The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13
FUTURE OF MEXICO.
Chances for Money Making
South of the Rio Grande.
MANUFACTURES ARE NEEDED,
Nails 25 Cents n Pound, Butter 10 Cents.
and Calico 1S Cents a Yard-Inter-
view With an American Dentist.

spondence. What does it cost to live in
Mexico? | asked this question of a
young American dentist who was practic-
ing his profession in the city of san Luis
Potosi. i his is a city of about 100, 600 peo-
pie. 1t lies in the north central part of
Mexico and Is in rich farming country.
The young dentist lives very nicely. Like
all of his kind in Mexico, he is making
money and he is saving enough to make
him rich within the next ten or fifteen
years. Said he: Il keep close account
of my expenses, and as ] figure il it costs
me just about S1I7 month. My living
costs me for table expenses 81 day, or $50
a month. ] pay So month for my house
and have three servants who average 81
a month piece. | might get along with
less servants, hut not very well. Here
every respectable fellow has to have q
cook, a man and chambermaid. The
cook won't go outside the kitchen, and
you have some trouble making the cham
bermaid wait upon the table. My'boy tends
to the front door, waters the street in front
of my house and runs errands. He
sleeps in front of the door at night
and does the most of my marketing. In
addition to the wages of the servants |
have to give them SO much day for food.
Each OF them expects cents every morn
ing for tortillas or the corn cakes which
constitute the bread of the common peo-
pie. They claim that they don't like my
food, but | have a sneaking idea that they
steal it all the same. Then every week
have TO give cents extra to them for soap.
This is the custom, and they want the
money and not the soap. | once bought
twenty-five pounds of soap and tried to
dole it out to them, but they wouldn't take
it. Then, in addition to this, | have my
washing and ironing. This is never done
in the house in Mexico. There are public
washerwomen, who pound and rub the
clothes to pieces after wetting them with
cold water, which they get from the pub
lie tanks or bitches. They wear out the
clothes in one-third the time that they
would be destroyed by the Chinese laun-
dry, and pay them So a month for doing
it. My butter costs Inc 70 cents pound,
my milk II cents a day. and pay about 6
cents day on the average for charcoal.
All the cooking in Mexico is done with
charcoal, and there is not cooking stove
i'll a Mexican family the country over.
Mexican houses have no chimneys, and
our cooking utensils are all made of clay"
asked. They are very high" was the re-
ply. Money slips away here faster than
you would think, and would like to give
you some of the items. An ordinary hand
me-down suit costs from $40 to $50; under
clothing is very expensive; calico costs Is
cents yard; very ordinary silk necktie
sells tor 81; linen cuffs are 30 cents pair,
and collars are three for ST; coal oil costs
-
pound, and canned meats are expensive.
Take one of those 15-cent cans of lobster
or salmon. which you can buy any place
in America, and it will cost 81 cents here,
and a cake of Pears soap will cost you 75
cents; canned fruits are from 20
cents up; coffee costs - cents a pound in
the bean unground, and chocolate is 40
cents a pound. Bread costs Y cents
loaf. You can buy the same at home for 5
cents. Table salt costs cents pound.
Flour is a shilling pound, and the better
classes of imported articles are very high.
pay % cents a pound for mackerel, and
Goldfish costs - cents a pound. American
cheese is % cents pound, and lump sugar
costs II cents pound. | pay - cents a
pound for strawberries, and we raise these
in some parts of Mexico all the year round.
L
10 cents quart for potatoes. Ny wife's
dresses count up, can tell you. and man
has TO make a good lot of money in Mexico
in order 10 live as we'll as he does at home"
HOW ONE DENTIST GOT RICH.
Il suppose you make it." said |. eyes.
do" was the reply, land any American
dentist who will come here and stay can
do likewise. | made 5000 the first year.
and have done considerably better right
along since that time. ! can charge bigger
prices. | get from 500 to $50 for
q full set of teeth on rubber The same
thing IN the states costs YOU $15. When
ever | administer Gas | charge $50 for the
pulling OF tooth, and when 4 number are
pulled charge SO tor the first tooth and
81 for all succeeding ones. For Jerking out
\ tooth without gas / charge 81 and
in the United States Won would
only get % cents for this work
As 70 filings, they range from 81
upwards, and gold filings cost from SIS
UP into the hundreds. according to the size
OF the cavity and 10 the size of the bank
account of the man who has his teeth
filled. | always get $500 for making set
of teeth on gold. and all other business is
done at prOportionate rates. | know of
many dentists who are making more
money than |, and | know Of q number
who charge more than do. | often make
81 coo q month bat dentists in Mexico
City make more, and | know man there
who gets 500 n tooth for any kind 0f filling
and who came to Mexico from South
America. where he made $1,000 4 single
year He is 4 good dentist, hut ms charges
are terrible. In the meantime | am in
vesting all ! save in Mexico and ! expect
10 make a fortune
LIVING N NEXICO CITY.
There are about 700 Americans living in
Mexico City. Some ot these are very
wealthy. \ few own houses. and quite
number have rented establishments. The
Hon. Thomas Brauuift, who was. | under
stand. born on Staten island. i stad - be
a number Of times = millionaire, and his
income must he considerably over 10000
a wear. He i president of the Mexican
railway which runs - Vera Cruz. and he
has a big plantation. cotton factories and
j. one of the leading owners 81 the Bank
Of London and Mexico. which IS the big
ceSt bank in the country He : building
a house which Wi. cost Slon.WO on the
Paseo. which i the fashionable drive of
Mexico City. and he i the richest Ameri-
can in Mexico. Genera. John 3. Frisbie
j. another rich American. He owns some
gold mines near To.uca and be has one Of
the most comfortable homes IL the Capi-
tai. He tells me that living i high
in Mexico and that his expenses
there are about Is bIe as they would
be IN Washington Cjtv. The same IS
have met here. Rents are high and lux
uries are very expensive. Everything
that i imported j. high. and a great
,eisavl.,. money ma S-vl- the ! rupr-