Evening star., 1933-09-23
CUBAN SUGAR MILL
FUTURE SEEN DARK
Harvesting of Cane Crop
Declared Unlikely Unless
Order Is Restored.
BY COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

BY COL. FREDERICK PALMER.
BY Radio to The Star.
HAVANA. September 23-Havana
and district managers Of sugar COM
panies are in general agreement that
conditions are growing worse In the
provinces of Cuba.
Interviews with many Of them reveal
a widespread belief that even II Cuba
continues as it Is now, with a cessa-
tion Of the slide downward. it will be
unable to produce the 1000 600 tons
which the United States is allowing as
new quota.
They say tire local managers of sugar
centrals signed syndicalist agreements
when their houses and offices were sur
rounded by crowds Of Haitian. Cuban
and jamaican laborers who. in shifts.
kept up demoniacal racket day and
night until the managers yielded to
their demands.
Comply to Save Machinery.
Compliance is temporization to
save mill machinery worth from 81 000,-
600 to $5,000.000 from wreck9ge by a
mob armed with axes and mauls. Any
IIllIlk was W plOtCCG tllc
property until the December grinding
order will be restored American and
Cuban sugar men here say that If order
Is not restored, hundreds of thousands
of acres Of ripe cane may be uncut un-
less the syndicalist groups backed by
the present government compel opera
ton of the mills
But in that case many mills, espe-
cially the Cuban ones, are in such dis
tress for funds that they would be un-
able to pay the 10-cent government tax
or borrow it from the banks. Nor could
they pay the 11-cent per bag contribu-
ton to the Chadbourne plan, which is
required in cash as the raw sugar Is
hoppered into the bag.
To gain more time, the Havana man
ayers brought the local managers here
and encouraged Provisional President
Ramon Grau y San Martin to bring
the local heads Of the syndicalist COM
mittees together with them in a con-
sultation with Secretary of the Interior
Gutierrez. The secretary's Office re-
sounded with chaos, but there were no
results except talk.
Accurate Reports Hard to Get.
American consular reports refer to
troubles in the larger towns at ports
or near ports, especially when Ameri-
can property is concerned. Accurate
reports from the remote interior are
difficult to get.
The tragedy behind the Cuban Ex-
travaganZa is that the Cuban man.
ayers Of sugar and other plants and
Cuban merchants and business men are
suffering far worse indignities than the
Av,an VII
districts. disorderly communistic classes
are inclined. as in Havana, to respect
American lives. The people in the cafe
fields and jungles far from any port
have heard about the American de-
Stroyers lying off the coast and legend
and rumor have given the giant Amer
ican Marine q fierce reputation.
A Cuban'S business and livelihood
may be sacrificed but the persons of
Americans seems sacroSanct SO far to
all natives. No American has been
seriously harmed physically in spite
of the abuse he IS being submitted to
in the provinces.
But the Cuban who belongs to the
outs" or to the property class may be
beaten up with impunity in the rural
districts and small towns where crowds
feed on license without police restraint
If mob is in sympathy with the pres
ent Government, rural guards do not
interfere with its looting or tyranny.
Cubans coming from the interior report
soldiers will act only against the law
breaker who does not approve of the
present Governments theories.
Manquito Revolt Serious.
Reliable reports credit the action at
the Manquito railroad station in Ma
tanzaS Province with being a more
serious and important revolt than
that of Juan Bias Hernandez The
armed column composed of members
of the Union Nacional, in coalition
with Conservative Liberal parties. led
by Col. D. Ainas. a former member
Of Congress, sWooped down on he
station. cut the telegraph wires and
refused to allow them to be repaired
They then marched 81 miles north
taking Mercedes and Colon. BatiSta is
sending troops from MatanZas City
and from Havana.
Lawlessness in the interior is re-
ported increasing. Small bands are
said to be looting stores and driving
cattle from pastures to slaughte-
wastefully, while Havana faces a food
famine.
Meanwhile. at last reports Havana
provision jobbers were still in confer
ence with labor unions to determine
whether the jobbers should yield to
save the city from famine early next
week
And Grau San Martin is preparing
a decree by which the consolidated
railroads must re-establish the wage
scale of August. 1928. Retroactively.
requiring arrears on that scale to be
paid in cash.
This encourages local strikes against
paying rents by delegations who also
want increased pay and lower price
for food The next step may be that
Havana crowds will enter the stores
and take what they want without pay.
Copyright 1893. by North American News
paper Alliance, Inc)