Evening star., 1938-01-23
Cuban Three>Year Plan Held
Not Indicative of Left Trend
No Goals" Set for Industry-Subject Matter Re.
sembles That Found in Reform Movements
of Democratic Countries.

courage native arts, organization of a civil
service for government employees. In the
field Of foreign relations 1t recommends
sincere and jealous devotion to Pan
American ideals"
With respect to the important sugar
industry. the II points under this heading
in the Plan Trienel boil down to ways for
improving the status OF cane planters and
workers and for a sliding scale arrange
ment whereby the incomes of these classes
will rise when the price of sugar rises and
fall when it falls. These are practically
identical with proposals which labor or
ganizations and planters have long been
advocating.
1t should be noted that the intent of all
the points having to do with industry and
agriculture is to encourage development
and progress through private initiative, un-
der such governmental supervision and
control as experience shall show to be
desirable.
Altogether, the Plan Trienel, on close
study, reveals itself to be far from the
alarming document which some of its
critics seem to think it is. The only items
in it which might possibly justify the fear
that it is dangerously drastic are only two
in number and are found in the section,
Economic Reform" One of these. dis
tressing alike to Cuban and foreign land
holders, sets 15-year period during which
tenant who does not pay his rent may
remain on farm. The language of this
recommendation is not very clear and per-
haps the writer had no such purpose in
mind as his literal words indicate The
other proposal is for the Organization Of
a national banking system designed to
facilitate credit" The law embodying this
suggestion has already been written by
a group OF experts under Senor Juan B.
Rogue, who spent last summer in Wash
ington studying the banking system of the
United States. The text of the bill they
prepared has not been made public, and
little is known about it except that in a
general way it parallels the banking and
credit systems of the United States. The
members of the committee are all known
in Cuba as moderates. and Senor Rogue
has had long experience as a responsible
executive in American and other banks
in Cuba. He has reputation for being
thorough. sure-footed, open-minded and
for knowing Cuban banking from bottom
to top.
Batista's Role Hit by Friends.
The Plan Trienel is the creation of Col.
Fulgencio Batista, head of the Cuban Army
and sll-powerful figure in the public life
of the republic. This fact has been seized
on by opponents and enemies of Batista,
who charge that the Plan is the equiva-
lent Of the several political movements
OF Europe which eliminated in Dictator
ships. Everything is possible in the world
Of today, and perhaps the future may
see Col. Batista in the role of an Antillian
Der Fuehrer,' by surely the coloners
actions in the past do not suggest that he
is ambitious for such a role. Just re-
Gently he announced that he will not
be a candidate for the presidency of Cuba
in the next elections, which will be held
in l940 He seems to prefer background
status, and it would be fair description Of
his place in Cuban life to say that he is
trouble shooter" Whenever Cuban affairs
get into a bad mess, as they do frequently,
Batista steps in and straightens them out
and then goes back into semi-retirement.
As for his views about totalitarianism,
whether of the right or left. a judgment
can be made from q statement he made
on December 2. when reporters asked him
what, If anything, the Cuban government
was planning to do about the Spaniards
in Cuba whose quarreling over the war in
Spain has reached the stage Of q public
nuisance. Batista Is quoted as having said:
Cuba at the present time is q land of
work and Of peace. We intend to keep
it that way. We will not tolerate any inter-
ference with the steady progress we are
making toward the moral and material well
being we envision for the future. We well
come to our present good and to the
better future that is coming the spaniard
resident in Cuba who is peace loving and
industrious, and we do not condemn him
for the natural love he has for his father
land. But as for other Spaniards, those
who dedicate themselves aggressively and
noisily to the Fascist cause or to the Com
munlst cause and who, as q consequence,
make a mockery of our hospitality-for
them our attitude is different. We think
they should go back to Spain, to the
oattlenelds. and join the army fighting
for the cause. they believe in. They should
take the splendid opportunity that is open
to them Of giving 4 denomination of their
bravery and the strength Of their convic-
tions And to make it possible for these
persons to nght-in Spain, but not In
cuba-for the views they hold 50 strangely
they have forgotten the obligations they
owe to Cuba for our kindness and hos-
pitality to them. the Cuban government
Is now studying means for getting them
back to their homeland"
Turkish Penitentiaries