ground that it is absolutely necessary to start anew in this matter. The remarks of the secretary of public instruction quoted in the first part of this article justified this decision. Moreover, the examinations are to be so simple that no one possessed of a common-school education need fear them. The amount of school furniture and books is exhausted, and a large amount of additional material will soon have to be purchased. In conclusion it may be stated that the public schools, while far from what we hope to make them, are in efficient operation. The teachers are trustworthy and faithful and are making up in devotion what they lack in technical instruction in methods of teaching, etc. The people are profoundly interested in their schools, and the government of the island is equally interested and is making every possible effort to improve and enlarge the school system and extend its privileges to the greatest possible number of children. There has been considerable criticism and comment over the fact that American teachers have not been introduced into Cuba. Such action would, on a large scale, have been a mistake, as our American teachers do not speak Spanish and they are unfamiliar with the habits of the country; and, moreover, it would have been regarded as an attempt to impose the English language upon the people, and would probably have resulted in a great deal of suspicion and bad feeling. The amount of money expended for public instruction now amounts to about $300,000 per month. This combined with the very heavy outlay for materials will bring the expense of the public schools to over $4,000,000 the present school year, an amount which is certainly liberal when it is considered that the total revenue of the island is only $18,000,000 and that the government has to aid the municipalities, pay for police, administration of justice, charities and hospitals, etc., in addition to public works, light-houses, rural guard, quarantine, and many other minor expenses. Night schools.-Night schools have been established for the people in many municipalities; in some instances they are supported by the government, in others by the people themselves. It is believed that this class of schools will increase, especially in the larger cities. School of arts and trades.-This is a well-organized and thoroughly efficient school located in Habana. It has an excellent curriculum and an able corps of instructors. The government is just commencing the construction of an additional building for this school, at a cost of $80,000. Schools teaching certain useful trades are also established in the larger charitable institutions. Institutos. Institutes of secondary instruction, as they are called, are schools which correspond in a way to the high schools in the United States, but are not equal to the higher grades of these. There is an instituto in each provincial capital. They are the preparatory schools for the university. The professors, like the professors in the university, are appointed by the government, and all the expenses of the schools are paid from the same source. These institutos, with the exception possibly of that in Habana, were found to be thoroughly demoralized and without proper supplies or materials. Many of their professors had obtained their appointments by questionable means. They have been thoroughly reorganized during the present year and professors and instructors appointed as the result of competitive exam inations. There was much bitter opposition to this plan, but it has been carried through, and the schools are now supplied with a corps of instructors of known efficiency. They have also, in many cases, received large allotments for material and apparatus, repair of buildings, etc. These schools grant the degree of bachelor, which qualifies for admission to the university, but it in no way compares with the degree of bachelor as given by our colleges and universities. Attendance in these schools has greatly increased in the past year. The course of study in these schools was fixed by order No. 267. Attention is invited to the report of the secretary of public instruction and to that of Lieutenant Hanna, acting commissioner of public schools. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. The department of public works has been under the charge of Señor José R. Villalón, who was appointed January 1, 1900. This department is nominally in control of the conduct of all public works pertaining to the State-improvement of harbors and rivers, public highways, supervision and regulation of railroads, examination of railroad structures, their safety and suitability, construction, etc. As a department its activity in Cuba had been very much curtailed during the past twenty years. The conditions following the ten years' war and the entire disorganization of the public service existing during the recent war for independence all contributed to the general results which depleted the island treasury and curtailed all expenditures for public works. There is, in fact, little evidence in the island of public works of an extensive character constructed within the last thirty or forty years, except in the immediate vicinity of Habana, where some excellent roads have been built. Nearly all the State buildings and works of any magnitude pertain to a period antedating the ten years' war. The work of this department is among the most important, and its responsibilities and duties will greatly increase with the development of the island and be limited only by the amount of funds available for the construction of public works. The field is a vast one and includes every variety of general engineering work. Many of the harbors need improving, and although as a rule excellent, yet in almost every one there is some little bank or reef or obstruction which should be removed, and in some of the harbors on which are situated important towns, like Cardenas, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Caibarien, extensive dredging and pier construction are required in order to render the handling of freight and merchandise less expensive. At all these ports all merchandise has to be lightered when sent to or taken from ships of deep draft; at Caibarien, 17 to 18 miles. At Cardenas the same is true, and to a much less degree at Matanzas, while at Cienfuegos the lighterage is one-third of a mile. This lighterage is in many instances very expensive and places a heavy additional burden upon the exporter and importer. In some of these harbors it will be impossible for many years to make any very pronounced improvements, as the outlay required will be very great, the only remedy being either construction of railroads to deep-water ports or use of large steam lighters of light draft. It is probable that with the development of the railroad systems certain harbors with good depths of water will be selected as the principal ports of export and import of the island, |