The morning call., 1894-05-20

fore mentioned that as soon as the Dur
angO officials learned of its abandonment
they actually attempted to collect the in
teTstate duty of SI17, which would have
been due had the lost merchandise ever
succeeded in entering their State. Fortu-
nately for the losers it never reached
nearer than eight miles of the Durango
border line.
Central America seems to be trife ahead
OF Mexico. Those small States show few
er signs OF permanent peace and capacity
to govern themselves in an orderly man
neT, yet they seem TO be nearer in touch
with commercial progress. Their Gus
toms duties are about 40 per cent less;
they have larger free lists railroad trans
portatiOn though small in mileage is
cheaper. Even the primitive mule trains
are managed by arrieros more docile and
palnstaking with their cargoeS. There is
custom prevailing among them that for
the payment of a fixed systematic advance
over the regular price they guarantee the
safe and dry delivery of their cargoeS.
Many OF those mueteers. at their own eX-
pense, have built shorter and safer trails
through the mountain passes and keep
them In good repair for their private use.
The German, English and French mer-
chants shipping heavy merchandise for in
terror points all along the coast have their
packages made strong, within the weight
limit, bound with strap iron or wire, with
rope or iron handles strongly fixed on each
end TO facilitate not only safety but easy
handling. This extra expense is generally
speaking cheerfully paid by the cOnSignee
or owner. In the shipment of drugs. of
winch there is very large quantity re-
celved from Hamburg, so scrupulously ex-
act are they IN the packing that broken
case. bottle or inclosed article is a rare
exception, while with our shippers the
opposite almost constitutes the rule.
tureTs have wisely studied the wants, fan
cies and conditions OF the Latin-American
trade, and catered to it with large profit.
Among other things, a line of portable
safes and light but reasonably good pianos
have found favor. The almost uni
versal use of Vienna furniture in all those
countries is remarkable, and the cost
reasonable. 1t comes in knocked-down
packages. put together entirely by screws
On account of the general humidity of the
atmosphere in those countries and the long
rainy seasons glue is wholly useless there.
There was noticeable obiect-lesson to
our lumbernen coming under my OBJ
servatlon which deserves mention, for it
may ultimately lead up to more extended
trade in that line. There are five prom
lnent cotfee-raisers in Guatemala. Ameri-
cans by birth, whose plantations are To-
Gated nigh up on the table lands of the in
terror, whose private residences were
brought Ia sections from Europe. Their
furniture. household adornments, and
even the cassimeres for personal wear.
came across the Atlantic.
In all these republics there are some
nauVe-oorn Americans, generally OF OBJ
scure or close foreign origin, who have
Ilved there so long that they make them
serves oellevei IL is better than the United
states. Ihey seem proud OF their native
country IN private conversation, but low
Gown they are treacherOus and detesta BILE.
1ney are known among genuine Ameri-
cans as galvanized" and generally de-
splsed. Those five Americans, so called,
may belong to this class. l really don't
Know. This feeling may have prompted
those purchases from abroad, but can
uldiy, it is feared that our lumber trusts
ana hlgh freigbts are the real causes of
their conduct
Within the last ten years our wine, flour,
peer. canned goods and stationery trade
mas grown to great proportions. This adj
vance mas oeen secured TO the merchants
Oh TINS city by their own accomm odatiDg
ways; namely. an entire abandonment of
the commercial independence OF pioneer
uaEs' ana utterly diScarding the narrow
ganged habits of the retail Yankee
=, 1here Is scarcely a hotel or saloon In
Mexlco or Central America but what has
CalIornla wine on tap at reasonable
prices Lower California and Sonora are
. H only states that grow wheat. The
mexican tariff on -four is highly protec-
tive. In the Central American States the
nour trade is entirely IN our hands. 1t has
oeen won bodily from Chile by fair and
open competition through furnishing good
quallty, packing in burlaps, according to
TIC Oh Chilean custom, adopting long
credits with interest and marking the