Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-27
100000 ESTIMATED
STARVING IN CUBA
Summer May See 500, 900
FoodIeSS-Government
Nears Bankruptcy.
BY Gable to The Star.

BY Gable to The Star.
HAVANA, Cuba, May 27.-About 800
Spanish laborers out of work. hungry,
and with no money, stormed the Span
ish embassy here late Monday demand
ing a place to sleep. Although not q
riot, there was some loud talking and
shaking of fists, and they were finally
induced to go away quietly.
That incident aroused little or no ex-
element in the city and was passed off
by the government as minor matter.
Yet it illustrates accurately the present
plight of the island of Cuba. Thou
sands of its people are starving and its
government is bankrupt.
Despite all the news which has come
out of Cuba during the past several
months, it is doubtful If one person in a
million in the United States, or the rest
of the world. for that matter, realizes
the sorry plight CT this island or
appreciates the all but hopeless situa-
ton facing its people. For some reason
the real story OF Cuba has not been
made public.
100000 without Food.
Here is potentially one of the wealth.
lest and certainly one of the most pro-
gressive republics in the world. There
is ore in its mountains. Its soil Is
rich and fertile, capable of growing
almost anything that can be grown
sugar, rubber. tobacco, cotton, bananas,
coffee, pineapples, potatoes, corn-the
list is endless. Yet it is conservative
estimate to say that 100000 of its citi-
zens are without food and it Is pre-
dicted that before the Summer Is over
there will be 100000 of its people
starving
In the government treasury at pres
ent there is a fraction over $8.000,G
This amount Is sufficient to pay of
governmental employees for May, with
nothing more in sight. It's taxes are
long overdue. Its credit is nil.
In Havana there are more than 15.-
900 buildings vacant and its civil
courts are crowded with As. 900 election
cases pending where the occupants
have no money to pay the rent and
where owners with loans outstanding
have no means of raising money even
TO pay the interest.
Merchants are selling out their bust
nesses and closing up, for under the
present tax system of President Gerardo
Machado they see no chance OF doing
anything but losing money.
800 Families Move to U. S.
Servants are advertising in the news
papers offers to work without pay in
order to obtain place to sleep End
something to eat. An investigation
shows that during the last year the
American population is more than one
third smaller than a year ago. About
300 families have packed up and moved
back to the United States during the
last three months.
The Cuban is happy, generous to his
friends, easy going and conSiderate. II
you should bump into one and knock
him off the sidewalk. he would likely
be so upset by the thought of your en-
barrassment that he would apologize
for having been in the way Yet, for
all this, he is intensely an individualiSt
and also a sentimentalist. He values
his individual rights. He Is quick also
to take offense when he considers that
the rights of a friend have been Yio-
lated.
In the events leading up to the pres
ent conditions, he has accepted with
stole forbearance his loss OF income.
He watched his savings disappear and
his taxes rise.
Gradually, though, the feeling grew
that anything would be better than
this Even now he does not actually
want a revolution. He wants some
thing to eat and he IL ready to do any
thing to prevent his family from starv-
ing.
Copyright, 1917