Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-04

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There ia so much talk about Mexico
ust nov that anv facts regarding that
country or It's people are OF puoiic IN
crest. The following. contrib Gtsd 10
he Chicago Tribune, has more exact ID,
formation pertaining TO the cost and
mode of living IN Mexico than Se have
been able {. obtain else where.
The need Of Mexico i not more "a
,orer-, nor even mere industrious IA
borer= The Mexican peon l. Fener .ilv
quick. docile and initiative, and Vt-re
1nskille6 lator - glut IN the market
a - cents a DAY II Is obvious that 10
more II needed.
In. prime needs ~ Mexico ar.
!. More Yankee or some other sort
~ enterpr1re-tha' j.. brains md ctpl-
tai to shorts q the distance between sup
ply and dem and.
.. Nor transportation - tie = me
end
For Instance: Me1Ico i ous II the
Great frult countrte- Of the void, no
ducl.p 10 unlimited abuud 4nce every
f,u,, have ever =. en-. and scores II De
ue,oas varieties Of which DO not even
know the uar.e. Yet there = rot 4" an
ming est 4blIshueut IN the wh"ie ~ 10
lie, aud An enormous quantity OF Fl{F'
fruit rOt- Oh the GrOu al every dtf ID
the year.
Az IN. | step down TO the street and
ask the price OF a pineapple. frult
which is Low ripe through the HOWL Z
States. Il Is ~ cents. and can get one
for the same money III Fulton str e.
New York In August pines Will Sell fpr
- cents here. for 10 or II cents III Ne"
York. Watermelons IN great quantitie-
are ripe throughout the tierF1 cat'Y"fe,
but a half size watermelon costs 81 III
this city to-day.
he petroleum wells OF the 10Xptn
district have overflowed the whole co1n
,rv around. hut kerosene sells at ~ cents
A gallon IN this city, ana at $50 gal
Ion III most other cites.
There Aro huge mountains Of iron II
Durango and Sonora. bat pig iron j.
$50 a ton IN Mexico. against SIS or 50
A ton in New York bar IRON is . cent?
pound h. re, against , cent. pount
there, anu castings are J. cents II pp!'ht
there against or : cents pound II
the uited States. KaiIs are ali IN
ported.
Along the line of the National rail
road on the Texas frontier are vast de
posIts Of excellent COAL but ali the Goa
used IN Mexico Is brought from Eng
| land thousands OF tons mnnth-Hn'
| the tnost of the country IL without an
deguate fuel of any kind. y" railwa.
rms To the IRENE ndous hard wood for
ests and timber belts af the south
| Hard coal costs $40 a ton soft Goa!
$23.
| inis is a natural sugar PRODUCING
| country. and cane grows Wild III sever
| States. but 50 sluggish are the suRa
| planters that Mexico imports one-tentI
| Of all she uses, and sugar brings til
same price here a in Chicago.
In o-thirds of the country there !
eight months grazing every wear. ant
| IN the other third there Is twelve months
grazing: vet good butter sells IN til
city at 81 pound, aud 81 pound
paid for canned oorned beef brough
from New YORK.
Cotton Is cultivated Ia Ia of the :
States, and the lana yields an aver Z
Of twice as much tn the acre az III an
Of the Gulf States, yet Mexico grow
less cotton than she uses. and manuttt
turing IL so primitive that all the fines
cloth is Imported.
Irdee 1, manufacturing IL In its Inf:r
cy lere. Walk through tins city au
look In a. the store windows aud 20
shall STE the very same merchandise yo
see ia the stores of New York, Loudo
or Paris. All fine goods of very Sol
except jewels are brought across To
! sea
N.~,,r I,v. - .
me The laborers o. Mexico consist {
two.th:rds of all the people. 2.NO,tH
pure blooded Indians and 1.U0U,ooo II u
breeds. Thew are called poems. and tom
ffths Of them live from hand 10 mouti
| Their habItttiouI are of the simple
sort-hnts Of dirt mixed with straw an
dried huts of cane Just large enouR
To creep into shautles of bark IN Ia
| arborral regions IN fact. shanties {
anything that Will aiiurd "A screen. HE
make their homes under other peopl,
houses Ike eats III holes III the hnnl
like swallows. aud sometimes they cam
under railroad bridges and under frel2u
cars backed upon "a siding.
Yesterday morning | rode with
pleasant companion out through IA
eastern sub1rbs of the city, and there
IN the center Of all the smells of Iopho
we came upon tue five groun
where the district dumps ITS garba
and refuse. Poems were looking o,t
the uucanny heap, and then We discoN
ed that they had made their home
there scores and perhaps hundreds d
| them. These houses were three or fou
feet high, and were built OF old tattefu
palm leaf mats pulled ont of the CART
age heap. The hen houses and hos
pens of New England are pal sces
| these habit,tious. But the tenant
were of course OF the very lowest clls'
And in a land where II seldom rail-
and never free yes, almost any sheltt
will answer.
How the peous get food for G cents
day-that Is the question. l. they II
CURED half 80 much rs the workmen d
the nted States they could not SUI
vive they would be swept off by stal
vatiun at once.
The poems live mostly on corn inca
baked INTO thin cakes, with water. co-A
ed in hard. and Il fiery pepper CALI
chilli" which may stimulate, but g.
hardly nourIsh. Corn grows here edsit
and more abundantly than anywhei
else in the world several of tue Stat,
producing three crops u year, one att'
another; but corn is 81 bushel her
and over half the Republic.
Beaus-the great standby Of the peoI
and on his table always three times
day-cost 81 a hushel also.
In dozen of the Mexican States w
crops of wheat are grown annually, al
in many places the farmer reaps y
bushels for single hushei sown; ht
-four sells AT the rate of so a barrel