What margin of profit there may be in the railroad business of Cuba is not definitely known, as figures are not always accessible, though ten per cent. dividends and even higher have not been unheard of in the past. A table from which calculations may be made is presented below, covering the railways of the western part of the Island:
Cuba has over 6,500 miles of coast-line, counting all the undulations of the coast, much of which is practically inaccessible from the outside by reason of long stretches of low-lying coral reefs; but within these natural breakwaters what is virtually inland navigation may be and is carried on by small coastwise vessels of all kinds. There are, however, many miles of open coast, and land-locked harbours, not excelled elsewhere, are frequent. There are fifty-four harbours in all. The best on the north coast are Bahia Honda, Cabanas, Havana, Matanzas, Sagua, Nuevitas, Gibara, Nipe, and Baracoa; and on the south, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo, Trinidad, and particularly Cienfuegos, which has one of the finest harbours in the world. With so favourable a coast-line, added to the long and narrow shape of the Island, which brings points in the interior so near to the coasts, transportation by water is naturally given precedence, and the shipping trade is one of the most flourishing in the Island. Twelve hundred vessels, steam and sail, clear from Havana alone every year, while the tonnage of Havana and eight other ports in 1894 was 3,538,539 tons, carried in 3181 vessels. And yet with such a showing the policy of the Island with reference to its neighbouring islands has been such that if one wishes to go from Cuba to a near-by island, say a distance of seventy-five to one hundred miles, he must first go to New York, and reship to the point of destination. An account of the lines that connect Cuba with other countries and the ports of Cuba with one another appears in the following chapter on navigation.
| Name of Road. | Length in Kilometres. |
Traffic. | ||||||
| Number of Stations. | Number Locomotives. | Number Passenger Coaches. | Number Goods Waggons. | Number Passengers. | Sugar, Tons. | Tobacco, Tons. | ||
| The Western Railways of Havana, Ld. | 175 | 26 | 19 | 20 | 237 | 300,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| United Railways of Havana and Regla Warehouse, Ld. | 396 | 56 | 80 | 73 | 1,738 | 688,000 | 150,000 | 5,800 |
| Compania del Ferro Carril de Matanzas. | 230 | 26 | 47 | 21 | 984 | 292,000 | 130,000 | .... |
| Empresa Unida de los C. de H. de Cardenas y Jucaro. | 339 | 35 | 49 | 40 | 1,123 | 360,000 | 120,000 | .... |
| Compania del Ferro Carril de Sagua la Grande. | 137 | 15 | 22 | 25 | 482 | 230,000 | 70,000 | 2,100 |
| Compania de F. C. de Cienfuegos a S. Clara | 101 | 13 | 19 | 28 | 438 | 220,000 | 63,000 | 1,600 |
| Compania Unida de los F. C. de Caibarien. | 89 | 11 | 17 | 24 | 583 | 200,000 | 60,000 | 2,800 |
| 1,467 | 182 | 253 | 231 | 5,585 | 2,290,000 | 603,000 | 22,300 | |
FISCAL STATEMENT
| Name of Road. | Products. | Expenses. | Proportion of Expenses. |
Number Shares. |
Share Capital. |
Loans and Debenture. |
Interest on Loans |
| Western Railways of Havana, Ld. | $500,000 | $300,000 | 60 % | 60,000 | £600,000 | £390,000 | 6 % |
| United Railways of Havana and Regla Warehouse, Ld. | 2,792,000[1] | 1,557,000[18] | 53 % | 154,000 | 1,540,000 | 1,950,000 | 5 % |
| Compania del Ferro Carril de Matanzas. | 1,250,000 | 610,000 | 49 % | 10,000 | $5,000,000 | 50,000 | 6 % |
| Empresa Unida de los C. de H. de Cardenas y Jucaro. | 1,470,000 | 870,000 | 59 % | 15,582 | 7,791,070 | .... | .... |
| Compania del Ferro Carril de Sagua la Grande. | 700,000 | 350,000 | 50 % | 6,000 | 3,000,000 | 6,400 | 7 % |
| Compania de Ferro Carril de Cienfuegos a Santa Clara. | 600,000 | 400,000 | 66 % | 5,000 | 2,500,000 | $795,000 | 7 and 8 % |
| Compania Unida de los Ferro Carril de Caibarien. | 450,000 | 310,000 | 69 % | 4,542 | 2,271,124 | 285,000 | 7 % |
| $7,762,000 | $4,397,000 | 56 % | 255,124 | £2,140,000 | £2,396,400 | ||
| $20,562,194 | $1,080,000 |
CUBAN MULE CART.
