Julian Cuadreny for $120, American gold; the issue of 65 petitions for work in private forests, as follows: There have been decided three privileges for labors in the communal haciendas known as Rio Hondo in Trinidad, Viana in el Cálabazar, and Cupeyes Abajo in Moron. In reference to the forest productions from the public lands during the months included in this report, the following table shows what it has been, both "in kind" and in "money." The products designated "in kind" are those which correspond to the months of January and June, inclusive, as expressed by the invoices issued to Messrs. Chapmany & Costa, the concessioners of the keys which produced said products. Products of the forest lands during the months of February and June, inclusive. With what is set forth fn this report the inspector believes he has fulfilled your orders and has made known what now constitutes the forest property of the state, the considerable increase which will result when surveys have been made, and the benefits which the administration should receive by the better working each year of the public forest lands either by transferring some to private ownership, without injury to public interests, or guarding those which should be preserved, regulating their production so as to secure a constant rent and setting apart those lands which circumstances show to be suitable for the important purpose of stimulating emigration to the island. Table showing the expenses incurred by this inspection from February 1 to June 30, indicating the chapters and articles of the budget which correspond to said expenses. HABANA, August 15, 1899. F. DE P. PORTUONDO, REPORT OF THE SERVICE OF THE BRANCH OF MINES FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1899. HONORABLE SECRETARY: The general inspector of mines, in obedience to orders, has the honor to submit to you an account of the service under his direction during the months of February and June, inclusive. The undersigned was appointed on the 31st of last January as inspector-general of this branch, and there was named at the same time the administrative and expert personnel of the inspection, and their labors commenced with the, examination and arranging of the archives, in view of the fact that the inventory which was employed in transferring this department would not serve, owing to its imperfections. At the same time the book of registry of mines for all the island was missing. It neither appeared in the inventory nor was it turned over with the other books, though public rumor, and, above all, the miners themselves, affirm that it had formerly existed in the office. The loss of this book is lamentable, because without it it is impossible to form either an exact idea of the mineral wealth or the legal status of the mines. The inspector, nevertheless, has labored with the information furnished by the archives to supply this fault, forming from the archives an auxiliary inventory and register of mines by provinces. Under the care of this office is also a collection of minerals and rocks composed of more than 2,000 specimens, which when turned over was not listed on the inventory, and the catalogue of which, which is said to exist, was also lacking, and without which the value of the collection is lost, there being nothing to indicate the locality from whence the specimens were derived. When such deficiencies are to be noted in the central technical office of mines, and which, being located in this capital, has not suffered from the casualties of war, it is easy to imagine what has occurred in the provinces. From the office in the province of Puerto Principe has disappeared the books containing the applications for mining claims and the register of mining property, and at the same time the money which was deposited with the civil government to cover the expense of reviewing and marking the same. In the province of Santiago de Cuba, according to the statement of the civil government, no data can be furnished concerning the mines which exist there, because in the sack of that city by the Spanish troops the archives were destroyed. To this condition of affairs in the province of Santiago de Cuba, the most important in its mining interests, there must be added the lack of personal superintendence, as the engineer, Mr. Villalon, named to take possession, never took charge of the office, and it is clear that without personal supervision there must be a lack of all initiative for the reorganization and reconstruction of the archives. In the other provinces of the island the condition of the mining records at the conclusion of Spanish sovereignty was no better. From what has been said, it can be seen that disorganization of the mining service existed not alone in the inspection, as has been indicated, but also in the offices of all the provinces when the island was occupied by the Government of the United States. Therefore the first care of this office has been to organize the service as well as possible, developing it within the lines marked out by the regulations in force, and advancing development of this branch, which constitutes in this island a great source of wealth. For this purpose, and at the suggestion of this office, the governor-general annulled. the order by which in January last the military governor of Santa Clara, General Bates, suspended