CHANGES IN CUBA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21580, 26 August 1933, Page 11

CHANGES IN CUBA

FORMER CONSTITUTION DECISION TO RESTORE OFFICERS FACE DISMISSAL By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received August 25, G. 5 p.m.) HAVANA, Aug. 21 Tho Cuban Cabinet to-day decided to dissolve Congress immediately and return to tho constitution of 3.901. This means that all 'officers elected bv virtue of tho constitutional reforms carried out in 1928 will lose their positions.

Tho Cuban constitution of 1901, to which it has been decided by tho Cabinet to revert, declared tho country an independent sovereign State under the Republican form of government, exerted by three powers, legislative, executive, and judicial. Tho country undertook to raiso no foreign loans beyond the capacity of current revenue, and incorporated certain provisos which granted tho United States tho perpetual leaso of naval stations at Guantanamo and Bahia Honda, tho United States undertaking to intervene in tho event of tho independence of Cuba being threatened by a foreign Power, Cuba assuming all obligations and undertakings which devolved on tho United States by the Treaty of Paris.

The 1901 constitution provided for a President and Vice-President, elected for four years by direct vote; a Senate of 24 members (four from each of the six provinces), and a House of Representatives of 115 members. Amendments voted by Congress in Juno, 1927, and approved by a constitutional convention in May, 1928, provided that the President's term should be six years and that he should be ineligible for re-election; abolished the ofEco of VicePresident; increased tho number of Senators to 32 and their term of office to nine years; increased the members of the House of Representatives to 12S (one for each 25,000 inhabitants) ana increased their term to six years, with national elections every three years; and extended tho franchise to all males over the age of 21. BENT ON MURDER PURSUERS OF MACHADO AEROPLANE CHARTERED VANCOUVER, Aug. 2t Reports have been received at Nassau, the Bahamas, that an aeroplane carrying tho four Cubans who have vowed to assassinate the fugitivo exPresident, General Machado, or be killed themselves, has left Havana for that city, where General Machado ha 3 taken refuge. This has caused the placing of guards, armed with rifles, around tho hotel in which the general is staying. The police in the Bahamas generally are not armed, but the issue of rifles indicates the gravity with which the Colonial officials regard the reports.

A cablegram from Havana on August 20 stated:—Four men have taken the trail after the ex-President, General Machado. One member of the group lost three sons during the violence,, of the Machado regime. The band is sworn to kill General Machado or be killed in the attempt.