CUBAN MULE CART.
Notwithstanding the dangers of navigation among the keys, there are only nineteen lighthouses on the entire coast, or one for every three hundred and fifty miles, a scarcity that is too dangerous to be allowed to continue. Many of the harbours are badly neglected, being permitted to fill up with sediment; and where there is one good wharf, well conditioned and adequate to the demands upon it, there are a hundred which are not so. In this respect improvement is greatly needed, and American capital should make it.
Although Cuba possesses hundreds of running streams, generally known as rivers, the narrowness of the Island necessarily curtails their length, and the longest, the Cauto, is but one hundred and fifty miles from its source to the sea. Others are considerably shorter than the Cauto; many of them are scarcely more than estuaries putting in from the ocean. The Cauto is navigable for light-draught boats over about six miles of its course, and some of the others will permit short navigation by light craft. The usefulness of these streams as means of communication and traffic with the sugar, tobacco, and other farms of the interior, and with the timber districts, may be greatly enhanced by proper attention from modern engineers and a more extensive acquaintance with River and Harbour Appropriations legislation.
The lakes of the Island, which are numerous, are usually small, and if they are used at all for transportation purposes, it is by hunters and pleasure seekers, in canoes and small boats; though where it is possible to utilise them in rafting timber it is done.
A CURVE ON THE YAGUAJAY RAILROAD.
A CURVE ON THE YAGUAJAY RAILROAD.
As to the extent of the telegraph lines of Cuba, figures vary from 2300 to 2500 miles, but the latest Spanish report is to the effect that there are 2300 miles, with 153 offices, doing a business of 360,000 public messages a year. The lines have been controlled by the Government, and telegraphing has not been popular in Cuba, owing to the strict and annoying censorship of the Spanish authorities.
There are about one thousand miles of submarine cable connecting Cuban towns; the International Ocean Telegraph Company has a line from Havana to Florida, connecting with the Western Union Telegraph Company; the Cuba Submarine Telegraph Company has a line from Havana to Santiago and Cienfuegos; the West India and Panama Telegraph Company connects Havana with Santiago, Jamaica, Porto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, and the Isthmus of Panama; the French Submarine Cable Company connects Havana with Santiago, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Venezuela, and Brazil. Nearly all of these cables were cut by the Americans during the war.
The telephone system of Cuba, like the telegraph, is in Government hands, with the exception of the lines in Havana, which are leased by a private company, the Red Telefonica de la Habana. Telephones have been in use for some time, and they exist in many of the towns, but their use through the interior has not become general, for the long-distance telephone is scarcely known as yet, and American capital may have the opportunity of introducing and developing the system without fear of Government interference to control the business.
It may be said, in explanation, in concluding this chapter, that the statistics herein presented refer to the time before the Hispano-American war, which naturally affected steamships, railways, and telegraphs more than any other business of the Island, owing to their semipublic character. Very radical changes may be made in the conditions hitherto existing, but it is safe to say that those changes will result in a vast improvement and extension of all these public conveniences and essentials to progress.
NAVIGATION, with Cuba, may be considered under three division:
a—Navigation between Cuba and foreign countries other than the United States.
b—Navigation between Cuba and the United States, including Porto Rico.
c—Navigation between Cuban ports.
The most delicate problem connected with merchant shipping in Cuba during the military administration of the affairs of the Island by the United States, has been the regulation of the coasting trade. Under Spanish administration, transportation by sea from one port in the Island to any other Cuban port was restricted to vessels under the Spanish flag and of Spanish register. Some modification of this regulation became necessary immediately upon American occupation, for, after Spanish evacuation of the Island, the obligatory display of the Spanish flag in Cuban ports would have been obviously intolerable to the residents. Three courses were open to the authorities of the United States: first, the coasting trade of the Island could have been thrown open to the vessels of all nations without reserve; second, the coasting trade of the Island could have been restricted to vessels of the United States; and third, a temporary expedient could have been employed which would reserve the adoption of a navigation policy for Cuban decision, when an independent government shall have been established and its flag and sovereignty recognised.
