Cuba past and present . other districts of Cuba. From Havana thebeautiful new highways stretch forth in variousdirections. To Matanzas, to Cardenas, southwardto Batabano on the Caribbean shore, to Gunies,Colon, and eastward for over one hundred miles,to Santa Clara, stretch splendid macadam high-ways ; inviting the automobilist, bringing innumer-able tiny hamlets and isolated plantations withinreach of the markets of the Island and opening upgreat areas of wonderfully rich land. From Cam-aguey roads lead north, south, east and west;yearly extending farther afield, while about Santi-ago wonderf
Cuba past and present . other districts of Cuba. From Havana thebeautiful new highways stretch forth in variousdirections. To Matanzas, to Cardenas, southwardto Batabano on the Caribbean shore, to Gunies,Colon, and eastward for over one hundred miles,to Santa Clara, stretch splendid macadam high-ways ; inviting the automobilist, bringing innumer-able tiny hamlets and isolated plantations withinreach of the markets of the Island and opening upgreat areas of wonderfully rich land. From Cam-aguey roads lead north, south, east and west;yearly extending farther afield, while about Santi-ago wonderful roads extend over mountain andvalley, amid magnificent scenery and through vastforests. Between each system there are gaps —wide areas with the old impassable trails the onlymeans of transportation — but Cuba is a vastcountry, it is young, it is practically new, and itis but a question of time, and a short time at that,when from Cape Maysi to Cap« San Antonio theIsland will be traversed by a system of roads over. u c P-c ca< H < THE HIGHROADS OF CUBA 197 which the traveller may speed by auto through averitable wonderland of scenery, of marvellous fer-tility, of enormous, almost unbelievable resourcesand of tremendous possibilities. CHAPTER XIV COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL CUSTOMS From an American point of view the commercialand financial conditions in Cuba are strange andinteresting. Oddly enough, in both Cuba andPorto Rico the bulk of business is in the hands ofSpaniards and while the Spaniards as a race areprone to old-fashioned ideas and look upon modernprogress, sanitation and education with disfavour,yet in the business world they are progressive,sharp, shrewd and a bulwark of strength and hon-esty without which these countries would fare illindeed. Credit with the Spaniard is a mania andis jealously guarded at any cost, and failures ofSpanish business houses are of the rarest occur-rence. Failures must of necessity occur in allcountries and at all times, but in
Size: 1260px × 1983px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidcubapastpres, bookyear1920
