New York Times
March 13, 1935. p. 1,8
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Severest Measures
in History of the Republic Spur Many Workers to Return to Jobs
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Thousands Go Into
Hiding
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Wholesale Arrests
Continue—Shooting and Bombs Reply to 9 P.M. Havana Curfew
By J. D. Phillips
Wireless to The New York Times
HAVANA, March 12 – The Mendieta Government, through the enactment of the severest measures in the history of the republic appeared today to have broken the revolutionary strike movement that had paralyzed the administrative machinery and virtually tied up commerce and industry for the last few days. Many government and industrial employees returned to work.
Arrests continued during the day, the military authorities rounding up all prominent members of the political groups opposing the government, and thousands have gone into hiding. Many opposition politicians have fled from Cuba and the transportation companies are being besieged for reservations. Pan American Airways now has all reservations booked up to Friday.
Since 9:30 tonight intense firing has been going on in various sections of the city. Whether it is intended to terrorize inhabitants or is caused by attacks on the armed forces is not known.
A military proclamation issued by Lieut. Col. José Pedraza, military governor of Havana Province, prohibited the transit of either pedestrians or vehicles after 9 P.M. in the city and throughout the province. All hotels, cafés, bars and similar establishments had to close their doors at that hour.
With the firing at 9 o’clock of a canon at Cabana Fortress Havana took on the appearance of a city of the dead. No street cars nor omnibuses were operating, and except for automobiles belonging to the foreign press and those of the armed forces, including armored tanks, no vehicles were seen. The streets were utterly deserted except for groups of soldiers and police.
The armed forces appeared to be highly nervous and excited over the situation although the strike movement was conceded to be disintegrating. Marines on duty asserted that in the last forty-eight hours twenty-five soldiers, marines and police had been killed or injured.
Groups of more than three persons were prohibited from forming during the day. Mounted police armed with rifles rode through the streets of the capital all day keeping pedestrians moving, and soldiers and marines patrolled the streets, searched transients and dispersed groups, in many cases with rubber hose.
Six bombs exploded late in the afternoon in one Havana district, wounding fourteen persons. The explosions all occurred within a quarter of an hour. A policeman was gravely wounded by the explosion of one bomb, but property damage was small.
Twenty-one more persons were wounded in an outburst of shooting and bombing tonight according to The Associated Press.
Although the government had announced that all striking public employees had already been discharged, many returned to their posts during the day and were accepted, and it is expected that the majority will resume work tomorrow morning. It was observed that when striking employees presented themselves the departments were extremely willing to reinstate all technical employees.
The labor elements, which joined the strike movement with the greatest reluctance, filtered back to their jobs in the afternoon either voluntarily or under threats of the military forces, who are using every means in their power to force the resumption of normal activities throughout the nation.
The Havana Electric Railway Company stated that the street cars operating had increased from eighteen this morning to 148 by 3 P.M., that platform crews had returned and that it expected 75 percent service tomorrow morning. The omnibus companies also report that a majority of their busses will be on the streets tomorrow.
Soldiers and police have been operating a limited number of streetcars and busses since the walkout began with somewhat disastrous results and some damage to rolling stock because of inexperienced operators.
Gasoline deliveries were made during the day by soldiers and a few regular workers. Standard Oil Company officials stated that 80 percent of their men were still out but expected the majority to return tomorrow. Deliveries of milk, beer, other beverages, ice and small commodities were resumed late in the afternoon.
The Railway Brotherhood of the United Railways ordered its men back to duty at 1:30 this afternoon and service was expected to be resumed normally some time tonight.
No clearance of merchandise was possible through the customs during the day, but the employees, it is understood, will return to their posts tomorrow morning. The dock workers, who declined to support the strike movement, continued at their jobs.
A dispatch from Camaguey stated that all employees of the consolidated Railways, American-owned, walked out at 6 P.M., which virtually ties up all rail traffic from Camaguey to the eastern end of the island.
However, since the workers of the United Railways have been ordered back to work and the general strike has apparently broken down, it is believed the Consolidated strike will be of short duration, although it will bring about the shutdown of many sugar mills now grinding in Camaguey and Oriente Provinces.
Camaguey employees of the Compañia Cubana de Electricidad, an affiliate of the Electric Bond and Share Company of New York, joined the strike this morning, but employees of the main power plant were being forcibly kept at their posts by soldiers to insure electric power to the city.
The international air mail service functioned today, employees of the Department of Communication gradually returned and both the national mail service and the government telegraph service will be resumed tomorrow.
The teachers, who initiated the strike movement, are expected to return to work, but no information is obtainable regarding the attitude of the university students, the promoters of the movement, who are now outside the university, which is occupied by the armed forces.
The body of José Rodriquez, the driver of a milk truck, was found near Rancho Boyeros, just outside Havana, riddled with forty bullets. Witnesses told of the killing of a man on the Malecon sea drive by five marines who gave chase when they saw him firing at an omnibus. He jumped over the sea wall and ran up a large sewer emptying into the ocean at that point. Having cornered him, the marines fired several bursts from a machine gun.
Prudencio Abascal, a policeman, was killed by a marine this morning in the suburb of Jesus del Monte when the latter mistook Abascal, who was dressed in civilian clothes, for a striker. Following the wounding by a sniper of a soldier who, with Abascal had been operating a street car, Abascal descended from the car firing at the sniper. The marine saw Abascal with revolver in hand and fired, killing him instantly.
President Mendieta appointed Dr. Antonio Beruff Mendieta, a member of the Council of State and a nephew of the Chief Executive, Secretary Without Portfolio. He will temporarily hold the portfolio of Commerce until a definite appointment is made to fill the post.
By The Associated Press
HAVANA, March 12 – An outburst of shooting and the explosion of heavy bombs in the streets of the capital, on trolley cars and in street manholes, wounding twenty one persons, was terrorism’s answer tonight to a 9 o’clock curfew law imposed by Lieut. Col. José Pedraza, Military Governor of Havana Province.
A bomb went off in a telephone manhole, seriously wounding a policeman who was reporting for a near-by police telephone box. Another exploded in a street car operated by two soldiers of the army aviation corps, seriously injuring one of them.
Two other soldiers were injured in a rear-end collision between two trolleys operated by emergency crews.
HAVANA, March 12. – Using what were termed “Nazi methods” soldiers of Colonel Fulgencio Batista’s army tonight raided labor union offices, wrecking furniture and burning records, as the Mendieta government moved toward an apparently complete victory in crushing Cuba’s revolutionary strike.
MIAMI, Fla., March 12 (AP) – Miami’s Cuban colony was swelled tonight by arrivals by commercial airplane from Havana. Luis Martinez Saenz, chief of Havana Province’s Public Works Department and a brother of the ABC revolutionary society’s head, was among those who came here. Also aboard were three members of the staff of the ABC newspaper Accion.
Dr. Fernandez Fiallo and Dr. Inocente Alvarez, members of the faction led by former President Ramon Grau San Martin, were also greeted by members of the Miami Cuban colony.
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, March 12 – Conditions are growing more stable in Cuba, according to reports to the State Department, Secretary Hull said today. He did not go into details, but it was apparent that he was hopeful the strife would subside.