The first course involved the most radical departure from both the policy which always has obtained in Cuban ports and the policy which has always obtained in the United States, which had undertaken to restore stable government on the Island. Had the coasting trade of the Island been thrown open temporarily to vessels of all nations, a reversal of that policy in the future could be effected only with difficulty and would certainly provoke complaint from commercial nations, eager to insist that a temporary privilege, be it enjoyed for never so short a time, becomes a vested right. An independent Cuban government will undoubtedly decree that the coasting trade of the Island shall be confined to vessels of the Cuban flag. Such a measure is the easiest and quickest method to begin the creation of a national merchant marine, which will be a necessity to the insular republic. It is equally certain that in the event of the ultimate annexation of Cuba to the United States, the coasting trade of the Island will be confined to vessels of American register, in pursuit of the traditional policy of this country. The first course open was accordingly rejected.
The proposition to confine the coasting trade of the Island to vessels of American register was entirely out of consonance with the declared purposes of the United States in going to war with Spain. That proposition would, not unnaturally, have been construed as notice to the world and to the Cubans themselves that it was our purpose to exploit the Island for the benefit of our own trade, a purpose entirely opposite to the views which have inspired the Administration and the great mass of the American people throughout all the stages of discussion and action upon the Cuban situation. Military exigencies made it necessary to provide that American vessels should engage in carrying, from one port in Cuba to another, in order to move men, supplies, and mails. In the restoration of trade to its ordinary channels, the employment of some shipping to fill the place vacated by Spanish shipping withdrawn was a necessity; and the shipping of the nation which had liberated and assumed tutelage of the Cubans was properly drawn upon for this purpose. More than this the authorities of the United States have not asked of the Island in the way of navigation privileges; less than this could not have been taken consistently with the purpose to restore order and normal trade conditions, necessarily preliminary to the establishment of an independent government.
The regulation actually adopted and in force since the 1st of January contains the germs of a Cuban merchant marine. It is provided that any resident of Cuba, who owns a vessel, no matter where built, or under what flag, upon renouncing his allegiance to the King of Spain or any other foreign prince, state, or sovereignty whatever, may obtain from the military authorities of the United States in Cuba a permit entitling the vessel to engage in the coasting trade of the Island. It is thus within the power of any resident of the Island, who purposes to become a citizen of the future republic, to own as many ships as he has the money and inclination to buy. For the time being these ship-owners occupy the anomalous position of being men not without a country, but without an established form of government to which they can take allegiance. How long this anomalous condition shall continue rests to a very great extent with the Cubans themselves. Their shipping, too, is virtually without a flag. Yet in the designation of a distinctive signal—the blue flag with a white union—the authorities of the United States have more closely consulted historic and heraldic proprieties than did the Cubans themselves. The colours chosen are those adopted in different forms by Argentina, Uruguay, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, the former Spanish colonies on the Atlantic which won and have maintained independence. The cynical student of history cannot point to a lone star, and croak that we have imposed it on Cuba as a sign that the history of Texas is to be repeated.
THE HAVANA FLOATING DOCK.
THE HAVANA FLOATING DOCK.
The same just policy, the same desire to consult the probable wishes of a future independent government, the same willingness to forego selfish advantages, have characterised the formulation of navigation regulations for the foreign trade as for the coasting trade of Cuba. Under the war power, as construed by the courts, the President could, without doubt, have so framed regulations as to divert forcibly to the United States, and to vessels of the United States, a large share of the commerce of the Island which now seeks other channels. Direct taxation is not the only form in which commerce can be made to pay its contributions toward the expenses of war. Disregarding narrow advice to create opportunities for American profit out of the Cuban situation, the President and his advisers have so framed the navigation regulations for foreign trade that not only is there no discrimination among nations in trade with Cuba, but also the opportunities for trade between the Island and Spain are greater even than they were under Spain’s own rule; and the navigation and port charges imposed on ships and their cargoes have been materially reduced.
These are the general features of the navigation policy which has been in force in Cuba since the 1st of January. It is believed that the history of colonies and dependencies furnishes no other instance where the governing power has asked less for itself, has sought more carefully to furnish every opportunity for the development of an independent mercantile marine and the extension of an independent foreign trade. The people of Cuba have it easily within their power to have within a year a national shipping as great as that of Argentina after ninety years of independence.
