. Then
It viii not be so difficult 20 understand
why there is 50 much rich agricultural
land in Cuba which IS still wild and free
Nor viii il be so difficult 20 understand
why q band OF q few natives can make
e revolution which Is extremely difficult
20 deal with from Havana OF from any
other center Of authority.
Il IS this condition Of things which
the provisional government has sought
70 change by the construction of good
roads. 4 great highway IS being built
from one end OF the island 70 the other.
from west 30 east. Roads OF equal ez-
celIence vin connect the highway with
port cities in each province. one on the
north and one on the south coast. IN
each political division OF the island
great tobacco producing province of p
mar del Rio has been Eeclaimed from the
Dark Ages system Of transportation.
The work has been pushed IN all sec
tions Of the country and Is now being
brought to a completion n the thinlY
populated provinces II the waist" OF
central section Of the island
These new highways have been con-
stTucted az q cost OF from $4,000 70 81
o00 a mile. according 10 the contour o.
the country, the dif1cUlty OF obtaining
road-making material and other condi-
tions. There is no doubt that the roads
have cost enough. but there Is also. no
doubt that they viii pay Tor themselves
many times over in the next twenty
years II they are kept n condition.
Maintenance viii be a difficult problem.
for the carreta is still IN use, a gigantic
disk harrow which in tine would cut I'D
= granite pavement
II is these narTow-tired heavy carts
which make road building so expensive
/ in Cuba 4 road built OF ordinary mac
adam. such as would be called q good
/ highway IN the United States. was u
terly destroyed n one year by the car
retas- Efforts are being made 20 dis
/ courage their use by fixing q maximum
/ limit upon the weight 70 be carried N one
vehicle, and the gospel OF wide tires Is
being preached from one end of the IS
| land 10 the other.
The new highways are magnificent
roads High-CrOWned. drained BY deep
/ bitches. protected by concrete culve-ts,
graded so that all sleeps are eliminated.
having no sharp curves. passing over
concrete bridges, the Cuban highway OF
"calzada" IS a triumph OF modern road
building. The roadway Is thirty-four
| feet wide. and the paved strip down the
center, the extra-metaled portion, IS
sixteen feet wide Telford macadam Is
employed in all construction
So immediate IS the effect OF good roads
| in Cuba, despite the usual deliberateless
/ OF the Datins, that several towns have
been moved Prosperous towns which
had been doing business at the same old
stand for two centuries were left a few
miles TO one side by the great central
| highway Did they build side roads 70
connect with it, Not they They Just
moved the towns over 10 the big road.
The building Of these roads makes Cuba
much more delightful place for
the winter tourist as Il adds motor
ing TO the Iong list Of Cuban pleas
ures. One may take a motor car
for his own use into Cuba free OF
duty. It is necessary, Of course. 10 sat
isfy tie customs officials that the car IS
for ones own use. and that Il viii be
taken back TO the United States. Motor
trips may be made from Havana. where
the good roads center, in several direc-
tons A motor trip through the tobacco
section is a delightful experience Pfnar
del Rio, where the fine tobacco grows, Is
very mountainous country, and the
scenery IS beautiful. The tobacco farms
are OF al sorts, from the great planIa-
tons Of several hundred acres. owned BY
rich corporations down 10 the patch OF
one or tEo acres. which supports a Gu
ban family in luxury Some OF these
places are far away from the highway.
/ however. Some OF the finest tobacco
pockets high up the mountain side and
/ intirely inaccessible by road The oxen
used to till the fields sre hoisted up with
block and tackle. and kept there until
they die. Just SIS mules are sent into
coal mines and never again see the sun
lCoD5nghted. LA. b. Frederic J. Haskin-l
To-morrOw-The Republic Of Cuba.
x-Cuba's Great Sugar Industry.