the issuance of all permits relating to mines, but continued the issuance of permits of mining registry which had been initiated in said province. With the object of reconstructing in the archives of Puerto Principe the registers for inscribing mines and titles of ownership to the same, it was ordered, by means of the Gaceta de la Habana and the Boletin Oficial, that the owners of existing mines in said province should meet for the purpose of inscribing in the civil government the titles to property which they respectively owned. With the object, also, that the certificates of mining registry commenced in the civil government of Puerto Principe should not suffer delay in pursuing the necessary steps for lack of some one capable of marking the limits of mining claims, the assistant of the board of public works in said province was named as acting mining engineer. There do not exist in this office any papers relative to mining concessions granted prior to the date on which was signed the protocol of peace between Spain and the United States August 12, 1898-and the civil governors of the provinces have been asked to furnish a report of said mining concessions issued between the date indicated and December 15, 1898, giving the date of the concession, the date of publication in the Gaceta or Boletin Oficial of the province, name of the mine, the mineral which it contains, the place and municipal district where such mine is located, and the name of the concessioner. In this office are nine certificates of mining claims in the province of Santa Clara asking that the proper officer may examine and place boundaries to the said mines, which duty will be performed within the time fixed by the mining law, taking into account the abolition of the order of suspension made by the military governor of said province for the performance of such duties, and when said duty is performed the issuance or authorization of title will be withheld in order not to violate the instructions contained in Circular No. 16, of March 7 last, published in the Gaceta of the 12th of the same month, prohibiting that any property, franchises, or concessions of any kind whatever shall be granted in the island during the occupation thereof by the United States. Table showing the expenses of this office from February 1 to June 30, 1899, according to the chapter and articles of the budget covering said expenses. REPORT RELATIVE TO THE DUTIES OF THE SECTION OF CIVIL CONSTRUCTION, THE LABORS PERFORMED BY THE SAME, AND THE EXPENSES INVOLVED DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1899. This section, created by the old régime especially for the district of public works in Habana, although in special cases it was possible to confide to it work in any other part of the island, has continued as before. It has under its charge the study, inspection, and direction of new works; the work of repair and preservation of the civil buildings belonging to the different branches of the public administration; the discharge of all other labors confided to it by the authorities when such relate to its duties, such as valuation, fixing boundaries, etc., of the property of the State, and the issuance of reports asked for on all subjects about which it should be heard. During the five months last past (its work commenced February 1, 1899) it has investigated and completed the following works: The demolition and repairs in the offices of the treasury expending the sum of $111.99 American gold. Repairs to the roof, floors, and canals of the building occupied by the University of Habana, costing $699.66 American gold. Repairs to the roof and waterspouts of the department of government, costing $90 American gold. A plan of the building known as the house of Marquesa de Villaba was prepared with the object of considering the transfering to the same of the supreme court. For the same reason, a plan was prepared looking to the location of the said court in a part of the building occupied by the territorial audiencia of Habana. The buildings of the Asilo General de Enagenados (insane asylum) were examined, and a plan prepared for repairs to the same, which would cost $2,308.06 American gold, which plan, being approved by superior authority, was executed by the board of directors of the aforementioned asylum. There were examined and valued by order of the secretary of the branch the lands which, in the abandoned zones of the battery of Santa Clara y Castillo del Principe, which belongs to the hospital of San Lazaro, the area of which is 34,495.50 square meters, valued at $22, 598.12. The valuation was approved, and served as a base for the public sale of those lands. There was prepared and submitted for superior approval a plan for the improvement of the toilet rooms in the offices of the department of state and government, agriculture, industry, commerce, and public works, and the treasury. The plan, which will cost $205.85, has been approved. There has been concluded a plan for a toilet room in the botanical garden annexed to the University of Habana. Plans were concluded for the demolition of the interior gallery of the building occupied by the Academy of Science in order to rebuild the same in a manner suitable for the purposes of the institution. A detailed account of the state, value, and condition of all the buildings belonging to the state under the care of this section has been concluded. There have been received various communications by this section from the inspectorgeneral of the branch. In ordinary correspondence there have been received 42 letters and 65 have been sent out to different authorities. The repairs made have cost the sum of $2,830.08, as follows: Personal salary for five months.. Office expenses.. Repairs on Government buildings Total... $1,853. 