Many ships, foreign and coastwise, ply between the ports of Cuba and every port of the world, especially American ports, and a number of lines have been long established, the most prominent of these being the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company, better known as the “Ward Line,” from its founder, James E. Ward. This company, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of New York, was organised in July, 1881. Its authorised capital stock is $2,500,000, of which $2,200,000 has been issued and paid in. At the time of organisation, the following steamers were bought of James E. Ward & Co., and operated:
| Newport | 2735 | tons | Niagara | 2265 | tons |
| Saratoga | 2820 | “ | Santiago | 2359 | “ |
The following steamers have been acquired since organisation:
| Cienfuegos | 2332 | tons | Seguranca | 4115 | tons |
| City of Washington | 2684 | “ | Seneca | 2729 | “ |
| City of Alexandria | 2915 | “ | Vigilancia | 4115 | “ |
| Yumuri | 3497 | “ | Matanzas | 3094 | “ |
| Orizaba | 3497 | “ | Havana | 5667 | “ |
| Yucatan | 3525 | “ | Mexico | 5667 | “ |
with a number of auxiliaries, etc., in list hereafter.
The following have been lost and sold:
| City of Alexandria | Lost |
| Cienfuegos | “ |
| Newport | Sold to Pacific Mail Steamship Company |
| Yumuri | Taken by United States Government |
| Niagara | Sold to United States Government |
The Newport was sold in March, 1886, to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.
In June, 1888, the vessels owned by the Alexandria Line, which operated steamers to Cuba and Mexico, were purchased and added to the fleet. The vessels were the City of Alexandria, lost in 1893, and the City of Washington, which was thoroughly overhauled, renovated, and in which were installed new boilers and engines in 1889. In 1890 the Yumuri, Orizaba, and Yucatan, all three of about equal dimensions and tonnage, were built and placed in the service. In July, 1893, the Seneca was purchased of the Old Dominion Steamship Company and added to the fleet. In January, 1894, the Seguranca and the Vigilancia, sister ships, built in 1890 for the Brazil Line, were purchased and added to the fleet. In 1897 contracts were awarded to the Messrs. Cramp & Sons, of Philadelphia, for the construction of two vessels of over 5000 tons each. One of the vessels, the Havana, has just been completed, made 18.46 knots on her trial trip in January, 1899, and is now in commission. The other, the Mexico, will be soon launched, completed, and placed on the regular route. Both of these vessels are built under the provisions of the Subsidy Act of March 3, 1891; both are of the second class, available as auxiliary cruisers, etc., and exceed in speed and tonnage the requirements of such class. In August, 1898, the Spanish steamer Guido, captured during the war with Spain, was purchased of the Government, renamed the Matanzas, and, under American register, placed in the service as an auxiliary steamer. In April, 1898, the steamer Niagara was purchased by the Government for use as an auxiliary to the navy, and soon after the steamer Yumuri was taken by the Government under the provisions of the Subsidy Act, to be converted into an auxiliary cruiser.
The company has contracted with the British, Mexican, and United States Governments for service to and from and between ports in the Bahamas, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States. The contracts with the United States were entered into with the Post-Office Department in 1892. These contracts call for regular service of ships, which under test come under the provisions of the Act of March 3, 1891, as third-class ships, to ports in Cuba and Mexico. Under the provisions of the Act above cited, American crews are employed and certain conditional requirements fulfilled. This especial service has been maintained uninterruptedly except during the Spanish war.
In addition to its regular express service, the company operates a fleet of modern freight and combined freight and passenger steamers, which touch at the principal ports of the various routes, according to the demand of traffic. The line maintains a service on each of the following routes:
New York to Havana, thence to Tampico, and return, via Havana, to New York.
New York to Tuxpan, via Havana, Progreso, and Vera Cruz, returning via Frontera, Campeche, Progreso, and Havana to New York.
New York to Nassau, thence to Guantanamo, Santiago, Manzanillo and Cienfuegos, returning via Santiago and Nassau.
The sailing on these routes is on fixed schedule, as follows:
| To Havana and Tampico | Saturdays |
| To Havana and Mexico | Wednesdays |
| To Nassau and South Coast of Cuba | alternate Thursdays |
Additional sailings are frequently made to the above ports by express ships, and it is contemplated to make such additional sailings fixed ones, subject to schedule, so that—so far as Cuba hereafter is concerned—in the near future, the south coast will have at least a weekly service, and Havana a tri-weekly service of fast express steamships. The principal ports of call in Cuba have been enumerated. Other calls are made from time to time when traffic demands it.
