Evening star., 1896-10-06
CENTRAL AMERICA
Trade Between That Country and
the United States Growing.
Mr.. BAKER TALKS INTERESTINGLY
The Price Of Labor There is
Gradually Increasing.
INTEREST IN OUR CONTEST

United States Minister Lewis Baker of
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Salvador is
spending his annual vacation here, where
his family is located. He will return to
his post of duty during the latter part Of
this n cnth.
Heavy Trade With the United State.
1.-The trade of the United States with
Central America is now very heavy" said
Mr.. Baker to a Star reporter today, and it
mas been growing steadily during the pas:
eighteen months. The increase of trade be-
| tween San Francisco and the Pacific ports
of Central America is especially notable.
when 1 went to Central America be-
tween three and four years ago the chief
bread food Of the people was the tortilla,
| a par cake made Of corn meal, ground in
| the homes of the people between rough
stones A fiat stone and rough stone roller
are used for that purpose, much as a roll
| ing pin and board are used here. 1t is
slow work to gradually grind the corn
| into rough meal. OF this meal a pam
| cake Is made, called 'tortilla. gradual
| change has been going on by the substitu-
! ticn of wheat bread made Of flour imported
! from the United States in place of the tor
| tilla. Now, wheat bread can be found all
| over Central America, and its use is be
| coming more and more general. This de-
| mand for our flour is one of the important
| elements in the increase of our trade with
| Central America. and it is destined to in
| crease to much greater extent. We are
| also sending to Central America large
| quantities of machinery. We supply prac-
| flcally all the machinery used in Central
| America. The trade in groceries and dried
| goods from California is large, and Cali
| fornia wine is widely used. About all the
| potatoes used there outside of Costa Rica.
where they raise them successfully, come
| from California;
Will Not Become Producers.
"Will not the people begin to produce
many of these articles they now import as
| sool as the demand becomes large?" Mr.
| Baker was asked.
| NO. l think not. In the first place, cof-
| fee pays well that it is more profita BILE
to raise that and buy what they want
| Coffee now brings S15 or SIG in gold per 10t
| pounds, and when you consider that il cost:
hut $ or s6 to raise this quantity the great
| profit is apparent. Coffee is now demand
ing steady and good price. and that
means that all Central America is prosper.
| Gus There is unhealthy boom in the
! extension of coffee estates that might
threaten the price Of the coffee. There is a
| steady enlargement of the coffee lands. but
it is only sufficient to keep pace with the
il cIeaSing demand for the bean. gooC
many Americans have gone into the region
known Matagalpa and planted coffee
and whenever they have gone there with q
| determination to succeed and with a suth
| cient amount of capital, they have Soof
| acquired good incomes. No man ought tt
think of going to Central America to er
| gage in coffee culture without capital o
$1,000 or $1,000. With that amount of money
| and with care and industry, he would have
no trouble in making himself Independent
| financially, provided, of course, the presen
| price of coffee prevails.
| Price of Labor Rising.
THE price of labor throughout Centra
America is rising, and this stimulates tht
introduction of labor-saving machinery
which, as l have said, comes from tn,
, United States. The drawback - the use o
machinery there has been the excessivel!
low price of labor, which made it cheape
to employ men to do by hard and SLOW
methods what machine would accomplish
in a small fraction of the time con
. sumed. In Costa Rica from SIS to SIG
in silver a day is paid for labor on the cof
fee estates, and when you take into &C
) count the difference in the character o
labor in that country and in this, 1t ap
pears to be a very good price, for a western
farm hand will accomplish three times VIVA
/ | a laborer there considers a days work. j!
| Nicarag qua, while labCr is growing scarce
and higher because of the demand for it, i
, | is still paid much less than in Costa Rica
THE banking business also pays eX
Ceedingly well in Central America, and a
{ a number of places there good opening
for men with fair amount of capital MI
) Louis Chable, who will be remembered b.
many people in this city, where he reside
! | several years when clerk of the Senate CON
2 mittee on foreign affairs, has made grea
t | success as banker in Salvador. He is a
! the head of a large banking house at SAINT
| Ana, Is married to most charming Cost
! Rican young lady. and is enjoying a success
full business and the confidence of a wild
| circle of friends"
4 Little Interest in the Contest Here.
How do the people of Central Amer!c
| regard the fight for the free coinage of sil
| yer in this country?' the reporter asked
e when I left Central America but Iittl
e | interest was shown in the contest. but 6
it has further advanced, perhaps the CO,
' | dition has changed since. The people Their
/ generally think, as do the MeNicans. tina
| If a change of conditions takes place tina
| will allow them to effect exchanges in thi
country at better advantage than in Lon
: don, they will make their exchanges here
e | But, as l said, little interest was show
e in our political contest when 1 left Centra
n | America
rs there prospect for stable govern
!; | ment in Nicaragua after the various revo
. | lutionary movements that have taken piac
: in the last few years." Mr. Baker wa
a | asked.
i "Yes, / think the prospects for a peace
d | able government in Nicaragua are gooc
6 | President Zalaya has been reelected I
4 serve an additional term of six years, an
the people are, apparently, well satisfie
= with him. He is exerting himself towar
f keeping peace in the country, and to tn
a building of railroads. Since left Centrs
o. America l have received word of revt
= lutionary movement, said to have bee
= gotten up on a pretex: that the presden
Mas endcavoring to make himself dictato
v The revolutionists attempted to capture tn
+ quartet and to explode dynamite in tn
+ place. but my information is to the effec
n | that they were unsuccessful, and that II
: further trouble is feared. This revolution
|
4 | when the country celebrates its victory
% | .ettins rid of Walker. the hlibuster.-