13 75.00 901.95 2, 830. 08 AGUSTIN VELASCO, State Architect. HABANA, August 30, 1899. No. 5.-RAILROAD INSPECTION OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA, 1899. Comparative table of the equipment and number of trains of the railroad companies between the years 1895 and 1899. The nonreporting of some railroad companies caused the unfilled spaces. ways.' HABANA, August 15, 1899. GUILLERMO F. RIVA, Inspector of Railroads of the Island of Cuba. REPORT OF THE RAILROAD INSPECTION OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA CORRESPONDING TO THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1899. The principal object of this office is divided into two parts-one technical, referring to the management and care of all the works of the general lines of railroad and of those belonging to the government placed under its charge; the other, in reference to the proper compliance of railroad legislation as far as the road operating and public security is concerned on all lines. The legal inspection of road operating has been greatly reduced at present, considering it a secondary matter, owing to the necessary attention paid to the general work of the office and to the scarce number of employees. Nevertheless, due to its care, the railroad companies have improved their services in benefit of the public, as can be learned from the increasing relations between said companies and this office, as follows: Monthly note of the communications received in this office from the railroad companies. February (including those not filed in January) March. April.. June 23 17 21 29 24 114 Total received in the expressed time......... In accordance with our technical work has been accomplished the testing and approval for the public transit of the bridges on Palacios, Bacunaguas, and Santa Clara rivers belonging to the Western Railways of Habana. In this testing we have followed the use established by some of the United States railroad companies. We understand that it is a great improvement for the operating of this railroad company the construction of the said iron bridges. In the same period of five months four applications have been received for the necessary authorization for the proper study of new lines, as follows: One from Cerro to Hoyo Colorado (electric operating). One from Oficios street, in Habana City, to Vedado (electric operating). One from Pescante of Morro Castle to Cojímar (steam operating). One from the City of Habana to Güines (electric operating). All these applications have obtained favorable information and aid from this depart ment. In 1894, the year previous to the war, during the same months, no applications of this kind passed through this department as far as we can learn from its records. Five applications for new concessions have been received for information, viz: An electric tramway for the city of Cienfuegos. A narrow-gauge for the private use of the Providencia sugar plantation, running to the Broa Harbor. An extension branch for the Habana Electric Railway from the "Chorrera" to Marianao Beach. A branch of the Cuban Electric for transportation of materials with temporary character. And, finally, we mention our report on a petition for the construction of the old Trinidad to Sti. Spiritus project of railroad establishment along the coast. It seems to us sufficient for the special character of this document to state that our informations on the applications formerly mentioned have been based on the legal provisions for each case, together with the practicability of its construction deducted from the projects presented, bearing in mind also the circular, No. 16, of March of this year (Foraker law). It is an important fact in favor of the growing confidence on the fair going of this country the inversion of foreign capitals in the acquisition of railways. We have examined the legal documents for the transferring of the Sagua, Cienfuegos, and Caibarién confpanies into the Cuban Central Railways, and we know that the Ferrocarril Urbano y Omnibus de la Habana and the Primera Empresa de Vapores y Ferrocarril La Prueba are to become under English, French, and American companies. Another of the works performed in the line of our duties has been to report on the legalities of said transferences. The undersigned inspector can not forbear expressing his satisfaction on the expressed cases of acquisition of railways by foreign syndicates, considering it as a fact of great importance, because it means, in his opinion, good prospect for the future development of railways in our country. We think that if the special circumstances imposed to-day on the granting of concessions should cease the progress of railway building in our country will reach the high standing of these enterprises in the prosperous countries. HABANA, August 15, 1899. GUILLERMO F. RIVA, Inspector of Railroads of Island of Cuba. |