The company operates, in addition to its Atlantic fleet, a number of steamers of suitable tonnage and speed to act as feeders to and from smaller ports in the Gulf of Mexico. These vessels act in combination with the larger ones of the fleet with which they connect, and in addition maintain a coastwise service.
Lighterage plants at Havana, Santiago, Vera Cruz, Tampico, Progreso, and tugs at the principal ports, complete the list of floats, the property of the company. Their auxiliary vessels are the following:
| Hidalgo | 1128 | tons | Atlantica (transfer) |
| Cometa | 1151 | “ | Delenfeu (tug) |
| Manteo | 584 | “ | Moran (tug) |
| Bailey | 238 | “ | Francke (tug) |
The rates may vary, but slightly. The present rates, or rates now in force, are named in following tariff.
A CUBAN FERRY.
A CUBAN FERRY.
| EFFECTIVE FROM OCTOBER 17, 1898 | ||||
| First Class. | First Class, Excursion. | Second Class. | ||
| To Havana | $40 | $70 | $20 | |
| “ Progreso | 55 | 95 | 35 | |
| “ Vera Cruz | 60 | 105 | 35 | |
| “ Tuxpan | 65 | 115 | 45 | |
| “ Tampico | 60 | 105 | 35 | |
| “ Campeche | 75 | 130 | 45 | |
| “ Frontera | 75 | 130 | 45 | |
| “ Laguna | 75 | 130 | 45 | |
| “ Mexico City | 65 | 115 | 45 | |
| “ Guantanamo | 60 | 100 | 30 | |
| “ Santiago de Cuba | 60 | 100 | 30 | |
| “ Manzanillo | 60 | 100 | 30 | |
| “ Cienfuegos | 60 | 100 | 30 | |
| “ Nassau | 40 | 70 | 20 | |
These rates are for rooms on main deck. An extra charge of five dollars per berth will be made for all hurricane-deck rooms taken in any direction. “Stop-over” privilege, five dollars for each port.
| Children 3 to 12 years of age, half rates |
| Children under 3 years of age, free |
| Servants accompanying employers pay half rates. |
Another leading line is the Companía Transatlántica Español (Spanish Transatlantic Company), whose list of ships, taken from the British Lloyd’s Register, 1898-99, including those vessels sailing to and from Spanish ports as well, is as follows:
This line runs its steamers from New York to Havana direct on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month. The Compania Transatlantica, which has always manifested a progressive spirit, will, as soon as the differences in the Spanish-American war are definitely settled, immediately begin the extension of its lines in the development of commerce between the West Indies and the Americas, and will seriously entertain the establishment of a line connecting the Philippines with San Francisco; and, as it has a sufficient number of steamers to meet the requirements, it will be prepared to inaugurate the service at once, especially if the United States Government will enter into an arrangement to grant it a mail service. This additional service will in no-wise affect the service between Spain and Cuba, which must continue for at least ten years, under a contract entered into with the Spanish Government.
A third company is the Munson Steamship Line, which carries on an extensive and general transportation business in chartered steamers. Every Saturday a ship carrying passengers and freight leaves New York for Cuban ports, and others go at irregular intervals, carrying freight to every port of any importance in Cuba. The Munson vessels go from Philadelphia and Baltimore, carrying coal; others carry cattle from Mobile, Galveston, and other American ports, and a steamer goes once a month from Halifax. This line does the bulk of the cattle business to Cuba. Its general offices are in New York.
There are a few unimportant, irregular lines, in addition to the three leading lines named, but they carry freight chiefly, and take their cargoes as they can get them. A large number of “tramp steamers” do business between various American and Cuban ports, coming and going as their work demands. In addition to ships from American ports, there are lines from Havana to Spanish ports; a monthly steamer between Vera Cruz and Southampton calling at St. Thomas and Havana; a French line runs from St. Nazaire to Havana, stopping at Santander; lines from Havana to Sisal and Vera Cruz; from Havana to Colon, calling at Nuevitas and Gibara; from Havana to Porto Rico, calling at all Cuban ports on the north coast; a French line from Havana to Vera Cruz and New Orleans; a German line from Havana to Hamburg; and the little steamers Olivette and Mascotte of the Plant Line, best known to Americans, who go from Tampa to Havana twice a week.
In 1894, 1309 foreign vessels, having a tonnage of 1,794,597 tons, entered the port of Havana. Of these 603 were American and 409 Spanish, with a tonnage, respectively, of 776,229 and 677,907. Coastwise steamers are not included in these figures. These are numerous, and the service between Havana and other Cuban ports is much better than might be expected, due very largely to the fact that communication by road and rail between Cuban towns is so far below the standard, and in many instances entirely lacking by rail and practically lacking by highways.
Since the occupation of Cuban ports by the United States authorities amended customs and port regulations have been adopted to meet the changed conditions of affairs in the Island. The following port regulations are taken from the latest report on the subject issued by the Treasury Department:
“Customs Ports: The port of Habana has been duly designated as the chief customs port of Cuba, and the following have been declared to be subports, viz.: Matanzas, Cardenas, Cienfuegos, Sagua, Caibarien, Santiago, Manzanillo, Nuevitas, Guantanamo, Gibara, Baracoa, Trinidad, Santa Cruz, Zaza, and Batabano, in the Island of Cuba, and the officer of the Army duly assigned to each of said ports as collector, will have general jurisdiction of the collection of customs at such ports respectively. Every collector stationed at a subport will make weekly reports to the collector at Habana of all transactions at his subport, with copies of all entries of merchandise duly certified, and all moneys collected at subports must be deposited with the duly designated officer, whose receipt therefor must be taken in duplicate. Any questions arising at any subport will be referred to the collector at Habana for his decision, from which there shall be no appeal, except in such cases as he may refer for decision to the Secretary of War.
“Entrance and Clearance of Vessels: Every vessel shall, on arrival, be placed under customs control until duly discharged. Passengers with no dutiable property in their possession may be permitted to land without detention.
“If, upon the unlading of any cargo, there shall be found goods, wares, or merchandise not duly declared on the manifest, such articles in excess shall be required to pay additional duties of 25 per cent. on the regular duties. Should any packages or articles named on the manifest be missing on the arrival of the vessel, the latter shall pay a penalty of $1 per ton measurement, unless such deficiency shall be satisfactorily explained or accounted for.
“Within twenty-four hours after the arrival of any vessel the master must, under a penalty for failure of $1 per ton registry measurement, produce to the proper officer a manifest of her cargo, with the marks, numbers, and description of the packages and the names of the respective consignees, which manifests, if the vessel be from a port in the United States, shall be certified by the collector of the port of sailing. If the vessel be from any other than a United States port, her manifest must be certified by the United States consul or commercial agent at such port; if there be no United States consul or commercial agent at such port, then by the consul of any nation at peace with the United States; and the register of the vessel shall, upon her arrival in Cuba, be deposited with the consul of the nation to which she may belong, if any there be; otherwise with the collector of the port, until the master shall have paid such tonnage taxes and other port charges as may be due under these regulations.
PIER OF THE JURAGUA IRON CO., LTD.
PIER OF THE JURAGUA IRON CO., LTD.
“No vessel shall be allowed to clear for another port until all her cargo shall be landed or accounted for. All goods not duly entered for payment of duty within ten days after their arrival in port shall be landed and stored, the expense thereof to be charged against the goods.
“Prior to the departure of any vessel from any of the ports herein designated, the master shall deposit with the proper officer a manifest of the outward cargo of such vessel, specifying the marks and numbers of packages, a description of their contents, with names of shippers and consignees, with a statement of the value of each separate lot; also names of passengers and their destination. A clearance will then be granted to the vessel. No prohibited or contraband goods shall be exported.
“Tonnage Dues: At all ports or places in Cuba there shall be levied the following tonnage dues, until further orders:
| Per Net Ton. | ||
| (a) | On entry of a vessel from a port or place not in Cuba | $0.20 |
| (b) | On entry of a vessel from another port or place in Cuba, engaged at time of entry in the coasting trade of Cuba | .02 |
| (c) | The rate of tonnage dues on a vessel which enters in ballast shall be one half of the rate imposed by subdivision (a) or (b), and one half the tonnage dues imposed on a vessel entering with cargo shall be refunded if the vessel clears in ballast. | |
| (d) | A vessel which has paid the tonnage tax imposed on entry from a port or place not in Cuba shall not be liable to tonnage tax on entering another port or place in Cuba during the same voyage until such vessel again enters from a port or place not in Cuba. | |
| (f) | The tonnage tax on entries of a vessel from a port or place not in Cuba shall not exceed in the aggregate $2 per net ton in any one year, beginning from the date of the first payment. The tonnage tax on entries of a vessel from other ports or places in Cuba, engaged at the time of entry exclusively in the coasting trade of Cuba, shall not exceed 40 cents per net ton in any one year, beginning from the date of the first payment. | |
“The following shall be exempt from tonnage dues:
“A vessel belonging to or employed in the service of the Government of the United States; or a vessel of a neutral foreign government not engaged in trade; a vessel in distress; or a yacht belonging to an organised yacht club of the United States or of a neutral foreign nation.
“The tonnage of a vessel shall be the net or register tonnage expressed in her national certificate of registry.
“Landing Charges: The tax of $1 on each ton of merchandise imported or exported, hitherto imposed as a substitute for tonnage taxes, is abolished.
“The present exemption of coal from this tax is continued.
“The present export tax of 5 cents per gross ton on ore is abolished.
“Special Charges at Santiago:[19] The harbour improvement taxes at Santiago de Cuba will continue to be levied, as at present, as follows:
| Each steamer entering | $8.50 |
| Each sailing vessel entering | 4.25 |
| Each ton of cargo landed from a steamer | .25 |
| Each ton of cargo landed from a sailing vessel | .125 |
| Each ton of coal landed from a steamer | .125 |
| Each ton of coal landed from a sailing vessel | .10 |
“Coasting Trade of Cuba: To facilitate the occupation and control of Cuba by the military forces of the United States and the restoration of order, the laws now in force restricting the coasting trade of the Island to Spanish vessels are hereby modified as follows:
“(a) Vessels of the United States may engage in the coasting trade of the island of Cuba.
“(b) The officer of the Army of the United States in command at any port of Cuba in possession of the United States is empowered to issue a permit to a resident of Cuba who owns a vessel, which shall entitle such vessel to engage in the coasting trade of the Island: Provided, That the owner and master of such vessel shall upon oath before such officer entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to the King of Spain or to any other foreign prince, state, or sovereignty whatever.
“Such permits shall first be approved by the general in command of the forces of the United States in Cuba.
“Vessels entitled under this paragraph to engage in the coasting trade of Cuba shall carry a distinctive signal, which shall be a blue flag and the union of the flag shall be a white field.
“The form and manner of the issue of permits provided for in this paragraph shall be prescribed by the Secretary of War.”
The following table of distances is given for reference:
| Key West to Havana | 93 | miles |
| “ “ “ nearest point on Cuban coast | 86 | “ |
| New York to Havana | 1413 | “ |
| New Orleans to Havana | 475 | “ |
| Cape San Antonio to Cape Catoche, Yucatan | 125 | “ |
| Santiago to Kingston, Jamaica | 200 | “ |
| Santiago to Greytown (entrance Nicaragua Canal) | 700 | “ |
WHATEVER the Cuban people may have thought of Spain and her methods, it is plain that in one regard, at least, the child deemed its mother a pattern of excellence and followed her example far beyond the pattern,—and that regard was education. Spain has always been at the head of the ignorant list among European countries, but Cuba is far worse, for she has the sloth of climate against her, in addition to other handicaps, and the people are slow to avail themselves of even such opportunities as they have. Indeed, the opportunities seem not to be lacking for a great many, for there are laws for general education, even compulsory education, and there are schools and colleges; but neither those for whose benefit the laws were made nor those to whom their execution is entrusted care to work any harder than is necessary, and the result is that the proportion of scholars to population, including all kinds of schools, is as 1 to 40. The rates in the United States are 1 to 4.39, except in the South, where they are 1 to 8. Nowhere in rural Cuba does the country schoolhouse prevail as we know it and feel its influence all over the United States, and possibly, quite surely indeed, it will never exist there as it does with us; but a great deal of improvement can be made, and to the 300,000 children of school age in Cuba who do not yet know their a, b, c’s, may be given an opportunity to get, at least, a little sip at the fountain of learning. Although the country schoolhouse was entirely absent, in the city there was a pretence of having so-called “common schools,” but their teachers were usually selected by politicians, and the pay was so small and precarious that even the political “scum” did not become school-teachers until every other chance was gone. What these teachers were like may be guessed at nearly. On the subject of common-school education, Mr. Charles M. Pepper, in a newspaper letter from Cuba, says: